'Pretty Little Liars' star Shay Mitchell shares that she wore her Emison shirt to a Pride party and "it was quite a hit"

15 years after Pretty Little Liars first premiered in June of 2010, stars Shay Mitchell and Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer are reflecting on what Emison meant to not only the fans, but to them personally. 

"Emily was such a trailblazer, especially at that time and on that network. It was super important. That storyline is such a crucial one. I wish it had been a lot more common, but her character really started the conversation for so many people, and continues to and I love being able to see people who are rewatching the show. I haven’t watched any of the episodes since we stopped, but there will be a day when I will show my girls the show and we’ll start from season one. And that will be kind of cool," Mitchell expressed to The Hollywood Reporter."The fandom around Emily’s character, I can’t be anything but proud. I have an 'Emison' shirt. I wore it out to a Pride party six months ago and it was quite a hit."

The two collaborated with Represent to create an "Emison Endgame" shirt with a portion of each sale going to GLAAD, a non-profit organization focused on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change.

"It’s a huge honor and not something I take lightly," Pieterse Sheaffer added. "Shay and I were very aware of that responsibility while we were filming and it’s something we are really proud of. I care so deeply about Emison. I’m so proud of the way we presented it on the show because we were one of the first shows to do that; it was important that we did a couple of things. Emily was afraid to tell her parents. That was a big storyline, and the fact that one was supportive and one wasn’t at first. It would’ve been a mistake to make it all OK, and it would’ve been a mistake to make everything dark as well. I’m glad we showed that it’s complicated and that every family is different, and that people can come around and the struggle, but also the joy that can come from that."