A Scottish lesbian group has criticised Olivia Colman for figuring out as a “gay man”, describing her feedback as “deeply painful” in a public letter.
Earlier this month, the Oscar winner stated that she’s “always felt sort of non-binary” and “never felt massively feminine” whereas selling her upcoming movie Jimpa. The 52-year-old, who received an Academy Award in 2018 for her portrayal of Queen Anne inThe Favourite, has been married to husband Ed Sinclair for over 25 years.
Colman’s admission has prompted backlash from Scottish lesbian group, The Fantastic Lesbians, who claimed that her feedback “diminished [their] struggle” in a letter on social media.
“When someone who has lived openly and comfortably as heterosexual speaks about identifying as gay, it can be deeply painful for those whose lives have been shaped by the realities of actually being gay or lesbian,” a spokesperson for the group wrote in a two-page letter on X on Wednesday.
“For many people in the lesbian and gay community, sexuality has not simply been a label but a journey marked by confusion, fear, self-interrogation, and often profound alienation from family, faith communities or societies at large.
“Heterosexuality, in contrast, exists within an inclusive heteronormative framework. It is affirmed in media, celebrated in family structures, and reinforced by social expectations.”
The spokesperson highlighted that “many heterosexual people never have to question their orientation” or “come out”. They continued: “They are not typically asked to justify their relationships or prove the legitimacy of their families.”
Concluding the letter, they insisted that their intention is “not to accuse or attack”, however to “express the hurt” round Colman’s feedback.
“For many, being gay has required courage, resilience, and sacrifice in ways that heterosexual life simply has not demanded,” they added. The Independent has contacted Colman’s representatives for remark.
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Colman is greatest recognized for starring as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown and her roles in dramas The Father and The Lost Daughter – which earned her Oscar nominations in 2020 and 2021 respectively. She’s additionally a staple on British TV, having received Baftas for her roles in Broadchurch, Accused and comedy Twenty Twelve.
The actor presently stars in upcoming drama Jimpa as a mom who travels together with her non-binary youngster (Aud Mason-Hyde) to go to her homosexual father (performed by John Lithgow) in Amsterdam.
Speaking concerning the movie, Colman opened as much as Them about her gender id. “Throughout my whole life, I’ve had arguments with people where I’ve always sort of felt non-binary,” she stated.
“I’ve never felt massively feminine in my being female. I’ve always described myself to my husband as a gay man. And then he goes, ‘Yeah, I get that’.”
Earlier in February, Colman’s Jimpa co-star Mason-Hyde referred to as Lithgow’s determination to star within the new Harry Potter sequence “vaguely hurtful” and “difficult”. Lithgow is about to play Albus Dumbledore in HBO’s adaptation of the hit novels.
While Mason-Hyde hailed their co-star as “a beautiful human”, they stated that they discovered his casting as Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore to be complicated as a consequence of JK Rowling’s comments concerning the transgender group.
“I never felt invalidated or questioned or doubted in my identity or in my transness by him,” they advised OUT. “I consistently felt that he was a very loving and a very guiding co-star, and so there’s an element of this that feels vaguely hurtful.”
