Years and Years star Rsell Tovey says there's been a huge shift how gay characters are wrten on televisn an terview w Metro.
Contents:
- YEARS & YEARS' NEW SONG CELEBRAT THE "BLSG" OF BEG GAY
- YEARS & YEARS OLLY ALEXANR VOWS TO NTUE TO BE ‘VERY GAY’ AS HE SOPS LGBT AWARD
- AGE DIFFERENC GAY COUPL
- GAY RIGHTS
YEARS & YEARS' NEW SONG CELEBRAT THE "BLSG" OF BEG GAY
* years and years gay *
To start, juxtapos a tradnally unmon pair, homosexualy and hols, by characterizg beg gay as a sacred act rather than the archaic view that ’s a s. ) “I make holy my sfulns when I pray, ” 27-year-old Alexanr explas to "And that's alludg a ltle b to beg on your kne, for whatever reason, but also that beg gay is also a blsg. “Beg able to have a platform where I n exprs my gay self is jt really wonrful, and I feel grateful, ” he that platform, Alexanr sheds light on others’ gay experienc addn to his own, and not only through mic.
In 2017, he released a BBC Documentary, Growg Up Gay, which shed light on mental health issu among LGBTQ youth. For their sophomore rerd, Alexanr was spired by artists like David Bowie, Prce, and even Lady Gaga, who’ve created imagary worlds to go along wh their mic. “I wanted to wre a song about my experienc wh straight guys, bee I know a lot of other gay guys will relate to this.
I thk pecially for men, we do have a hyper mascule culture that don't really allow men to be anythg other than straight—unls they're gay—and there's not really much between that. I thk a lot of gay and queer people grow up a culture that mak them feel ashamed of themselv and ashamed of their bodi and ashamed of their sir.
YEARS & YEARS OLLY ALEXANR VOWS TO NTUE TO BE ‘VERY GAY’ AS HE SOPS LGBT AWARD
Disver all facts and statistics on Homosexualy (gays and lbians) the U.S. on ! * years and years gay *
That kd of stuff still exists for me, but at the same time, I'm at a place now where I'm so happy to be gay. It enpass so many tersectnal inti and unfortunately, the predomant narrative is the whe, gay du. Gay characters have e along durg Years and Years star Rsell Tovey’s reer (Picture: BBC/Getty)It’s been more 20 years sce Rsell Tovey first appeared on our screens as a teen The Mrs.
Queer as Folk was still monly lled disgtg, legns of teenage girls were eher vastated or fur that Stephen Gately had e out as a gay man (bee he’d been blackmailed by prs) and was was illegal for same-sex upl to adopt a fay.
AGE DIFFERENC GAY COUPL
Until hero like Eric Sex Edutn and the ladi of Orange Is The New Black, was near impossible to fd gay characters who weren’t fed by the their sexualy. ‘When to how gay people are reprented there’s been a plete shift om when I first started this bs, ’ he told .
‘There’s more opportuny to show there are billns of different straight people – so why is there only one way to portray gay people?
MORE: Rsell Tovey fends Jack Whehall after cricism over gay character: ‘Jt let him act’.
GAY RIGHTS
He also said the track is a celebratn of beg part of the LGBTQ muny: “I feel like beg gay is a blsg. Last summer, the sger lnched a new LGBTQ documentary, Growg Up Gay, for the BBC, which n be streamed on the iPlayer now.
Related: Olly Alexanr terview: Beg bullied at school ma me ‘hope I wouldn’t turn out to be gay’. However, such openns about his sexualy (Alexanr intifi as gay) - and subsequent statements support of the LGBTQ muny - might have been but a dream for the 27-year-old given the fact he was once told to keep quiet about his homosexualy for the sake of his band. However, the artist – who last year ma a BBC documentary about his experienc of homosexualy growg up – said he ignored her Imag'When a journalist did ask me about my sexualy, I said "Y, I'm gay and this song is about a man".
Wner Alexanr’s tribute to LGBT hero (Picture: Rex)Years & Years star Olly Alexanr explaed why ’s super important to be ‘very gay’ any room he walks to. Olly, who won plds for BBC documentary Growg Up Gay, soped the celebry of the year prize and said he wouldn’t be an out pop star whout ‘visible hero’ pavg the way for him.