The Tamesis
As a nosy bisexual, I implicitly believe that everyone’s sexual orientation is my business, but even I There has been a sickening level of public discussion lately about the bizarrely attired and extraordinary Alexander Skarsgård. The Swedish actor plays a gay biker with BDSM tendencies in new film back seatrecently clarified his views on type Last October, he told the publication: “I found that my background didn’t matter in this case. I mean, I do have a child, but what I’ve done in the past, the people I’ve been with, men, women… What was important to me was that this felt like an opportunity to tell a story about a subculture that I’d never seen so authentically portrayed.”
This week, Skarsgård (somewhat) type Speaking again about his sexuality, he said in an interview: “Does[this character]resonate with my past? That’s definitely not an intentional statement. I don’t know what I’m saying. Maybe it has to do with – sometimes as an actor, I get a lot of attention. Maybe it’s trying to shift the focus more to the story and these characters. And the importance of telling stories like this.”[therole[resonatedwithmypast?[这个角色[与我的过去产生了共鸣？这绝对不是一个有意的陈述。我不知道我在说什么。也许这与——有时作为一个演员，我受到了很多关注。也许它试图将焦点更多地转移到故事和这些角色上。以及像这样讲述故事的重要性。”[therole[resonatedwithmypast?ItwasdefinitelynotanintendedstatementIdon’tknowwhatIwastalkingaboutMaybeithastodowith—there’salotoffocussometimesonmeasanactorMaybeitwastryingtoshiftthefocusmoretothestoryandthesecharactersAndtheimportanceoftellingthestorylikethis”
OK! We could definitely leave it there as a society, but clearly we don’t; Skarsgård’s sexual orientation is trending on social media, and even though he has actually denied it, there are still many people speculating that he might be bisexual.
To be clear, I’m not saying we should never discuss any celebrity’s romantic or sexual proclivities. As I’ve said before, I’m gay, I love gossip, and I’ll admit that I was intrigued by Skarsgård’s long friendship with Jack McBrayer (aka Kenneth the Squire). 30 rock. But two men can only be friends! You’re hearing it more and more these days! (Also, not that it matters, but Kenneth himself is quintessentially heterosexual; remember his chaste dalliance with NBC moderator Grace Parker in season 1?)
However, Skarsgård’s personal identity aside, we do seem allergic to the cultural norm of bisexuality (and lesbianism). I’m still waiting for people to settle on Chappelle Rowan! ). As queer people, we naturally want to see more LGBTQ+ role models in the public eye, especially in this moment when anti-trans legislation and same-sex marriage are under threat. But that doesn’t mean we’re entitled to know the full details of any celebrity’s dating history, especially if they seem reluctant to open up in a particular direction.
After all, visibility doesn’t necessarily equal acceptance or safety for actual, self-identifying members of the LGBTQ+ community. Even if Skarsgård was gay or bisexual, and was vocal about and proud of it, would that meaningfully change the material reality of any queer or trans person currently struggling to live in America?
I’m not saying queer role models aren’t important, but in this age of homophobic repression, maybe we’d all be better off if we focused less on gay celebrity gossip and more on how to combat homophobia and transphobia wherever they appear in our own lives.
