Actor Ncuti Gatwa Comes Out as Queer

Sex Education and Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has referred to himself as queer for the first time in a new interview. The actor opened up about identifying as queer in Elle Magazine, when discussing the importance of representation in the media.

In the interview, Gatwa reflected on an encounter at Manchester Pride many years ago, where he came across another LGBTQ+ person from Rwanda for the first time.

“I remember being at Manchester Pride, going through the streets with all my boys, shaking my cha-chas, living it up, when I saw this woman who looked exactly like my auntie,” Gatwa said. “We were holding hands, and she said to me, ‘I don’t really know why I’m here. I’m just here.’ I told her, ‘Honey, you don’t need to know. You absolutely. Do not. Need. To. Know. You’re here. Be proud of who you are.’”

Image Credit: Canva

“I had never met another queer Rwandan person before,” he explained. “I thought I was the only one in the world.”

Gatwa’s role as the flamboyant Eric Effiong in Netflix’s Sex Education resulted in many fans speculating about the actor’s sexuality for many years, but despite consistent and vocal support for the community, Gatwa never shared any specific labels indicating how he identifies until now. In the interview with Elle Magazine, Ncuti Gatwa talked about the importance of representation and criticized those who refer to portraying diverse identities as ‘box-ticking’ exercises.

“‘First of all, you don’t know anything about me,” he began. “Secondly, tick f*cking boxes! People need to be f*cking seen. What are you going to do, tell the same stories? Have the same people fronting things for all of eternity? Representation and inclusivity and branching out… it enriches us all. How embarrassing. You people with your tiny mindsets – open a book, look out the window and then f*ck off.’

Last year, Gatwa was announced as the Fifteenth Doctor in the upcoming series of Doctor Who, written by returning showrunner Russell T Davies. Davies’ extensive background in queer storytelling has led to fan speculation that Gatwa’s portrayal of the Doctor will follow the character in an openly queer storyline. The series is expected to air in early 2024.

The fourth and final series of Sex Education will also wrap up the story of Gatwa’s renowned character Eric, who the actor said has helped inspire him in his journey to self-confidence. Netflix recently announced the series will air later this month.

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