Charlie Condou, openly gay actor and star of the popular British soap opera Coronation Street, offered his take on recent plot developments involving his character’s decision to raise a child with his partner.
Condou, who plays Marcus Dent on the show, spoke proudly of his character’s reunion with boyfriend Sean Tully (played by Anthony Cotton, who is also gay) and their plan to raise son Dylan as a same-sex couple. The actor considers the storyline a positive image for the community and an effective way to bring homosexual couples into popular media.
Condou told reporters for The Sun that many fans have also applauded the gay plotline on the show. Such support is particularly meaningful for the actor, who is himself part of a same-sex parenting couple and currently raises daughter Gerogia Mae with his boyfriend, Cameron Laux.
In spite of wide-spread support for same-sex parenting among friends and fans alike, however, Condou notes a surprising source of criticism – his gay friends.
“Almost everyone was fine with the idea of it apart from a couple of my gay friends,” Condou explained. “Someone asked me why I was trying to fit into a heterosexual stereotype.”
Far from seeking to align himself with a heterosexual ideal, Condou said that he “was doing the opposite, proving we can do it.”
“It doesn’t have to be them or us,” he concluded.
