Emma Corrin recalls backlash they faced after coming out as queer and nonbinary

‘Even though we like to think we’re in a progressive society, a lot of what we’re seeing is increasingly a step back,’ actor says

Emma Corrin recalls backlash they’ve faced after coming out as queer and nonbinary (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Emma Corrin has spoken out about the backlash they faced after coming out as queer and nonbinary.

The 28-year-old actor reflected on coming out in 2021 during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, published on 22 May. They detailed some of the negative comments they received online in 2021, which also came after they changed their pronouns in their Instagram bio.

“The vitriol is worse than I anticipated,” Corrin recalled. “Even though we like to think we’re in a progressive society, a lot of what we’re seeing is increasingly a step back.”

The My Policeman star added: “People follow me because they’ve watched something I’m in. They think I’m one kind of person, and then they’ll see who I actually am and how I present and… I will never understand why.”

Corrin also hit back at people who’ve taken issue with how they identify, questioning critics for why they’ve spread the negativity in the first place.

“Who are you hurting by being yourself? Why am I controversial?” they added. “I think it’s fear. Absolute fear.”

Despite the criticism they’ve received online over the years, Corrin acknowledged that they now avoid reading comments on their social media posts. They also confessed that they avoid reading things about their work, specifically movie reviews.

“I’m getting really good at not doing it. I’d be lying if I said I never read anything,” they explained. “Because sometimes you read one and think: ‘I’m never going to act again. I can’t do anything.’ You learn your lesson.”

However, Corrin went on to share how they’ve connected with their fans, as someone who’s a part of the LGBTQ+ community. They recalled one instance in London where an audience member approached them following their 2022 performance in Orlando, a theater adaption of Virginia Wolf’s 1928 novel of the same name.

“I remember this older man was waiting for me,” they explained. “His grandchild had come out as trans, and he was trying to understand it. Seeing Orlando shifted his whole perspective; he couldn’t thank me enough. It was wild. It was beautiful.”

Corrin first came out as queer in April 2021, when they posted a series of photos from their Pop Magazine photo shoot, in which they wore a wedding dress, along with the caption: “Ur fave queer bride.” A few months later, the actor also shared a photo of themself wearing a chest binder, before updating their Instagram bio with their preferred pronouns.

This is not the first time that Corrin has spoken candidly about the criticism they received after publicly coming out as queer. During an interview with Vanity Fair in February 2023, Corrin acknowledged they never had a “big discussion” with their team before making that announcement on Instagram in 2021.

“Naively, maybe, it took me aback how much hate I got for that. It was quite a reality check,” Corrin said. “But for a lot of people, it did help. Especially around conversation of gender and stuff, it does help a lot of people to see someone living as a nonbinary person in the world.”

The Lady Chatterley’s Lover star added: “I know how much other people’s accounts helped me, that’s my motivation for keeping my social media at the moment.”