Emma Corrin reveals how their family responded to them coming out
Emma Corrin is reflecting on their experience coming out to their family and revealed why their younger brother’s reaction was especially reassuring.
The actor, 26, discussed their gender identity and sexuality in a new interview with Vogue, where they recalled the supportive way their family reacted to the news that they like “people”.
“I started dating a girl and told my mum, and then my little brother DM’d me saying: ‘Hey, I wanted to say welcome, because I’ve been bi for ages,’” Corrin recalled.
The actor shared that it was their brother’s reaction that amazed them the most, noting that the younger generation seems to have a “much more chill” relationship with the fluidity of sexuality and gender.
“The next generation is so much more chill. They are finding a way to express themselves which is less binary in a very organic way,” Corrin said. “While we’re almost caught in between.”
Corrin also had a positive experience when it came to their first date with a woman, which took place not long after they came out.
“My first date with a girl, they were like: ‘Oh! You’re a baby queer!’” Corrin told the outlet, adding that, although they didn’t see each other again, the date was “amazing” because “she really gave me the lowdown”.
However, Corrin’s journey hasn’t been completely smooth. The actor, who came out as nonbinary on Instagram last year when they changed their pronouns to they/them, said it can be “really scary” posting about their identity on social media.
“I’m working out all this complex gender and sexuality stuff. And yet, I’m seeing a guy? That feels very juxtaposed, even if I’m very happy,” Corrin explained.
While Corrin revealed they are still coming to terms with their identity, they also acknowledged that, for them, “gender just isn’t something that feels fixed”.
“There might always be some fluidity there for me,” the actor said.
The My Policeman star 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.”
In July, 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 their choice to come out publicly as queer, as the Emmy-nominated actor previously told ITV News that they did so because they believe “visibility is key”.
“I think visibility is key with these things,” Corrin said. “I felt it because I think my journey’s been a long one, and I still got a way to go. I think that we’re so used to defining ourselves and that’s the way sadly society works is within these binaries. It’s taken me a long time to realise I exist somewhere in between, and I’m still not sure where that is yet.”
