Daniel Craig, hands down the sexiest Bond and a man who looks like he was carved out of some kind of sun-kissed gemstone, stated something incredibly sensible. And he deserves all the credit.
Craig reprises his role as Detective Benoit Blanc in the sequel to Knives Out, Glass Onionwhich opened in theaters last month and will hit Netflix December 23th. Craig’s character was recently confirmed to be gay, and in speaking with Sunday TimesHe said: “It’s normal. But we don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to us.”
Amen, Daniel. Let your opinion be heard. Shout it to the four winds: relationships LGBT+ are normal. As for not making a mountain out of a molehill, personally, I hope there comes a time when the sexuality no longer a contentious issue. I want it to be accepted, like having blue eyes (Craig has a good pair) or wearing a size 10.
Wouldn’t it be great if same-sex relationships were so accepted that you never had to talk about them? Sexuality is a spectrum, and we are all somewhere within it. To be queer it is not rare or “other”; it is perfectly normal. My hope is that we move towards a place where more people feel able to go out and live authentically, without having to explain or justify themselves.
Instead of placing people neatly in molds, I’d love for all of us to feel a little freer; less constrained by rigid categories of “gay” and “straight”. If I were to label myself, I would have to use the rather awkward term “pansexual”, meaning someone who is attracted to people no matter how they express their gender. And that has changed over the years as I have understood more about gender and sexuality. It’s also perfectly normal to notice that your place on the spectrum changes over time.
My desire for LGBT+ status and relationships to go unnoticed is in no way meant to criticize those who celebrate their sexuality: it’s a radical and joyous move to unapologetically honor this part of who you are, as many of us did, including the staff. from The Independent, at Pride in London this year. And it’s still radical, and quite important, because the world hasn’t arrived yet. to that point in terms of LGBT+ rights, something we have been reminded of during the World Cup in Qatara country where being gay is a crime.
Qatar is one of the 70 nations in the world that they have laws against the LGBT+ community; 11 of them threaten the death penalty. Even in Britain, hateful rhetoric against trans people (the “T” in LGBT+) on social media and in certain sections of the press, shows how far we still have to go and creates a strong sense of déjà vu among queer people. For example, Section 28, introduced by the Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher, was only repealed in 2003 and the damage it caused persists in living memory. It is not difficult to draw a parallel between how gay people were treated in the 1980s and 1990s and how the trans community is attacked today.
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But part of winning this battle, for tolerance and equality, and yes, for love, is to make LGBT+ relationships as valid, complicated, beautiful, and normal like heterosexuals.
In the same interview, Craig said that when making movies, “you’re supposed to reflect life. And that gay relationship reflects my life.” I’m sure this statement has already raised a lot of speculation and questions as to whether Craig was referring to his personal relationships or the broader need for LGBT+ representation on screen. If Craig was referring to himself, then I’m delighted for him, and if he was speaking more generally, then that’s a positive too.
Craig deserves praise for bluntly normalizing the decision that his character from Knives Out be gay. Maybe now I can forgive him for the “James Bond shouldn’t be played by a woman” commentand for marrying my longtime crush, Rachel Weisz.
Translation by Michelle Padilla
