Olivia Colman was speaking about the film “Jimpa”, in which she plays a bisexual mother who has to take her non-binary child to visit their gay grandfather. The actress said she has “never felt extremely feminine”.
In an interview with Them, she said that she describes herself to her husband, Ed Sinclair, “as a gay man”. The comment, made in a light-hearted manner by the actress, sparked outrage from the Scottish lesbian group The Fantastic Lesbians.
The group, known for wanting to exclude trans people from the LGBT movement, published a two-page letter on its profile on X, formerly Twitter.
“When someone who has lived openly and comfortably as heterosexual talks about identifying as gay, it can be deeply painful for those whose lives have been shaped by the realities of actually being gay or lesbian,” they wrote.
The letter states that heterosexual people never have to “come out”, while “gays and lesbians have to deal with marginalization, stigma” and often “rejection”.
Despite the group’s criticism, many internet users came out in support of Olivia Colman.
“I’m a lesbian in my 50s. I’m not offended at all by her saying this. Context is key and, knowing her, she would never have mentioned it in any way with the intention of causing harm,” said one Facebook profile.
“Just let people be who they are. She’s describing how she feels — how can we judge that?” commented another.
In addition to Olivia Colman, “Jimpa” also stars John Lithgow and Aud Mason-Hyde.
The Fantastic Lesbians have written to Olivia Coleman. pic.twitter.com/GDccEWcxhc
— Fantastic Lesbians (@ThefantasticsL) February 18, 2026
Source and images: Wikimedia Commons. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
