John Partridge Decries Effeminacy in Coronation Street Character

March 10, 2010

EastEnders star John Partridge has criticized the character of Sean Tully on Coronation Street, calling the role a gay “stereotype,” in what can be seen an effeminacy bashing.

Partridge, who plays the role of Christian Clarke, called Tully, played by Antony Cotton, a “tea-time gay.”
Partridge claims that without Cotton’s character, his own may not have been born.

In an interview with Attitude magazine, Partridge said:

“What I didn’t want as a stereotype was what I call a tea-time gay. The Sean Tully type of character is the reason my character is here.

“I’ve worked in theatre for 20 years and there are lots of queens in the West End that look and act like that.

“I’m not going to diss his performance or his style, or say ‘Who does he think he’s representing?’ because he is representing one of those shades of gay.

“It may not be your taste, but if that character hadn’t happened and been so successful, I don’t think the BBC would have gone, ‘Right, we need a gay character."

Celebrities in the past have decried effeminacy in gay men. When Lance Basset of N-Sync came out last decade, he described himself as straight-acting.

Christian is currently embroiled in a love-triangle involving a muslim gay man and his new wife.

"It's groundbreaking for a soap to address sexuality and religion. I'm a gay man, my family are Christians, and I'm sure there's a part of them that goes, 'I don't really agree with that,' but they get on with it."
 

Image source: Dominic Edwardes