Queer Eye’s Tan France will never move back to the UK because there’s ‘so much racism’
Tan France said he has “suffered so much racism” in the UK. (Jim Spellman/Getty)
Queer Eye star Tan France has said that he “suffered so much racism” while living in the UK that he would never move back.
France, who is originally from Doncaster but has lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, for seven years, said in an interview with Grazia that he finds living in America easier after relentless racist abuse in the UK.
He said: “In interviews before, when people would say, ‘Would you ever move back to the UK?’ I’d say, ‘Yeah, maybe.'”
But now, he said, “It’s a solid no. I suffered so much racism here and it’s just not something I want to put myself through.
“I love this country, I love what it potentially represents, but I just think that until they solve this problem or move forward with it, where you just are not attacked every day, I’m not willing to be here.”
He added: “I’ve never been called anything racist in the US. It’s not once happened.”
France previously said in an interview with Shortlist in 2018 that his new home, Utah, is “one of the whitest” in the US, adding: “So it’s a little backwards.”
However, he said: “The people are really good people – they’re very sweet – and I get to represent so many versions of myself. That helps me push an agenda a little and spread the word.
“They get to meet a brown person and I can address misconceptions about the LGBTQ community.”
Tan France previously said that being Caucasian would have made coming out easier
Tan France also spoke about how “being brown and gay made coming out harder”.
He said: “If I were Caucasian, I would have found the process easier. I have to battle so many issues, and the biggest is racism.
“Being ‘out and proud’ can feel like a real luxury of Western culture, where people are often white and see existing white gay people in their culture.
“They see themselves reflected, so they feel a sense of acceptance. That’s a kind of privilege people don’t know they possess.”
France recently joined forces with Alexa Chung to host the new Netflix show Next In Fashion, which finds 18 designers competing for a $250,000 prize and the chance to sell their designs on online fashion Mecca Net-a-Porter.
