Beloved Star Trek: Discovery star wants you to know she’s ‘queer and proud’
Mary Wiseman as Ensign Tilly in Star Trek: Discovery (YouTube)
Star Trek: Discovery‘s LGBT+ crew just grew a little bigger as actor Mary Wiseman confirms she is “queer and proud”.
Wiseman, a powerhouse actor who plays fan-favourite Ensign Tilly, revealed that she has loved “people of all genders” in a recent interview with StarTrek.com.
That small detail almost wasn’t published as the Zoom call’s audio cut out just as Wiseman started to say “I’m not straight”. Some shrewd lip-reading prompted writer Dawn Ennis to follow up with Wiseman, who happily confirmed it in a Twitter DM.
“I did say this! It’s not a big deal at all, I just didn’t want to say I’m straight when I’m not!” the star wrote, adding that before she met her husband Noah Averbach-Katz – who played Ryn the Andorian – she “dated and loved people of all genders.”
She went on to explain why she keeps fairly quiet about the topic, saying: “I never liked it when straight-presenting women dominated conversations about bisexuality/pansexuality when I was with women, so I try not to do it now, but I also don’t want it to feel like I’m hiding anything because I’m queer and proud!”
Wiseman’s far from alone on a show that’s won widespread praise for its strong LGBT+ representation, both in its cast and script.
The show’s co-creator Bryan Fuller also identifies as queer, as do actors Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Blu Del Barrio and Ian Alexander – all of whom play LGBT+ characters themselves.
Together Del Barrio and Alexander took on the first trans and non-binary roles in the franchise’s 54-year history, and their characters form an adorable queer family with gay couple Hugh and Paul.
“I’m proud to say that we are bringing you the queerest Trek in history!” Wilson Cruz said ahead of the launch of season three. With Mary Wiseman on board, we’re hoping season four will follow in an equally queer direction.
Star Trek: Discovery is available to watch now on Netflix in the UK and CBS All Access in the US.
