Former Hollyoaks star Gerard McCarthy bravely comes out as non-binary: ‘It makes sense to me’
Gerard McCarthy with their partner (Image: Instagram @gerard_mccarthy/Getty)
Former Hollyoaks star Gerard McCarthy has bravely come out as non-binary, declaring: “I’m just me.”
The actor – who played iconic queer character Kris Fisher in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks between 2006 and 2010 – came out in an Instagram post on Monday (20 June) with the caption “happy Pride Month”.
In the post, the star outlined their journey with their sexuality and gender identity, while stating their belief that “gender is used as another way to categorise us”, eventually declaring that they “like the term ‘non-binary'”.
The actor explained: “Going forward, I’m using the pronouns they/them as well as he/him.
“I don’t want anyone who has always referred to me as he/him to start overthinking it or worrying about it too much.”
McCarthy left Hollyoaks in August 2010 after playing Kris Fisher for just under four years. They have since gone on to debut in the feature film A Nightingale Falling in 2014 and, most recently, wrote and starred in the 2021 short film Just Johnny.
View this post on Instagram
McCarthy explained he has always had a “rollercoaster of a journey” with his sexuality, gender identity and “place in this world”.
But, after featuring in Just Johnny, the pressure of thinking about their own gender identity rose dramatically.
“I’ve got to the point where I don’t want to lie anymore or laugh it off when somebody brings it up,” they said.
“My gender has never been anything other than a constant reminder of what society expects me to be, and I’m now at a stage in my life where I’m not going to pay attention to that anymore.”
They also spoke about their sexuality, saying that they’re “very lucky” to have met and loved “some truly incredible people”. But exploring sexuality comes with its own questions and doubts, as the actor is all too aware of.
“The thing that attracted me to them was their energy, sense of humour, ambition, talent, intelligence and wit,” they said of their current partner. “Not their genitalia.
“Does that make me bisexual? Pansexual? I’m not sure. To be honest, I don’t really care.”
