Courtney Act: ‘We have such a rigid idea of what gay is and that’s problematic’

Celebrity Big Brother winner and RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist Courtney Act, real name Shane Jenek, speaks out about her pansexuality in the new issue of attitude magazine. 

In an exclusive interview and cover shoot in our Style Issue – available to buy and download now – the gender-queer drag queen talks about sexual identity, her crush on Andrew Brady, being a feminist, and why politics was so important in this year’s CBB house.

During her time in the Celebrity Big Brother house Courtney refused to downplay her sexuality and political views, and her attempts to educate her fellow housemates helped her win over a loyal following on social media. 

Photographer: Leigh Keily

After returning to the real world and seeing the reaction to her behaviour in the house, Courtney tells attitude that she believes it’s time for the gay community to open their eyes and educate themselves about other sexualities that exist within the LGBT+ umbrella.

“It’s important to acknowledge bisexual, pansexual. We have such a rigid idea of what heterosexuality is and that’s problematic. We have such a rigid idea of what gay is and that’s also problematic,” adds the star.

Going on to discuss her own experiences, she continues: “The reason I identify as pansexual is not because I wander around the street looking at women thinking I wanna bang ’em, it’s because I’ve had sexual and emotional experiences with women, and I don’t count that out as being a possibility. [The last time was in 2016] I had a threesome with two lesbians.”

“I had an emotional connection with one of the girls. We just decided to give it a go. It doesn’t invalidate the gay identity,” she adds. 

Drag Race star Courtney joins US chat show star James Corden as one of two stars featuring on the cover of attitude’s Style Issue. Buy in print, subscribe or download now.