Jonathan Bailey has revealed that he was heckled in the street while holding hands with his ex-boyfriend.
The Bridgerton star, 36, who is currently earning acclaim for his portrayal of Fiyero in the film adaptation of Wicked, opened up about the ongoing challenges he faces as a gay man.
In an interview with British Vogue, the Fellow Travelers reflected on the experience, saying: “I've always been a confident hand-holder in relationships.
“I had a boyfriend who wasn't experienced at holding hands in public. We got heckled in London. But that kind of behaviour is now outweighed by the smiles you get.”
The Netflix star also shared insights into his journey of self-discovery, describing his understanding of his sexuality as a gradual realisation.
He shared: “I think other people understood my sexuality before I was even aware of it.”
“I remember excitedly asking them "Guys, guys, who else thinks they're gay? Do you? I do. I do,’” he recalled of a sleepover with primary school friends when he was younger.
“It was a conversation I really, really wanted to have, to see if everyone else was on the same page. But everyone went quiet.”
Bailey also spoke candidly about a teacher at his school singling him out in front of the entire class, making a derogatory reference to his sexuality. Reflecting on the moment, he said: “I was having trouble with my work and he said, ‘Well, if you weren't so busy being a fairy you'd understand’.”
Aside from his love life, the British star reflected on wanting to start a family in the future,
He told the outlet: “Yes, it's such a privilege for a man, but I can't bring children into my lifestyle now. I want to make sure I'm going to be present, I'm reading books on adoption. I might coparent with a woman, but I'm thinking it will be with a man.”
Bailey’s candid discussion about the challenges he’s faced as a gay man comes a year after he revealed his “life was threatened” during a homophobic incident in Washington D.C.
The star of stage and screen was attending an annual event for the LGBTQ+ organisation The Human Rights Campaign alongside his Fellow Travelers co-star Matt Bomer.
The following morning he went to pick up coffee, wearing a branded HRC cap when he was approached by unknown man.
Speaking to the Standard, he said: “And a man arrived behind me and he said, ‘Are you famous?’ And I said something like, 'I'm really famous for ordering coffee,' which is actually quite an annoying thing to say,” he laughs. “And then he got my cap, and he pulled it off my head and he threw it across the room and he said, ‘get out of this f***ing coffee shop, you queer.”
Bailey recalled the silence that filled the room, saying, “In the moment, everything slows down” and then picked up his cap from the floor and placed it back on his head.
“No one knew what to do, apart from one girl, she was amazing,” he continued. “Angela, she came up, and she got her phone out and she said, ‘I’m recording this message, I think you are welcome in this country. And what you’re saying, I think, is appalling.’ That happened sort of five minutes in, and he left.”
He added: “My life was threatened. My body believed it; my brain didn’t and it took me a while to really catch up with it. But I’ve got friends and security.
“There are so many people that don’t. They are surrounded by that every day, and the torment of what that must be like, the amount of fear that was generated… If that’s what children are surrounded by, they’re not going to be able to grow in any way.”
See the full feature in the January issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday, 17 December.
