Danny Dyer condemns rising homophobia and bigotry: ‘It’s petrifying’
Danny Dyer famously played the father of a gay son on EastEnders. (Getty)
EastEnders hardman Danny Dyer has spoken out against rising homophobia, branding it “petrifying”.
Dyer, who played Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter on the BBC soap from 2013 until 2022, denouncing increasing bigotry in an interview with Rolling Stone ahead of the release of his new film One Last Deal.
The Rolling Stone UK cover star warned that “misogyny, sexism, homophobia and racism are all on the rise again”.
He added: “We’ve regressed as human beings, so we need some sort of reset, don’t we?”
A report published last year showed that homophobic and transphobic rhetoric was on the rise across nearly all aspects of western society, while a study released this year found that men born in the 2000s are far more likely to hold conservative views on LGBTQ+ rights compared to previous generations and women of the same age.
‘It’s petrifying to be honest with you’
Addressing divisions across British society, Dyer said: “We’re just so f****** divided right now. The working classes, no matter what colour your skin is, are fighting each other and the elites are taking the f****** p***.
“It’s now very apparent they’re taking the p***, but instead of everyone coming together and looking up, we’re just fighting and blaming each other.
“It’s petrifying to be honest with you, I don’t know why we’ve digressed so much as human beings.”
Dyer, who is considered a gay icon thanks to his EastEnder’s character being so supportive of his gay son, is a longtime LGBTQ+ ally.
The actor previously dressed in drag for indie singer Lucy Rose’s music video for “Nebraska”. Dyer said he was “honoured” to be part of the video. He told The Independent: “When I got the treatment through I was overwhelmed. I think it’s such a moving piece of work.
“I’m beyond proud to be part of it, I’ve always believed that people should be who they wanna be, regardless of race or gender. Freedom of expression is so important – I really hope that this video gets the recognition it deserves.”
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