What makes Patrick Stewart a gay icon?
In the latest instalment in his series spotlighting gay icons, David Ferguson looks at Sir Patrick Stewart.I have been contemplating who else I would put on my gay icons list after Cyndi Lauper.
I had a few ideas but something I saw online pushed the next person to the top of my list.I saw a meme the other day that suggested that we should expect older people to be bigoted as “they’re from another era.” However, the meme countered this suggestion with a picture of Patrick Stewart (a man born in 1940) wearing some rainbow socks.
And so, I have decided to make the case for him in this piece.Patrick Stewart started his career on stage, becoming a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a Laurence Olivier Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in Anthony and Cleopatra.
He later made the move to TV and starred in classic series like I, Claudius (1976) and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979).Personally, I discovered his work when he gained international recognition in his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), a role he continued in films and the more recent series Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023).He also starred as Professor Xavier in the X-Men movies, starting in 2000 and continuing the role on and off until 2022.
