Actor Matthew Marsden—best known for roles in films like Black Hawk Down and on soaps like Coronation Street—was called out for his hypocrisy after declaring on X, formerly Twitter, that July is 'Straight Pride Month' despite having posed for the cover of the gay magazine Attitude earlier in his career.
Marsden, who was born in England and is an active supporter of conservative politics in the United States, wrote the following message:
"I am hearby announcing that July will now be straight pride month. It’s about time we came out of the shadows. Who is with me?"
You can see his post below.
In another post, he decided to "announce" his heterosexuality.
And in yet another, he called on others to "join me" and "come out as straight" because "We are stronger together."
But it didn't take long for one social media sleuth to point out the actor's hypocrisy given that he, who had a successful career as a model before making it as an actor, once posed for Attitude earlier in his career.
The British magazine is the largest and most recognizable gay lifestyle magazine in the world and sold in many countries in both physical and digital formats.
And the social media user noted that the actor's stance on "Straight Pride" is odd given that he was once "Happy to pose and get your top off in the gay magazines & perform at Pride events."
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Marsden feigned ignorance and suggested the X user had gone on a tangent before adding:
"Secondly, I was on the cover of a LOT of magazines. What does that have to do with anything?"
You can see his response below.
The actor later lashed out at critics, writing:
"They didn’t like me saying #straightpride at all, did they? I am glad that some people show their hypocrisy so blatantly now."
"The left has zero sense of humor and are absolutely inconsistent with their application of tolerance. But you already knew that."
You can see his post below.
When another social media user also brought attention to the issue of Attitude Marsden once posed for, Marsden still didn't seem to get why his posts were hypocritical.
The mockery was swift.
It’s crucial to recognize that “Straight Pride” doesn’t exist because straight individuals aren’t typically raised to feel shame about their sexual orientation.
Heterosexual people don’t face accusations of immorality or sinfulness for their romantic relationships. Heterosexual people don’t lose their jobs or face arrest or imprisonment in numerous countries just because of who they love or marry. Additionally, they aren’t at risk of violence or harm due to others objecting to their sexual orientation.
Other conservatives, notably far-right pundit James Lindsay, have alleged Pride celebrations serve as a conspiracy to incite conservative attacks against the LGBTQ+ community.
@EdwardLawrence/X