Helen Mirren doesn’t believe in binary ideas of male and female – ’We're all somewhere in the middle’
Dame Helen Mirren has said she doesn’t believe in binary conceptions of gender.
The 74-year-old actor dismissed a “black and white” conception of male and female, and claims she has a lot of male qualities herself.
"I came to the conclusion an awfully long time ago that there is black and there is white, and we're all somewhere in the middle in a wonderful mix of male and female,” she said in an interview with Radio Times magazine. "There is no such thing as binary sexuality, when you're male or female. I don't believe that at all."
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The Oscar-winning actor – who last week arrived at the premiere of her upcoming film, ‘Catherine the Great’, carried on an ornate, glass litter, also told the publication she has “a lot of what people might call male qualities”.
"I hate talking about my feelings, I never want to go to the doctor and I'm a brilliant map-reader,” she explained, although she conceded “I certainly look like a woman."
Later on, Mirren was quizzed on her views regarding the transgender community, and was asked whether she agreed with the views of Australian feminist Germaine Greer on transgender people. Greer previously said in a BBC Newsnight interview that transgender women as “not women”.
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To this question, Mirren responded: “Do you mean Germaine Greer saying women are women and men are men? Well, she didn’t quite say that but if being a TERF [trans-exclusionary radical feminist] is not accepting that trans women are women then I’m not a TERF,’ she added.
Celebrities are increasingly speaking out to broaden societal attitudes around gender.
Last month, Sam Smith – who identifies as gender-non-binary and prefers to be referred to as “they” rather than “he” – wore heels to the star-studded premiere of ‘Judy’ in Beverly Hills.
Then there was ‘Queer Eye’ star Jonathan Van Ness, who was dubbed a 'queen' for his gender-fluid VMAs look in August this year.
