#08.05.19

Louis at Heathrow | August 5, 2019

Vintage 1999 Black Sabbath Reunion Tour T-Shirt 

“Even if you're not the world's biggest RuPaul's Drag Race fan, you'll likely have heard of Courtney Act. After becoming a fan favourite on the show, she went on to win Celebrity Big Brother last year, and now hosts her own bisexual dating series, The Bi Life.

Courtney - known as Shane Jenek out of drag - is also part of the first same-sex couple to feature in an English-speaking version of Dancing With the Stars Australia. All this to say, being 'out' and visible as an LGBTQ+ person is super important to Courtney - who identifies as pansexual and gender fluid.

Cosmopolitan UK sat down with Courtney to discuss what her queer identities mean to her, whether labels are necessary, and why LGBTQ+ representation on TV is so needed.

What does being pansexual mean to you?

"I am attracted to people irrespective of their gender. I am mostly attracted to guys, but I’ve had experiences with people of different genders. I feel like if I’m attracted to someone I’ll see where that takes me, rather than be like, ‘That’s a girl, I don’t like girls’. I just see what happens.

"And you know, life’s full of opportunities. So I say: it could be a fun adventure and as long as you feel comfortable, take it. Gender and sexuality are fun to explore and I think we have a few too many rules around it."

What does being gender fluid mean to you?

"I sort of throw away the definitions of gender - that boys are 'supposed' to wear blue and girls are 'supposed' to wear pink - and those gender roles an gender presentations. I do it on my own terms rather than based on what other people say I should do. It’s not just dressing up as Shane and as Courtney, because it’s about how I feel about myself.

"For my teen years and all of my twenties it felt like I was trying to live up to this expectation of being a man and what that meant – not just what clothes I wore, but how I acted. The flipside to that was repressing my femininity. I was always made to feel that men were desirable because of their masculinity, and for a boy, being feminine was not something you should be proud of. But, I came to realise it’s OK for boys to be feminine, for girls to be masculine and we should all express ourselves however we want."

What do you think of labels?

"Gender and sexuality both exist on a spectrum and I think those terms are place-markers of that reality. People’s gender and sexuality can change and evolve throughout their lives. It’s just about being free from the expectations of society, and defining life on your own terms. The most important thing is to look inside and understand who you are, and be that person for yourself.

"A label-less world is a lovely idea, but it’s not a reality right now because we need those labels so people in minorities are able to be seen, and define themselves and have an identity. A lot of young people say they don’t need labels and it’s wonderful that people are able to do that. But I think the issue is that you sort of lose a lot of the story and visibility of queer culture and queer identity and minorities' cultures and identities.

"Sometimes people use no labels because they’re in a privileged situation and are able to live their life. Embracing the things that make you different is really powerful, and exciting, and I love doing it."

Is being in the first same-sex partnership on Dancing With the Stars important to you?

"Growing up in Australia, there was never any queer representation on television. There were two people I remember: Carlotta and Bob Downe. And I remember how important seeing those two people on television was for me as a young person. They were little lifelines of visibility.

"The fact Josh [Shane's dancing partner] and I got to break down that boundary, and not just dance in drag but as two male-presenting people was really cool. It was really well received and it’s amazing to think about people sitting there tuning in, and being forced to watch two guys dance together on television. It seeps into [people's] psyche slowly and shows them as long as [someone's] having a good time and not hurting anybody, expressing their identity is important."

odağımı çevreden ayırıp kendime getirip yine çevreye yönelttiğim seansların birinde, açık pencereden gelen az nüfuslu şehir sesi ve rüzgar uğultusu beni ortaokul zamanıma götürdü. o zamanlardan gelen bir pencere dışı sesiydi bu. zamana olan bağımlılığıma karşı ortamın ince ayrıntılarına dikkat etmemin pis sonucu böyle rahatlamam gereken anlarda lök diye karşıma çıkıp beni ikiye bölebiliyor. tebrikler! artık ayrıştınız.

mekanların anılarında boğulan; yıldan yıla, ortaokuldan liseye, ruh halinden ruh haline giren ama en çok “noluyor ya bi gidin” ile “iğrenç!” arasında tenis topuna dönen kafam diğer kafama “naber la ne zaman dönücen, dönme bence iltica et buraya, hem hiç anın yok burda, ülkende olanlar da zaten siline siline gidecek, hem bak dönersen ben seni rahat bırakmayacağım, bana yıllardır yapılanı unutmadım, ağladım zırladım, ben de bu kız on altı yaşındayken ona on beş yaşını özlettim, on yediye geçince on altıyı özletmeye başladım, şimdi gelişiyorum ve yirmi yaşında geçmiş zamanların hepsini özletiyorum, birkaç ay öncesini bile.. elbette kararı veren sensin ama görüyorsun ki ben de tehlikeli bir mahalleyim. ya beni silin ya da bu kızı bende çok gezdirmeyin.” dedi.