Marie Claire PRIDE: #MoreThanAMonth

As PRIDE month comes to an end we spoke with the next generation of LGBTIQA+ talent on how they're celebrating this weekend, on-screen representation and more...

Each and every June, we celebrate the global LGBTIQA+ community. Pride month nurtures acceptance and equality, increasing awareness of the queer experiences. It is a period dedicated to educating people on issues facing the community and sheds light on frequently marginalised voices. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Pride so we thought we'd celebrate by asking the next generation of LGBTIQA+ talent: Erin Doherty, Nathaniel Curtis, Kizzy Edgell and Luke Fetherston what Pride means to them in our #MoreThanAMonth campaign spotlighting queer experiences.

Photographed by Kyle Galvin very aptly at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the iconic location for the Spice Girls 'Wannabe' music video (our contributing fashion editor, Sarah-Rose Harrison styled Erin Doherty and Kizzy Edgell in two of the season's most dramatic looks on the very same staircase). As a pop group who dedicated their message to embracing being exactly who you want to be, we thought there was no better location to shoot our four queer screen stars.

Erin Doherty, star of psychological Amazon Prime thriller Chloe and deeply beloved for her unforgettable portrayal of Princess Anne in Netflix’s The Crown, spoke exclusively to Marie Claire UK sharing: ‘to me, Pride is all about visibility and finding inner peace.'

Nathaniel Curtis, who you’ll recognise from It’s A Sin, believes Pride is all about accepting yourself and all of your achievements. Whilst we chat, he highlights that ‘love shouldn’t be a battle but you see people fighting for it every day.’

Curtis’ thoughts are more poignant than ever in light of the recent overturning of Roe v Wade by the US supreme court. Since this ruling, there have been increasingly concerning conversations surrounding current legislation regarding same-sex love and marriage possibly being revoked.

Russel T. Davies’ television programme took screens by storm last year. In the TV show, Nathaniel’s character Ash Mukherjee lives in the shadow of the 1980s AIDs epidemic. This was an important role for the actor, who wants to highlight the joy queer lives bring to the world, ‘How could I not be proud to be part of it?’, he says.

‘I want to have the knowledge that I belong somewhere. The queer community is constantly told that we don’t belong, but Pride gives us the knowledge that we’re a family.’ 

Rising star Kizzy Edgell also highlights how vital the LGBTIQA+ family is. They recently made their acting debut in Netflix’s blockbuster Heartstopper. Starring in the British coming of age series led to Kizzy’s following exploding overnight, with their follower count jumping to over 760,000 in under 24 hours. 

‘So much of the time, queer people feel othered which can lead to a sense of self-hatred. Pride Month is a rebuttal of these feelings,’ Edgell says. Noting that: ‘Loving ourselves as queer people is revolutionary.’ 

Our fourth and final Pride cover star is Luke Fetherson, who stars in Lifetime's new series Flowers In The Attic: The Origin. Between sharing behind-the-scenes antics from the new show and working the camera, Fetherson shared what Pride means to him. Embracing the month as an: ‘Unapologetic self-celebration. Having the courage to be completely authentic and the freedom to show up for yourself and others.’

This Saturday (July 2), Londoners will take to the streets for the 50th Pride Parade. Erin set the tone sharing that she’ll be celebrating ‘with drink, music and face glitter’. Whereas, with a hectic theatre schedule (Curtis is just closing his run in the title role of Brittanicus at the Lyric Hammersmith) the one thing Nathaniel wants is to celebrate ‘with the people he loves and make him feel most loved.' To us, both sound absolutely perfect. 

More sublime though are our cover stars’ dream Pride lineups. Luke and Erin brought R&B to the table with headliners Mariah Carey and Janelle Monae whilst Kizzy pitched Frankie Cosmos, an indie band breaking out of Brooklyn. Remaining loyal to his co-star Ollie Alexander, Nathaniel shared his will always be ‘Years and Years, love you Olly!’

All of our cover stars are dedicated to increasing queer representation on-screen. But we wanted to find out which on-screen scene is most important to them.

For Nathaniel, the entire series of Sense 8 'did incredible things' with him noting that 'the queer representation in that is beautiful.' Whilst Erin recounts the first time she saw Carol, an adaptation of the 1952 novel The Price of Salt, 'I remember sitting in the cinema and knowing this moment will always stay with me.'

While the role of Thirteen, played by Olivia Wilde, in the medical series House deeply resonated with Kizzy.

Kizzy Edgell: Caban jacket, trumpet trousers and loafers, all Tods; Rainbow Sapphire Baguette necklace and rainbow triple stack diamond ring, both Suzanne Kalan; Gem watch, Dior Watches; Cotton socks, Falke

For Luke, the relationship between David and Patrick within Schitt's Creek was a representation that stayed with him as it felt so authentic. ‘In an industry where people have felt pressured to hide who they really are for quite some time, queer representation couldn’t be more important. I know the industry is slowly changing and it’s amazing to see, but we have a way to go!’

With Pride Month drawing to a close, Marie Claire is launching the campaign #MoreThanAMonth which continues to spotlight queer experiences. This means you’ll be hearing a lot more from Erin, Luke, Kizzy and Nathaniel - watch this space. 

Photography: Kyle Galvin
Styling + Production: Sarah-Rose Harrison
Hair: Ross Kwan at A-Frame Agency using Colour WOW and Bleach London
Makeup: Buster Knight at The Only Agency using West Barn Co and Augustinus Bader
Nails: Francis Dillon Miquel at OPI
Set Design: Carolina Mizrahi
Videographer: Rodney Rico
Set Dresser: Po Tsun Lin
Location: St Pancras Renaissance Hotel
Photographers Assistant: Cleo Lim
Stylist’s Assistant: Lauren Cunningham
Production Assistant: Grace Warn
Editor-in-Chief: Andrea Thompson
Editor: Sunil Makan