The actor and Traitors host publicly came out as bisexual in 1998. He is married to artist Grant Shaffer, tying the knot with him in 2007. Previously, he dated actor Saffron Burrows and was married to Hilary Lyon for eight years.
As it says on his website, “I think my sexuality and most people’s sexuality is gray. I am married to a man. I have a healthy sexual appetite and a healthy imagination. I also have an attraction to women. I’ve never lost it, actually. I’ve always been attracted to both sexes, and whether I act on it or not is not anyone’s business.”
So, when talking to Alan about his collaboration with Virgin Atlantic to celebrate their new LAX Clubhouse, we asked if he ever gets frustrated to see his sexuality be mislabeled. “I let that one go,” he replied. “I try to, when I have a chance to, define myself as bisexual.”
“But if people say gay— I like queer, actually, because it’s more all-encompassing, and it doesn’t necessarily have to do with what you do with the contents of your underpants. It’s more of a sort of sensibility as well. I quite like that,” the 60-year-old continued.
“The Traitors is such a queer show,” he added. “There’s me at the center of it, being super queer with all my crazy outfits. Two of the winners this year are queer people, and that’s so lovely. I really did push to have a better representation in the show, and that’s certainly worked.”
“With all these draconian, horrific things, laws, and attitudes against the queer and trans community in America right now, I think it’s a really positive thing to see so many queer people and, hopefully, trans people in a show that also celebrates dressing up, androgyny, femme-ness, and queerness,” he added. “Hopefully, we challenge people: If you like all that and you love this show, maybe you shouldn’t vote for a party that is trying to demean and destroy those people’s lives.”
Well said, Alan! You can read our full interview with Alan here.
