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Gillian Anderson Says She's 'Thrilled' To Be Turning Fans Gay
The X-Files star responds to a hilarious meme pointing out her impact on fans' sapphic desires.
If actor Gillian Anderson had something to do with your gay awakening, you’re not alone.
Generations of women have had their sapphic leanings confirmed by watching the stunning actor on screen and Anderson’s “thrilled” about her contribution.
A meme is currently spreading across Twitter that jokes about the impact the characters Anderson has played have had on women over the years.
The meme features a woman titled “Gillian Anderson made me gay” high-fiving a line of people labeled as “Gen X-Files,” “X-Files bisexuals,” “Elder millennials,” “Millennials and late bloomers who watched The Fall,” and “Gen Z Jean Millburn MILF cohort.” And the meme was captioned, “Thank you, Gillian, your legacy stays winning.”
Thank you, Gillian, your legacy stays winning pic.twitter.com/FYtFIEkkUV
— Mel (@Melethonomia) June 18, 2023
The meme is referencing some of Anderson’s most iconic roles that, perhaps, confirmed some fans' sapphic desires. She played FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the X-Files, bisexual detective Stella Gibson in the serial killer cat-and-mouse series The Fall, and sex therapist Jean Millburn in Netflix’s Sex Education.
These memorable characters have influenced three generations of queer women and Anderson couldn’t be happier about it. She showed her appreciation by retweeting the meme with the caption, “Always thrilled to be of service.”
Always thrilled to be of service. 😉 🏳️🌈 https://t.co/5oA4ZRCNae
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) June 19, 2023
The comments under the meme are hilarious and confirm the “Gillian effect.” Even actor Jane Lynch wrote, “I was always gay but she solidified my gay.”
One fan commented, “Haha love it. Dana Scully certainly helped me realize it was the ladies I liked. Silly me, at first thinking I was watching for Mulder. It's all about Scully!”
Another person wrote, “I remember watching the X-Files when I was 10 years old and I had a crush on Scully. She was my very first crush and when I realized I was lesbian. #TrueStory #TheXFiles #Scully #GillianAnderson."
“A rainbow T-shirt won’t make your kids gay but Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson on ‘The Fall’ will,” a fan commented alongside a GIf of Anderson as Stella Gibson, including a moment where she kissed a woman.
I was always gay but she solidified my gay. https://t.co/RV46ms6KvI
— Jane Lynch (@janemarielynch) June 19, 2023
I remember watching the X-Files when I was 10 years old and I had a crush on Scully. She was my very first crush and when I realized I was lesbian. #TrueStory #TheXFiles #Scully #GillianAnderson
— Riley 🌻 (@Riley_Tegan) June 19, 2023
A rainbow T-shirt won’t make your kids gay but Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson on ‘The Fall’ willpic.twitter.com/Lhg8NnGmhX https://t.co/oZLXFcOpw9
— s’🌝 (@nohassle_castle) June 20, 2023
As for her own sexuality, the X-Files star admitted to Out magazine in 2012 that she’s had relationships with women dating back to her high school days, but these relationships were the exceptions not the rule.
"If I had thought I was 100% gay, would it have been a different experience for me?" she told Out. "Would it have been a bigger deal if shame had been attached to it and all those things that become huge life-altering issues for youngsters in that situation? It's possible that my attitude around it came, on some level, from knowing that I still liked boys."
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
