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By Billie Schwab Dunn
Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter
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Actor Alan Cumming recently revealed that he fought for there to be more LGBTQ+ representation on season 3 of Peacock's The Traitors.
The competition series follows a group of reality TV stars in a game of treachery and deceit. The "Traitors" must methodically "murder" the "Faithfuls" who are trying to uncover who they are and kick them out of the game. If the Faithfuls successfully identify all the Traitors, they will split a prize of up to $250,000. However, if any Traitors are in their ranks by the end of the game, they'll walk away with the cash.
Hosted by Cumming, season 3 will see the likes of Tom Sandoval from Vanderpump Rules and Britney Spears's ex-husband Sam Asghari compete alongside Bob the Drag Queen from RuPaul's Drag Race, Chrishell Stause from Selling Sunset and Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser.
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After being revealed as Entertainment Weekly's 2024 Pride cover star, Cumming spoke to the publication in an article published on Thursday about the show and explained why LGBTQ+ viewers can relate to it.
"Something about queerness is that you understand the concept of having to hide something about yourself, so that's very similar to the experience of The Traitors. I actually lobbied quite hard to have more queer representation, in terms of the contestants in this next season," he explained.
Cumming told EW that while the previous cast has been diverse in race and gender, he didn't think there were enough LGBTQ+ people represented.
"It's exposure therapy, it's visibility. And you have to do it in every small way you can. We need to see that trans people are everywhere. They felt more comfortable to be visible in the last couple of decades. But historically, there's always a backlash against change, and we are in the midst of a huge one right now," the actor said.
Cumming added: "My response to that is to push back and say, 'No, we're not going to hide. Here are those people.' And if I have a chance to help do that by just saying to the producers of The Traitors, 'We need to make sure there's more queer and trans people on the show,' I will."
Newsweek has emailed Cumming's publicist and Peacock for comment on Friday.
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Cumming is the first openly bisexual person to pose for EW's annual LGBTQ+ Pride cover.
Elsewhere in the interview, he said there should be transgender people, queer people, and people of color "everywhere until people just shut up and stop being so stupid and hateful about it."
Twenty-five years ago, President Bill Clinton declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. His decision came 30 years after police raided The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, in 1969, sparking violent clashes among patrons, residents and law enforcement. Also called the Stonewall Uprising, the six days of protests further fueled a national LGBTQ+ movement.
Pride celebrations have been a contentious issue in politics in recent years, with conservative voters often sharing their disapproval of it and the LGBTQ+ community.
Individuals within the community encounter discrimination, marginalization, and are often targets of hate crimes. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), an LGBTQ+ media advocacy group, reported a record spike in LGBTQ+ hate during Pride Month in 2023. According to GLAAD and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), there were "at least 145 incidents of anti-LGBTQ hate and extremism nationwide" during that time.
A recent study on the rights of LBGTQ+ people found that "relentless opposition is marring progress made towards equal rights" for those communities.
Conducted by the advocacy group, ILGA World, the Laws on Us publication found a concerning level of regression regarding LGBTQ+ rights around the world.
"Every day, the lives of LGBTI people are used as wedge issues to distract, mobilise, and divide. In concerning times like these, it is paramount to have reliable evidence on the laws worldwide affecting our communities and a clear understanding of the challenges that lie ahead and around us," ILGA World co-Secretaries General Luz Elena Aranda and Tuisina Ymania Brown said in a previous statement to Newsweek.
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