LGBTQ

Emmerdale accused of ‘queerbaiting’ as actor admits writers haven’t decided his character’s sexuality just yet

Lawrence Robb as Mackenzie Boyd in Emmerdale. (ITV)

Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb has admitted the writers haven’t decided what his character’s sexuality is just yet as fans accuse the soap of queerbaiting.

Robb plays Mackenzie Boyd on the long-running ITV soap opera. Recently, Mackenzie has been flirting with Aaron, leading fans to wonder if they’re going to hit it off.

However, Robb put fan speculation to bed in an interview with Inside Soap, revealing that a firm decision has not yet been made on his character’s future.

“It’s interesting, as Sam asked him recently, ‘Are you gay?’ And Mack said ‘I can be whatever I want to be’, so he’s not really anything at the moment,” Robb said.

The way I’ve been playing it thus far, its that Mack would flirt with a lamppost to get to the next point!

“I don’t think the writers are going down a route of Mack’s straight, bisexual or gay, as I think he’s just free.

“And I don’t think that Mack’s really interested in anything romantic as of yet.”

Lawrence Robb’s Emmerdale character Mackenzie Boyd is very ‘in the moment’

Robb continued: “He’s just very in-the-moment, like what happened with Charity.

“The way I’ve been playing it thus far, its that Mack would flirt with a lamppost to get to the next point!”

However, Robb said he thinks Aaron “does fancy Mack in an, ‘Oh I shouldn’t… but I do’ kind of way”. He thinks it’s more likely that Mack simply “knows that and enjoys the attention”.

The storyline has led to accusations of queerbaiting from Emmerdale fans, which refers to a technique used by creators where a character’s sexuality is hinted at but never explicitly confirmed.

The result is that mainstream television shows can introduce characters that seem queer to LGBT+ viewers without actually giving those characters meaningful love stories.

However, other Emmerdale viewers are still hoping Mackenzie and Aaron will run off into the sunset together.

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