Hollyoaks actor PJ Brennan speaks out on homophobia

American-born soap actor PJ Brennan, who plays Doug Carter in Hollyoaks, has spoken about homophobic abuse and also ‘self hatred’ within the LGBT community.

Brennan who appears in the popular Channel 4 saga says he’s faced abuse from not only heterosexuals but fellow homosexuals too.

 “People assume that I am 100% comfortable about being gay but it’s the exact opposite, the perception is that I should have had all this worked out by the time I got on a show that has put me in the spotlight for being gay.” – Brennan

The Brooklyn born actor was speaking to the Daily Star and added he still has many hurdles to ‘get over’ and has been late in his own sexual development.

“To have people message me every day and tell me things, I feel bad because half of me wants to empathise with them and the other half wants to go: ‘You don’t know what I have to deal with every day.’ It’s tricky but it means I need to focus on myself and making me happy.”

He says that recently in public he was called ‘faggot Doug’ “…it makes me feel awful”. But the 27-year-old noted it wasn’t just straight members of the public who can hurl abuse about, fellow members of the gay community have also had their digs.

“A lot of gay men have tweeted me to say I have a gay haircut now, which is homophobic.”, adding, “Gay men tweet me and say I’m skinny or cry too much, so within the gay community there is self hatred.”

Hollyoaks, weeknights on Channel 4