Bridgette Lundy-Paine as Casey in Atypical
Brigette Lundy-Paine, who stars on the Netflix original show Atypical, recently came out as queer.
The show
Atypical is a half-hour sitcom that follows a Sam (Keir Gilchrist), a high school senior on the autism spectrum. Sam feels like an outsider and struggles to find love and acceptance. Lundy-Paine plays Sam’s younger sister, Casey.
Though mainly about living with autism, many LGBTI people can relate to the plot line of feeling like they don’t belong.
Coming out
Speaking to The Advocate about the newest season of the show, Lundy-Paine came out as queer to the world. She discussed how the character of Sam helped her come to terms with her own queer identity.
‘Sam feels like a deep part of myself that I am only now beginning to let out: the insecurities and the complete confusion with the system and the rules that have been laid out for him,’ the 25-year-old actress said.
‘I think this show is actually really queer even though it hasn’t yet explicitly been so,’ she stated.
Lundy-Paine reflected on how many fans have thanked her for her role on the show. Not only did people with autistic family members find comfort in the show, but so did LGBTI people.
‘I can’t quite tell if it’s my presence as Brigette or the show,’ she said. ‘But I’ve gotten some really, really lovely messages [from the LGBTQ community].’
‘I literally think I got a message from someone that said, “Your performance as Casey made me come out as trans.” I don’t know why, but I love that so much.’
Fortunately, Lundy-Paine had a relatively easy time coming out.
‘I come from a very queer family,’ she said. She noted how various members of her extended family have been on the frontlines of advocating for LGBTI rights.
‘I feel grateful to be part of such an expanding queer community,’ she said. ‘And there’s something about Atypical that feels part of that.’
Anything else?
Season 2 of Atypical is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer below:
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