Drag star Courtney Act has stormed to victory in Celebrity Big Brother and fans are delighted.
Courtney Act won the 21st series of Celebrity Big Brother in a landslide, winning 49% of the vote out of the five finalists.
Speaking shortly after her victory, Courtney said that she was amazed by the public support and validation of her beliefs.
She said: “It’s amazing to think that the public have chosen me, I guess it’s validation of the things I came here believing in.”
(Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
She continued: “My inspiration for coming into the house was a teenage boy who didn’t quite know where he belonged or how he fit in, and not knowing what that meant.
“I learned that it’s okay to be different.”
This year’s series of Celebrity Big Brother has been called ‘the Year of the Woman’ due to its heavy focus on gender to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s partial suffrage in the UK.
Courtney had previously said that she would have preferred a woman to win the ‘Year of the Woman’ series, and called her victory ‘slightly ironic.’
Courtney Act is the drag persona of Shane Jenek, and was known by both names during their time on the show.
(Photo: Channel 5)
Host Emma Willis then asked Courtney about her role in educating both fellow housemates and viewers about gender and sexuality.
The topic of gender and sexuality came up frequently during the show, often in clashes with runner-up Ann Widdecombe.
“I was just having conversations with people about things that I’m passionate about,” Courtney said.
Fans flooded to social media to celebrate the drag star’s victory on the 21st series of the celebrity reality show.
Many viewers praised Courtney/Shane for their intelligent and calm stance throughout the show, with one fan calling them ‘amazing for the entire gay community.’
(Photo: @MatthewDavies__ / Twitter)
Many fans compared Courtney to runner-up Ann Widdecombe, who Courtney clashed with on issues of sexuality and gender.
Several fans are calling Courtney’s victory over Ann Widdecombe a symbolic one for the LGBT+ community, as she is opposed to many LGBT rights, including marriage equality and the right for gay people to adopt.
(Photo: @xtiancrtr / Twitter)
Courtney’s identity as a pansexual, polyamorous, and genderfluid person was also mentioned frequently, with the majority of people praising Courtney/Shane.
(Photo: @TooManyEmmas / Twitter)
(Photo: @bonjourabbie / Twitter)
Some fans took a more simple approach with their reactions to Courtney’s victory.
(Photo: @ / Twitter)
This series of Celebrity Big Brother is expected to be one of the last as Channel 5 bosses plan to axe the show after its summer series.
