Although Matt McGorry is not a household name yet, his fame is rising. He is an extremely talented actor in television shows Orange is the New Black and How to Get Away with Murder. As well as gorgeous, McGorry is hilarious, especially on his active social media accounts.
Even more important than his acting skills however, are his activism skills. Although he has the upper hand in most social situations as a white, straight, cisgender male, he adamantly addresses that white, male, and cisgender privileges are huge societal problems. McGorry constantly addresses current events and issues in today’s culture, such as the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the ever-present struggle for gender equality in the U.S.
McGorry vocalizes his concern over racial injustice in the United States, an issue demanding increased attention as events of racism and prejudice are being widely publicized and called to attention (as they should be). McGorry regularly retweets articles talking about this, adding his own comments and support for the Black Lives Matter cause. He consistently points out ignorance on social media, explaining discrimination coming from positions of privilege.
How to Get Away with Murder co-star Kendrick Sampson published videos on Instagram of McGorry talking about his socially privileged position:
“We need the white man, we need the people who are historically the oppressors, to speak out about these things, and to take a stand and have a voice because it can’t be like this, and you know, we need to be a part of the conversation too…”
Furthermore, McGorry is an advocate for the “It’s On Us” campaign, addressing the prevalence of sexual assault and lack of consent on college campuses today. As female college students, sexual assault is such a poignant and horrible thing we which are faced with. This campaign is so important in raising awareness and joining together to fight against the rape culture of our society.
McGorry joined Amber Rose in her “Slut Walk LA,” an effort to draw attention to the misguided idea that women can prevent themselves from being sexually assaulted through their clothes or actions. The event originated to call attention and create solidarity against “sexual injustice, victim blaming, derogatory labeling, and gender inequality.”
McGorry even starred with Rose in a Funny or Die video about the “walk of shame,” and why there should be no shame in consensual sex between adults, pointing out the increasing double standards regarding sex which appear in our culture. McGorry works with other celebrities and activists in bringing attention to double standards and injustice in our culture in regards to gender and race.
Being a self-proclaimed feminist, although gaining increasing acceptance, still causes a portion of the population today to cringe or roll their eyes. Being a male self-proclaimed feminist faces even greater ridicule and challenges to masculinity. McGorry addresses this in social media posts, and other public writings such as the essay he wrote for Cosmopolitan entitled, “How Becoming a Feminist Felt Like Falling in Love.” As a male feminist, he importantly addresses how boys are shaped unfairly by society as well, forced to live up to ideals of masculinity completely excluding elements of vulnerability and emotion.
While his looks aren’t too shabby, Matt McGorry is our latest celebrity crush because of his recognition of the significant prevalence of inequality which still occurs within our country. We applaud McGorry for using his celebrity platform as a way to talk about the difficult problems plaguing our nation. As a white, straight man, McGorry proves that these issues exist for everyone in society, not just people of color or women.
Part of his Instagram bio reads “Maker of feels and procurer of LOLs. Activist and intersectional feminist.” If that doesn’t indicate his status as above average male, I don’t know what does.
Follow Matt to see his hilarious and extremely relevant posts!
Instagram: @mattmcgorry
Twitter: @MattMcGorry