'Sex and the City' Cynthia Nixon Says Trolls Called Cast 'Gay Men in Disguise'

Cynthia Nixon's reflecting on the early days of "Sex and the City" ... remembering the show's doubters -- who said she and her castmates didn't seem like real women.

The actress -- who's played Miranda Hobbes in numerous incarnations of the show over the last couple decades -- reflected on the series during an interview with Page Six, calling out trolls for questioning the show's authenticity.

The way Nixon tells it ... early criticism of the show included a claim parroted by many detractors who she says claimed women didn't talk as openly about sex as the dialogue suggested.

Cynthia adds she heard "These aren’t really women, these are gay men in disguise" ... definitely a sign early audiences couldn't believe proper ladies could be so blunt.

Cynthia says she loves the spin-off show "And Just Like That" 'cause it does the same thing ... upend social norms with proactive convos and storylines.

Nixon -- who recently started filming season 3 of the show -- claims the show will keep on pushing the envelope ... adding the creatives won't be satisfied with trying to shock people with the same old schtick.

'AJLT' has expanded the show's diversity in recent years -- including creating a nonbinary character which caught backlash a couple years ago.