Click on a photograph or 'read more' to read the full story.....
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Matt | 20 | Nottingham, UK
"I've won numerous titles in the UK and around the world because I have been able to focus on the task in hand rather than using up all of my efforts trying to hide what I am."
. . . read more |
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Gab | 18 Leeds, UK
"I never ever thought that one day I would
ever feel like this and be out and proud. I never expected my family to be as supportive as they are." . . . read more |
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Stuart | 39 | Tamworth, UK
"My first experience of a gay club was when I was 23 years old (in 1995) when I was on a work night out in Birmingham with a group of friends. We were all straight with the exception of one gay friend of ours."
. . . read more |
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Steve | 43 | Manchester, UK
"I met a good group of gay mates that I could chat to without feeling the need to put up a front or pretend that I was someone I wasn’t."
. . . read more |
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Norman | 27 | London, UK
"My worst fear was that coming out to my mum might involve me having to change my life - cut her off, move out, fend for myself. None of this I was ready for yet, so I just put it off and thought I'd deal with it when I had to."
. . . read more |
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Simon | 29 | Portsmouth, UK
"I picked my mum up from work and she knew something was wrong (I had just split up with my first proper boyfriend) so I told her I needed to tell her something so I simply typed out a text saying 'mum, I love you!"
. . . read more |
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Phoebe | 23 | Essex, UK
"It may not always be easy being ‘out’ but it’s better than lying to yourself.
You can’t let others live your life." . . . read more |
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Patrik | 20 | Gothenburg, Sweden
"That day was a huge turning point for me. For once I felt confident. I could be myself and it's the greatest feeling I have ever known. It was worth every fight getting there."
. . . read more |
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Mark | 39 | Cambridgeshire, UK
"It’s great to go to work on a Monday and talk about what you did at the weekend and not have to make excuses because you don’t want to reveal who you really are."
. . . read more |
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Andy | 31 | London, UK
"I made my way through college, without coming out to my family, and at 18 moved away to university. Here, living away from home, being gay was even less of a worry. I could be an out homo without it getting back to my mum or dad or sister, 100 miles away."
. . . read more |
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Scott | 21 | Costa Blanca, Spain
"I first knew I was gay when I was about four years old. Whenever I tell people this the majority of the time they refuse to believe me.
But why would I lie about this?" . . . read more |
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Ben | 31 | Edinburgh, Scotland
"I would never profess to be able to give advice to anyone as I am a massive loser but I will say that if anyone reading this is struggling with the notion of coming out then I think it is worth remembering how little difference it made to our friendship."
. . . read more |
