Marcus // 19 // gay
Q. HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF COMING OUT?
Such an anticlimax! After expecting the world to cave in, it was actually no big deal, and I was super thankful for that. I told my best mate at the time, and he was
fine.
Q. WHEN DID YOU FIRST BEGIN TO RECOGNISE YOU MIGHT BE HOMOSEXUAL?
At puberty, when I was about 12 or 13.
I totally freaked out. It was really hard to accept things were going to be different for me. I thought I’d get married and have kids.
Q. WAS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AFFECTED?
Absolutely. I became more and more depressed and desperately tried to think of ways that I could possibly change my orientation. I was self-harming at this stage.
Q. WHAT HELPED YOU GET THROUGH IT?
I think I’m lucky to have been born at a time when people can live openly.
Q. WAS IT DIFFICULT TELLING YOUR FAMILY?
I was so worried that I’d disappoint them. Family is the most important thing to me and to lose that would be devastating. When I did tell them, when I was 13, it
was such a relief that I could be myself around them.
Q. HOW DID THEY REACT?
Initially they had doubt … I can understand where they were coming from. But soon they were like: “When are you going to bring a boy around?”
