As its National Coming out Day I’ve decided to share my coming out story.   I’ve been lucky that my whole family have accepted me for who I am and I know other people arent so lucky.

The year was 1987, what feels like a lifetime ago, and at the height of such a bad time for gay people.  We were dealing with section 28, AIDS was seen as the gay plague and the age of consent was still set at 21

It was into this background, at the ripe old age of 16 that I decided to come out.

In typical dramatic fashion I spent all night inconsolable only to wake up (after worrying my parents half the night) and decide to tell my parents I was gay, just before leaving to stay with friends.

As I left my mum asked me to see a counselor to find out why I fancied men.

I told her I would if she would!!

2 days later she came to find me at work with this key-ring which I’ve kept to this day.