'Being part of the LGBTQ+ community is actually fantastic, and we don’t all remember or realise that at times'
I’m old enough to remember sneaking downstairs on a Tuesday night and flicking on Channel 4 to catch just five minutes of Queer As Folk on mute.
Whilst there were LGBTQ+ contestants on shows like Big Brother, they often were sensualised or sexualised by the media and it wasn't something I really connected with as someone who, at the time, was more interested in playing his Game Boy Colour and catching Pokémon . The premise of the show is hardly ground-breaking. But it’s the contestants themselves and the conversations they have that I feel are really part of a big turning point. From speaking about hiding in the closet and not feeling accepted to safe sex prep and celebrating queer joy, it’s all there on display.
Like RuPaul's Drag Race, it’s the kind of show I would have fully appreciated growing up. As someone who feels they have never fit the ‘status quo’ of what a traditional or stereotypical gay man is expected to look like, it is a reminder that there is not just one cookie-cutter style. We come in all shapes and sizes, and can be just as fabulous for it.
"At the minute there is an imbalance," he explained. "We are moving so far in terms of inclusivity and acceptance, but there is still a minority of people who have real hatred and discriminatory attitudes to the LGBTQ+ community. Programmes like this are important to break those barriers and show those people that finding true love is possible as a gay person."
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