Celebrities speak out about being gay role models

Leading British public figures, including Sherlock writer Mark Gatiss and Channel 4 News’ Matthew Cain  have spoken out about being openly gay in interviews with freelance journalist Gareth McLean.

Gatiss told McLean that he wouldn’t call himself a role model, but recognised the impact people like him can have: “ “ I’m aware that, as a successful actor and writer, I have a certain visibility. For someone in that position to say ‘I’m a happy gay man’ would have made a huge difference to me as a kid because there wasn’t anyone.”

In a particularly moving section, Channel 4 News journalist Matthew Cain talks about some of the abuse he’s received since becoming Culture Editor in 2010.  But he has no regrets about being open about his sexuality

saying, ”I spent the first 16 years of my life hating myself for being gay so why would I go back to that?”. He went on, “ “Me and a close friend, who’s well-known but shall remain nameless, recently had a party called Better Out Than In to celebrate the fact that we had been out of the closet longer than we were in it. It was an unapologetic celebration of our identity as gay men and both sets of parents were there – along with some topless barmen. If part of my parents’ worry was me being unhappy, they don’t have to worry now.”

Quotes printed courtesy of Gareth McLean. The full piece, Out In Public, is available on his blog Whispering In A Helicopter. 

Featured image credit: Sara Zizza, Flickr.