In this podcast Laurie talks about being young and gay in 2012.
Summary
In the podcast "Laurie - Q12", recorded in Masterton, Wairarapa on 7th September 2012, the anonymous speaker shared personal experiences about navigating life as a young gay individual during the 2010s. The conversation spanned various aspects of the speaker's life, hobbies, family, and the journey toward self-acceptance and openness about their sexuality.
The speaker, a fan of the outdoors, enjoys a range of activities like rock climbing, sailing, hunting, and fishing as well as engaging in technology-related pursuits such as computer repair and game testing. Born in Palmerston North, roughly two and a half hours from their current residence in Masterton, they have lived in the Wairarapa region for around 17 years. Identifying as male in terms of both sex and gender identity, and conveying a masculine gender expression, the speaker discussed their realization of being gay around age 15, highlighted by developing crushes on boys during school years.
Disclosing one's sexuality, particularly within familial contexts, can be challenging, as narrated by the speaker. Initially keeping their sexual orientation a secret, the process of opening up began with confiding in a close friend and later, informing their mother via a text message followed by a face-to-face conversation. Thankfully, the speaker's mother was supportive and not surprised, having never pressed the individual about relationship statuses aside from a one-off question about having a girlfriend.
The candid dialogue touched upon the difficulty in coming out to other family members due to perceived homophobic attitudes, especially from an older sister. The speaker expressed a feeling of inevitability that they would need to confront this challenge, driven in part by the statistical probability that others in their large family might also be gay.
The discussion also dipped into the speaker's community engagement and the sometimes subtle interactions with the gay community in Masterton, a process that was still very much unfolding for them. The speaker acknowledged the town's limited acceptance for gay individuals, correlating it with a prevalent "tough" social demeanor and also underscored the significant support provided by their mother across various aspects of life.
Even in the face of these societal hurdles, the speaker had not experienced any abuse due to their sexuality. However, there was an underlying sense of caution, perhaps informed by an awareness of the potential challenges and discriminations faced by LGBTQ+ community members.
When it came to relationships, the speaker had not been in one yet, attributing it to not having found the right person and a need to engage more with the gay community. The intended future included a move, potentially to Palmerston North, where a more prominent community presence might facilitate finding a partner and fostering relationships.
In the broader scope of their existence in Masterton, the speaker shared feelings of boredom with the town, with limited recreational and social activities available. Despite this, there was a clear ambition to find an enjoyable career and focus on future aspirations.
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Tags
Tags (computer generated)
attitude, building, cafe, career, closet, coffee, community, culture, dating, david, expression, face, fishing, future, gender, gender identity, history, hunting, identity, internet, internet dating, makeup, masculine, movies, normal, other, people, podcast, rainbow, sexuality, support, the closet, the other side, time, tough, virginity