Hey Aeronauts,
So today’s blog is tying into my most recent video on my YouTube Channel, Aeron James, which was on my reflections on when I came out to my family and friends that I was gay and also the four years that have followed. I also used the video to reflect on why I decided to come out and why I feel it was necessary for me to be publicly out.
The video was influenced by the very LGBT+ centric week I’d had which involved seeing the shows “Kinky Boots” and “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” with TodayTix UK (Use my code KNVES for £10 off your first tickets!) followed by attending Stonewall’s #ComeOutParty at YouTube Space London for their #ComeOutForLGBT Campaign.
Being gay was never something I saw as wrong. I just realised, especially when I had finally started to accept that I was gay, that I had no idea what my loved ones’ views regarding the gay community were. I would spend days and hours just thinking over whether I could suppress who I was my whole life, whether I could find a way to “be straight” so that I wouldn’t lose the people I held dearest. Little did I know that coming out would make me so much closer to my family and loved ones (hindsight I guess!).
My coming out was probably one of the most reckless ways to do it and these years since I’ve always recommended that people don’t use my story as a positive example but more as a lesson on that if you feel like I did that day where I knew I couldn’t hide any more then you have to listen and let that lead. I mean maybe don’t do it through a Facebook status like I did as now years later I look and think how much I didn’t think through how much of a shock it would be to people and how painful the following few days would be as people healed over the revelation. However, I wouldn’t go back and change things. Me and my family are so strong now because we went through that together. Me and my parents are a strong trio now and I find it so much easier to talk to them about anything because I know there’s no longer a mirror in between us and that they can see the real me.
I know that I am privileged by the country, religion, nationality, race etc that I was born into but at the same time on that day I was just as petrified as you just never know how people will actually respond and whether in a second you could be disowned. This thought has since made me so passionate about LGBT+ representation in family entertainment such as Disney, prime time TV programmes and commercial theatre productions. Entertainment should be diverse, it should be able to show how great people are and that their differences are great and needed but also don’t make them any different.
Here is my YouTube video which has me rambling a bit more about these things:
I hope that you enjoy the video and I will hopefully see you soon for the next blog. Make sure that you are subscribed to my YouTube Channel (Aeron James) and my Instagram (@airjp) and Twitter (@airjp) accounts to keep informed as to when new content is produced.
Much Love,
AJ xxx
