Being rebuffed made me realise I was gay
Bernard, born 1958, said he was aware of experiencing same-sex interest in his teens but “Growing up in Catholic Ireland we didn’t know much about gays so I didn’t understand what it was.” Bernard arrived in Birmingham in 1982, but did not pursue any homosexual relationships. Instead he tried heterosexual relationships but realised it wasn’t working for him.
Working for the police in the late 80s, Bernard said “I then got very friendly with, and came out to a male colleague privately and indicated that I was interested in him but got rebuffed fairly quickly. My reaction to being rebuffed and losing his friendship was quite profound. That made me realise that I probably was gay.” This was when Bernard was about 30.
Contributed by: Bernard McEldowney, 49