A group of homosexual men have offered extremely direct answers to a series of unpleasant questions, providing insight into what it’s like to grow up gay in Australia.
The interviewees were confronted with questions submitted anonymously by curious viewers on Wednesday night’s episode of ABC’s “You Can’t Ask That.”
The group, which included guys of various ages, talked sex between men, homosexual stereotypes, and what it was like to come out to family.
The first thing I asked was if they thought of themselves as a ‘fruity’ youngster at school.
About half of the group agreed, with one individual expressing a special fondness for the Spice Girls, which drew some early attention.
‘I was looking for my Spice Girls posters and my father took me into my room and said this was not meant for boys,’ Theo from Melbourne said.
‘And meanwhile my brothers are playing basketball in the background.’
‘I was a very a fruity kid I was obsessed with heels and I used to walk around on my tippy toes,’ Api from Sydney said.
‘Once my grandfather just grabbed my little four-year-old ankle and gently places them down and said ‘walk like this’.
The other half, on the other hand, claimed that they either grew up being very macho or that they grew up in such a small town that they had no idea what ‘fruity’ or being homosexual meant.
‘No not at all I nothing like that I went to technical school woodwork sheet metal motorcars never in my wildest dreams did I think that I was gay,’ Shane said.
‘I grew up so isolated in a country town… I had no friends I would spend all my lunchbreaks with mum in her office,’ Josh, also from Melbourne, said.
‘Yeah there was never really a time when I was like ‘yeah I’m gay ta-da’,’ Liam from Sydney added.
‘I don’t if I really had a label I just thought I was weirdo,’ Api said.
Jem from Brisbane said he grew up the Philippines which is ‘highly Catholic’ and they ‘weren’t allowed to talk about their feelings’.
Next the group was bluntly asked if they were ever called a ‘f****t’ in high school with the question drawing up some emotional responses.
‘I don’t think anyone knew I was gay in high school,’ Brad from Sydney said.
‘I was called a that a lot, constantly,’ Api said.
Theo revealed he had had a particularly unpleasant experience with the word.
‘I know there a lot of people out there that have reclaimed that word but that still hits me really hard.’
‘There used to be this chat room (in school) and the main topic in there one day was ‘Is Theo a f*****t?’
‘The next day at school was really hard,’ he added with a tear in his eye.
There were a lot of lighter moments throughout the interview, however, with the group being asked if ‘once you turn gay do you automatically like leather chaps and Kylie Minogue?’
‘Well you only like Kylie Minogue if you have taste,’ Api grinned.
‘F*** no I can’t stand Kylie Minogue I’m probably the only gay on the planet that’s saying this,’ Theo said.
‘She s**ts me to tears. Please do not attack me,’ he laughed.
The males were also asked blunt questions about sex, and they didn’t hold back, giving viewers honest answers and detailing how they don’t ‘find it gross at all.’
After that, the group was asked about the ‘gay voice.’
Most stated they didn’t know if they had a ‘gay voice,’ but acknowledged to changing their voice – making it somewhat depper – merely to feel safer.
When asked about same-sex marriage and other topics, the group agreed that society had come a long way, but that there was still a long way to go.
They claimed they were speaking out because they wanted to be ‘leaders’ to young LGBT individuals who were either closed or ashamed in forums like this.
‘I used to go through life thinking that was my problem. I really believed I had to tone it down. Dress straight. Be a really f**king boring straight person,’ Theo said.
‘As much as we’ve been making these progressive footholds we’re still facing a lot of resistance,’ Api said.
‘It’s a quieter resistance but it’s there.’
The group was then asked if they were scared about being alone and childless at the end of the program.
Some expressed concern about being alone, with Api confessing that it was his worst worry.
Others, on the other hand, stated that they did not because they were in long-term committed partnerships.
‘At this stage I’m happy to just finally live life as me,’ Joel Wilson said.