Richard Oxley - changg views on gay farmers | The Sttish Farmer

Contents:

• RICHARD OXLEY - CHANGG VIEWS ON GAY FARMERS
• NEW GAY FARMER FILM HERALD AS ‘BETTER THAN BROKEBACK MOUNTA’
• BAA-LD DATE: MEET THE GAY FARMER LOOKG FOR LOVE ON BBC’S RAL DATG SHOW
• THE PRIT GIVG AN OUTLET TO GAY FARMERS NORTHERN IRELAND WHO FEEL UNABLE TO E OUT
• LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: FARMER FEARED HE 'WOULD HAVE TO MOVE AWAY TO BE GAY'
• DISVER THE ULTIMATE GAY STLAND 10 DAYS ERARY
• CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS COULD REMOVE IT NEXT YEAR
• EXCLIVE TERVIEW: RICHARD OM LOVE THE COUNTRYSI ON BEG GAY, G OUT AND THE REACTN HE RECEIVED
• THE SECRET LIV OF GAY FARMERS
• DISVER THE ULTIMATE GAY STLAND 10 DAYS ERARY
• A GAY FARMER ON LOVE, ISOLATN, AND DISPTG THE MEAT INDTRY ATRALIA
• THIS STORY OF GAY FARMERS KICKS OFF A DOCERI ABOUT DIVERSE HERO AGRICULTURE
• CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS COULD REMOVE IT NEXT YEAR
• THIS RAL MATCHMAKG SERVICE HELPS GAY FARMERS FD LOVE

RICHARD OXLEY - CHANGG VIEWS ON GAY FARMERS

But what about fdg love if you are a gay farmer? He also wants to create a support system for gay farmers, and help those sufferg silence as much as possible. “In my md, you always know that you are gay, but the biggt worry is that you don’t know how people will take , and if you will even be accepted.

For many of , is hard to unrstand why would be so hard to tell people about our te feelgs, but Richard was keen to emphasise that is, at tim, impossible, for people to e out as gay, particularly if you are a farmer.

NEW GAY FARMER FILM HERALD AS ‘BETTER THAN BROKEBACK MOUNTA’

He explaed: “Some people who are gay are married, wh children, and if they were to e out, they would lerally lose everythg, bee their fai will not accept them – and I know people who are that exact suatn. In the UK, one four gay people die of suici, and the farmg muny has the untry’s hight rate of suici, and Richard said there uld be a lk. “I am not sayg they are directly nnected, but I do thk that we farmers are guilty of livg our wee bubble, and buryg our heads the sand, and I thk mt be a very hard thg for gay farmers to al wh, pecially if they nnot tell anyone, ” he add.

BAA-LD DATE: MEET THE GAY FARMER LOOKG FOR LOVE ON BBC’S RAL DATG SHOW

Some years ago, a shepherd, who Richard knew, died of suici, and, at that time, nobody really knew why he took his own life, but has sce e to light that is possible he was gay, and uld no longer live wh his secret. At prent, there are no Sttish chari specifilly for gay people, but there is one England, lled Landle, and receiv, on average, one new phone ll om a farmer every week. It was set up by Keh Inon, a chapla who is also gay, and provis a phone number for gay farmers to ll if they ever want to talk – somethg Richard hop to replite Stland.

“I have had a lot of support, and a lol farmer actually told me that I have opened up people’s mds the lol muny, and has ma people sudnly realise that gay people are not a stereotype, and I have really changed that for them, and I am proud of that. The ma msage to take away, however, is that although Richard is gay, and g out was a great relief for him, do not fe him as a person, somethg which he believ ma his g out story such a succs.

Consirg those the farmg muny who are gay, but are unable to e out, now or ever, and who may be thkg about suici, Richard said: “Don’t bottle everythg up, and don’t feel that you are on your own. Gay love story God’s Own Country is beg herald as ‘better than Brokeback Mounta’. Related: Jake Gyllenhaal thks Hollywood is gettg more gay-iendly.

THE PRIT GIVG AN OUTLET TO GAY FARMERS NORTHERN IRELAND WHO FEEL UNABLE TO E OUT

This film differs om Brokeback Mounta that Johnny and Ghehe’s love isn’t hibed by the character’s rpective wiv or cshg ternalised homophobia – Johnny is tablished as attracted to men om early on. Richard, a gay 39-year-old sheep and ttle farmer om Dumi & Galloway southern Stland, spoke to PkNews about why he went on the show – and what datg ral scene is like.

“Beg gay is even harr bee there are ls gay people to meet too. Far om a short hop on a tra or b, Richard is a two-and-a-half hour journey om the neart gay scene – which mak meetg for an impromptu ffee more difficult.

LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: FARMER FEARED HE 'WOULD HAVE TO MOVE AWAY TO BE GAY'

Richard liv away om his neart gay scene (BBC).

DISVER THE ULTIMATE GAY STLAND 10 DAYS ERARY

“I thk ’s also to show people that beg a gay farmer is no different to beg a straight farmer, we are still the same, ” Richard adds.

In April, a powerful segment on BBC’s Countryfile explored the high rat of mental illns and suici among gay farmers Bra, as a rult of stigma that is still rife ral muni. Reasons range om low market pric to strs and poor harvts, but homosexualy also appears to be a signifint factor. Dpe his helple havg been operatn for over six years, Canon Keh Inon says he still receiv a new se every week of a gay farmer or farm worker seekg help wh their silence over their sexualy.

CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS COULD REMOVE IT NEXT YEAR

The prit timat there are around 800 gay farmers Northern Ireland and is worried that a large number of them are experiencg mental health issu bee they have never openly spoken about their sexualy. Canon Inon says the helple giv men the farmg world someone to talk to, and that “very often I am the first person they ever tell that they are gay and they are their fifti”. ‘You don’t hear about gay farmers’A lifelong Christian, Canon Inon me to fah via the Salvatn Army.

He me out as a gay man around ne years Inon started the agricultural chaplacy team his native Chhire around 16 years ago. It began on a voluntary part time basis and has grown to prise 16 chaplas workg throughout the unty, a fundraisg group and a support group for farmers – around 40 people the team n by ‘Church Together Chhire’ verg all explaed how the helple began: “About six or seven years ago I worked wh a uple of gay farmers and sudnly h me that you don’t hear about gay farmers – they don’t exist. ‘I thought was gog to take months to get gog – but didn’t’“So I did some homework and I went to the Office of Natnal Statistics basilly to fd out how many gay farmers there were likely to be Chhire alone.

I end up wh a figure of about 300 gay farmers or farm workers. “I have done the same lculatns for Northern Ireland so if we work that through there are about 800 gay farmers or farm workers. The helple ticked along for a uple of years and then the Methodist Church head office London rang me and said the church has had such a bad prs about gay issu ’s about time we put right.

EXCLIVE TERVIEW: RICHARD OM LOVE THE COUNTRYSI ON BEG GAY, G OUT AND THE REACTN HE RECEIVED

Farmg is top of the suici league and mental health problems are rife and one four gay men will attempt suici at some stage of their liv, so if you put the suici problems the farmg dtry wh the gay life as well you’ve got a real recipe for disaster.

“Wh the helple they have got somebody to talk to and very often I am the first person they ever tell that they are gay and they are their fifti.

”He says that a lot of s the fai do not spect the farmer is gay; “They are not Larry Grayson typ, they are normal workg farmers and of urse the farmg muny you have a very good exce for not gettg married if you don’t have to, maybe bee you’ve never found the right person or they are too by workg.

THE SECRET LIV OF GAY FARMERS

Then off urse the police were volved and turned out the fellow was tryg to kill himself bee he was gay and he uldn’t pe wh . And the man said ‘my father said if I had known he was gay I would have left him there to die’. Of urse the lad already knew that he himself was gay and he had never admted to anybody.

DISVER THE ULTIMATE GAY STLAND 10 DAYS ERARY

He would have been 50 odd when he told that story and that was the first time he had told anybody that he was gay.

”Lookg for social ntactCanon Inon says that the Northern Ireland farmers who have ntacted him already are lookg for social ntact as they are feelg lonely and isolated, but general they too are olr believ is more difficult for people Northern Ireland to be gay, than their unterparts England. “I thk there is a world of difference between the ordary person acceptg gay people and the thori – the hardle, official le.

Why women form stronger iendships wh gay men.

A GAY FARMER ON LOVE, ISOLATN, AND DISPTG THE MEAT INDTRY ATRALIA

I’m gay but I have two kids wh an ex-partner and I’m sred of losg them- how n I e out? He said: "It was like I would have to move away, how uld I be a farmer and gay?

THIS STORY OF GAY FARMERS KICKS OFF A DOCERI ABOUT DIVERSE HERO AGRICULTURE

"The herdsman said he endured "years of anguish" over his source, Simon Martyn MatthewsImage ptn, Simon said he wished he had some gay iends he uld have talked to when youngerMr Matthews, who farms on the Lizard Pensula, dated girls and women when he was younger but was his mid-20s before he realised he was gay.

I've hidn so well', " he Matthews scribed his fay's reactn as "brilliant" but said he wished he had "been out my early 20s" source, Simon Martyn Matthews Image ptn, Simon said he thought he had hidn beg gay "so well" when he was growg upMr Matthews grew up on a dairy farm and has worked at farms across Cornwall.

"I now know several of my ntemporari are gay and thought if only we'd known, might have been a b easier. How is as a German gay farmer? Well, before you know you are gay, at least my se, you know that you are a farmer.

CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS COULD REMOVE IT NEXT YEAR

In the begng, you feel lonely bee there are so few others like you around – and you feel even more lonely when you disver that you are gay. Life as a gay the untrysi has bee more and more “normal. ” The acceptance our society is growg and that is very posive… but is still worth beg engaged wh the gay rights movement for equal rights.

What’s like as a ral gay farmer?

THIS RAL MATCHMAKG SERVICE HELPS GAY FARMERS FD LOVE

Farmg tak me to plac areas where, beg gay, sometim you have to be strong yourself and know who you are orr to claim your inty.

So, myself and some other gay farmers cid to start a group to take a step forward toward creatg muny.

From the sparklg fairy pools of the Isle of Skye to the Sttish Highlands’ wild landsp, dive ep to the land of whiskey and bagpip wh our very own ten-day erary unleashg the bt of gay Stland.