Speakg to ITV News, Ben Lewis talks about the prsur of livg as a straight man bee he did not believe there was any way to be a gay farmer.
Contents:
- GAY FARMER HELPLINE
- A LIFELE FOR GAY FARMERS
- GAY FARMER HELPLE
- MEET THE GAY FARMER BREAKG DOWN LGBT+ STEREOTYP FARMG
GAY FARMER HELPLINE
The helple is there to support dividuals to discs and share their thoughts, feelgs and ncerns about beg gay. I’m “out” and que fortable beg a gay man.
A LIFELE FOR GAY FARMERS
We unrstand that beg gay isn’t always easy and like most people we have our ups and downs. Is the Gay Farmer helple only available to gay farmers? If my iends fd out I’m gay, I’m petrified of losg them.
However, many s your iends may have already spected that you were gay and when they do fd out, may make ls of a al of than yourself! Remember, those type of iends uld be replaced by hont, scere, gay iends whose iendship would be unndnal and who would value you for the person you are.
GAY FARMER HELPLE
For a man who remembers when beg gay was a crime, the overwhelmg support has been a bellwether.
They want to know about others like themselv, maybe make a few gay iends. It spired a secret, vatn-only gay farmer Facebook group, which led to a Chhire social group lled “Farmers and Friends.
“We live a time when gay police officers march the Pri para, ” he said. Canon Keh Inon, om Chhire and based Northern Ireland, is a chapla who set up the ‘Gay Farmer Helple’ 2010 - the only service of s kd the UK - to support men isolated ral muni stgglg wh their sexualy.
MEET THE GAY FARMER BREAKG DOWN LGBT+ STEREOTYP FARMG
Growg up a farmg fay, Keh realised he was gay at the age of 14 but only felt able to e out at the age of 50.
After foundg Chhire’s Agricultural Chaplacy Team, Keh began workg wh gay farmers and realised how many people across the untry the same suatn mt also be hidg their sexualy and nsequently facg enormo prsur on their mental health and wellbeg.
Sce s lnch, the ‘Gay Farmer Helple’ has received new llers every week, and Keh’s work was featured a documentary Landle, ma llaboratn wh BFI Flare, which showsed stori of some of the dividuals who have been supported through the helple. “Sce startg the helple for gay farmers we have helped nearly 500 farmers, some of who were suicidal, so I am extremely please that this work has been regnised this way.