Gay farmers open up about homophobic stigma that leav many nsirg suici | PkNews

gay uk farmers

God’s Own Country, a gay love story set Yorkshire, is beg lled ‘better than Brokeback Mounta'.

Contents:

THE SECRET LIV OF GAY FARMERS

"Very often I am the first person they ever tell that they are gay and they are their fifti. Now what has that done to their mental health for the past 50 years? Bee they have known om when they were their early teens." * gay uk farmers *

In the Uned Kgdom, there is only one hotle for gay farmers. Growg up gay a muny that prized tradnal masculy, Inon felt isolated. Landle, a short documentary om Matt Houghton, featur the voic of gay farmers who have lled to Inon’s hotle.

In the film’s rerd telephone nversatns, gay Brish farmers share their ndid and often shockg experienc.

There was no such thg as a gay farmer.

GLOUCTERSHIRE GAY YOUNG FARMER SHAR HIS G-OUT STORY

He’s also – and this is where his experience differs om many of his peers – gay. See also: Documentary aims to break silence on gay people farmg. While 90% of young people “uldn’t give a hoot” if you’re gay the days, there n still be a generatnal gap, wh olr people sometim displayg homophobic attus, he adds.

“Some people still have a stereotypil view of what a gay person is like – whether that’s what they wear or what they want to talk about.

But he hop young gay men and women the untrysi will take heart om his experienc.

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

“People sometim ask me what a gay weddg is like. An English farmer wrg more than 200 years ago had more morn and liberal views on homosexualy than many ernments do today, an entry a newly disvered diary shows. Matthew Tomlson, a farmer om Wt Yorkshire Northern England, wrote January 1810 that homosexualy was nate and that punishg by ath was cel.

Rpondg to reports the media about a naval surgeon beg executed for sodomy – a typil punishment for homosexualy the 19th century – Tomlson reasoned that penalizg people for somethg that had been their “nature om childhood” was unfair. The fd has upend historians’ assumptns about historil attus to homosexualy, ntradictg the view that was unanimoly seen as abnormal and dangero at the time – and uld be nsired a more morn attu than those held by the 70 untri around the world that still crimalize homosexualy. In 1885, all homosexual acts were ma illegal, until homosexualy was eventually crimalized 1967.

THIS RAL MATCHMAKG SERVICE HELPS GAY FARMERS FD LOVE

As many as 12 untri still penalize homosexualy wh pal punishment, and is crimalized by 70 natns, acrdg to the LGBT monorg group ILGA.

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

Other figur om the era, cludg the philosopher Jeremy Bentham, also mooted relaxg the punishment of homosexualy – but ltle evince had prevly suggted that such views were monplace. “It is extraordary to fd an ordary, sual observer 1810 serly nsirg the possibily that sexualy is nate and makg arguments for crimalisatn, ” add Rictor Norton, an Amerin expert on gay history. 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.

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.

GAY FARMERS OPEN UP ABOUT HOMOPHOBIC STIGMA THAT LEAV MANY NSIRG SUICI

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. 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.

DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO BREAK SILENCE ON GAY PEOPLE FARMG

“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. 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.

COUNTRYFILE PRAISED FOR UNVERG HEARTBREAKG STGGL OF GAY FARMERS

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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY UK FARMERS

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class="fHh0w"><li class="Jp5fE"><div class="aqX0o"></div><div data-ttid="tag" class="_6DWPQ xp9pO"><a class="HPL4j" data-ttid="tag-lk" href="/news/wal"><span data-ttid="tag-text">Wal</span></a></div></li><li class="Jp5fE"><div class="aqX0o"></div><div data-ttid="tag" class="_6DWPQ xp9pO"><a class="HPL4j" data-ttid="tag-lk" href="/news/topic/wal"><span data-ttid="tag-text">Wal</span></a></div></li><li class="Jp5fE"><div class="aqX0o"></div><div data-ttid="tag" class="_6DWPQ xp9pO"><a class="HPL4j" data-ttid="tag-lk" href="/news/untrysi"><span data-ttid="tag-text">Countrysi</span></a></div></li><li class="Jp5fE"><div class="aqX0o"></div><div class="YEmI-" data-ttid="date-time-"><i class="cp_in cp_in__clock cp_in--base u46pe" aria-hidn="te"><svg width="48px" height="48px" viewBox="0 0 48 48" versn="1.1" xmlns=" xmlns:xlk=" role="img"> <g transform="translate(-304.000000, -1456.000000)"> <g transform="translate(300.000000, 1452.000000)"> <path fill="#7B8386" fill-le="evenodd" d="M27.9766667,4.66666667 C15.0966667,4.66666667 4.66666667,15.12 4.66666667,28 C4.66666667,40.88 15.0966667,51.3333333 27.9766667,51.3333333 C40.88,51.3333333 51.3333333,40.88 51.3333333,28 C51.3333333,15.12 40.88,4.66666667 27.9766667,4.66666667 Z M28,46.6666667 C17.6866667,46.6666667 9.33333333,38.3133333 9.33333333,28 C9.33333333,17.6866667 17.6866667,9.33333333 28,9.33333333 C38.3133333,9.33333333 46.6666667,17.6866667 46.6666667,28 C46.6666667,38.3133333 38.3133333,46.6666667 28,46.6666667 Z M29.1666667,16.3333333 L25.6666667,16.3333333 L25.6666667,30.3333333 L37.9166667,37.6833333 L39.6666667,34.8133333 L29.1666667,28.5833333 L29.1666667,16.3333333 Z" /> </g> </g></svg></i><time class="iCsJz _0Z4Oc" dateTime="2019-08-26T12:22:32Z" data-ttid="date-time">Monday 26 Augt 2019 at 1:22pm</time></div></li></ul></div></hear><div class="_074l4 cp_grid__em" data-ttid="article-body"><div class="_8xmX9 f85xC A8Lwr" data-ttid="embed-brightve"><div data-ttid="player-overlay"><picture 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vio</tle><path fill-le="evenodd" clip-le="evenodd" d="M0.542124 0.110987C0.875033 -0.0604726 1.27584 -0.031568 1.5807 0.185886L14.5807 9.45861C14.8479 9.6492 15.0046 9.95875 14.9999 10.2869C14.9952 10.6151 14.8299 10.9201 14.5574 11.103L1.55738 19.8303C1.2507 20.0361 0.85551 20.0562 0.529562 19.8824C0.203615 19.7087 0 19.3694 0 19V1C0 0.625535 0.209216 0.282447 0.542124 0.110987Z" fill="whe"/></svg></i></button></div><vio-js data-acunt="2821697655001" data-player="B1J9ApOVZ" data-embed="flt" ntrols="" data-vio-id="6077258094001" data-playlist-id="" data-applitn-id="" class="_4h-ua"></vio-js></div><ul class="xhBdb" data-ttid="list"><li class="t9HgO" data-ttid="list-em"><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX"><strong class="_1ATDh">Report by ITV Wal reporter </strong><a class="qNUzV q7LZa" href=" data-ttid="fecp-lk-anchor"><span class="n6NlI"><strong class="_1ATDh">Ellie Pt</strong></span></a></p></li></ul><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Ben Lewis was born to a fay of beef and sheep farmers.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">He always wanted to follow the fay footsteps. But he grew up believg two parts of his life uld never meet.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">"I thought to myself 'well you n't be gay if you're a farmer'", Ben told ITV News.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">"There's such stereotyp wh farmers and 's almost expected that you get married, have children, settle down on the farm and that's what life entails as a farmer".</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Ben tried one whout the other, first marryg a woman and stayg wh farmg. But he knew thgs weren't right.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">"To live a different life jt for the expectatns of other people I thk is somethg that do weigh down on you personally very heavily.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">"I fely feel that I probably was sufferg que a b".</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">He eventually me out to his iends and fay, but thought that as a rult he would have to give up farmg.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">But one day, a chance Facebook msage sparked an unniable nnectn.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Ben and Frazer have now been together for 2 years.</p><figure class="A8Lwr m-O"><div class="cp_placeholr"></div><figptn class="Ya3u6 SilLI" data-ttid="ptned-picture-ptn">Ben and Frazer met two years ago<span class="mjYl8"> Cred: <!-- -->ITV Cym Wal</span></figptn></figure><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">The uple believe views wh the farmg muny are startg to change, thanks part to social media.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">"Especially farmg where you spend a lot of time on your own, brgs the world to your life", said Ben.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">"It's about gettg on wh your daily life and beg who you are, dog what you love dog, and also dog wh the person you love".</p><figure class="A8Lwr m-O"><div class="cp_placeholr"></div><figptn class="Ya3u6 SilLI" data-ttid="ptned-picture-ptn">Ben attends Pri events and supports the LGBTQ+ farmg group Agrpect.<span class="mjYl8"> Cred: <!-- -->Ben Lewis</span></figptn></figure><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Ben attends Pri events and supports the LGBTQ+ farmg group Agrpect. He now wants to help others by sharg his story.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">"I wish I knew that the person that had the biggt problem wh was myself".</p><ul class="xhBdb" data-ttid="list"><li class="t9HgO" data-ttid="list-em"><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX"><a class="qNUzV q7LZa" data-ttid="next-lk-anchor" href="/news/wal/2019-08-24/be-loud-be-proud-rdiff-drag-queen-dr-bev-reveals-what-pri-means-to-her"><span class="n6NlI"><strong class="_1ATDh">'Be loud, be proud' Drag queen Dr Bev reveals what Pri means to her</strong></span></a></p></li><li class="t9HgO" data-ttid="list-em"><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX"><a class="qNUzV q7LZa" data-ttid="next-lk-anchor" href="/news/wal/2019-08-23/were-all-the-same-unrneath-arent-we-the-75-year-old-who-grew-up-gay-when--was-agast-the-law"><span class="n6NlI"><strong class="_1ATDh">The Cardiff man who grew up gay the 60s when was still agast the law</strong></span></a></p></li></ul></div><footer data-ttid="article-footer"><div class="cQTzz C04KI" 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