It’s one of the few places I’ve truly been able to be my authentic self.
I was sure that I’d go back and I have every time they’ve met. The first time I went, I felt at ease straight away. It truly feels like I’m missing part of my family I was in the age group and wanted to find people who I had a shared understanding with, as well as common interests like quizzes, reading and the theatre. In 2007, I heard about the creation of a group called Older and Bolder, run by Yorkshire MESMAC – it’s an informal social support group for gay and bisexual men over the age of 55. A couple of years ago, I even spoke to a large audience at Leeds Pride about what the event meant to me, having attended for all the years since. Since then, I’ve regularly attended these celebrations of love and acceptance. So I joined an LGBTQ+ group in Leeds to try to meet like-minded people and they opened me up to the world of Pride. After a while, I felt free to start fully exploring my sexuality. It was a wonderful marriage of companionship but when it ended after she passed 1991, I was very lonely.
