Six high-profile queer figures talk frankly
• Plus five generations on coming out, and what came next
Joe Lycett, comedian
I spent most of my school years under section 28 [a clause banning schools from “promoting homosexuality”] – something I only realised this year. I thought it had been ousted long before. So it’s no wonder homophobia was rife and there were very, very few openly queer kids in my year group. As my 20s unfolded, I felt things were unstoppably changing for the better, with gay marriage and public attitudes altering rapidly. My feelings about the present are more unclear; LGBTQ+ rights, like many rights, seem under threat in a way I’ve not seen in my lifetime. The attacks on organisations like Stonewall, which of course makes mistakes like any big organisation does, are of concern. Yet the new generation and their love for TV shows like Heartstopper are the brightest light and my hope for a more equal future.
