Name or Nick Name : Andy Finegan
Country or City you are from: : Brisbane Australia
Your Age : 40
Your Gender : male
What did you come out as? : Gay
What other words would you use to describe yourself? : outrageously human
How old were you when you first realised your identity? : 13
How old were you when you first told someone? : 20
Did you plan it? If so, how? : yes - was tired of hiding.
What made you choose that person to tell? : My sister is so important to me.
Can you remember exactly what you said? : “I’m gay”
How did you feel? : scared
What was the person’s reaction? : surprised I took so long to tell her.
What did they say? : “so, you’re still my brother”
What was your relationship with the person like afterwards? : no change
What’s it like now? : Still the same
If you’ve been outed unwillingly, who did it? : manager at work
What happened? : she told a student (I teach adults)
What were peoples’ reactions? : Not a problem.
If you’ve experienced homophobia etc, please give an example. : People yell from car windows, I yell back (only ever happened in Queensland)
Since coming out how out are you at school? : all_out
Since coming out, how “out” are you at work? : all_out
Since coming out, how “out” are you with family? : all_out
Since coming out, how “out” are you with your friends? : all_out
What does being out mean to you? : A normal part of my life.
What differences, if any, did your cultural background make to your experience of coming out? : Very open family and mates.
What does the concept of the closet mean to you? : for clothes…
What advice would you give someone wanting to come out? : Just be yourself, have a good support network and talk talk talk.
If you could do it all again, would you do it any differently? If so, how? : Do it younger, at school.