Taliesin Cormach
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009
Under: Queer
Name or Nick Name : Taliesin Cormach
Country or City you are from: : Johannesburg, South Africa
Your Age : 43
Your Website: : Queerlife
Your Gender : Male
What did you come out as? : Queer
What other words would you use to describe yourself? : Tree Hugger, Queer Druid, Hater of christian and muslim bigots… The list goes on…
How old were you when you first realised your identity? : 11
How old were you when you first told someone? : 20
Did you plan it? If so, how? : Yes I planned it, I needed her as a front girlfriend… :)
What made you choose that person to tell? : Because she drove a Harley Davidson with a bath chain spun across the backseat. Go figure…
Can you remember exactly what you said? : I told her I am gay and I needed a ‘girlfriend’ to accompany me to official events and parties. (I was on Student Councel of Conservative University). One who wouldn’t expect anything physical beyond acting.
How did you feel? : Elated when she said yes.
What was the person’s reaction? : She burst out laughing!
What did they say? : She told me that she was also Queer and that we would actually be helping each other out by this pretense. Eish! The good old days when everybody was wearing masks and everybody was an actor. Hey! Thats why us queerfolk make such good actors!
What was your relationship with the person like afterwards? : Very, very close friends up until a few years ago when she died in a motorbike accident in Cape Town.
What’s it like now? : I’m sure its fine, I think she still visits every now and then…
If you’ve been outed unwillingly, who did it? : I outed myself to my mother by accident.
What happened? : My very first krismis in my own place I invited my mother over. I had a boyfriend at the time and he was also there with the full understanding that he’s not to touch me if my mother is near..
However, I forgot my own rule and kissed him in the kitchen. When I turned around, there was my mother!
What were peoples’ reactions? : She was shocked, went straight to her dominie to help pray for me. She finally disowned me. I haven’t spoken to her in over 10 years now…
If you’ve experienced homophobia etc, please give an example. : You had to ask this!
Being in media I see it often. Most recently we had that Jon Qwelane story in the Sunday Sun…
Media24 must be THE MOST homophobic media company in the country!
Since coming out how out are you at school? : not_applicable
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? : Not having to lie anymore…
What differences, if any, did your cultural background make to your experience of coming out? : If my family wasn’t christian, maybe I would still HAVE a family today…
What does the concept of the closet mean to you? : Fear, constant fear of being caught out on the latest lie…
What advice would you give someone wanting to come out? : Just do it… It will set you free…
If you could do it all again, would you do it any differently? If so, how? : Nope, I’m glad things happened the way it did…
Anything you want to add? : Aluta Continua! Our Struggle Continues!
Country or City you are from: : Johannesburg, South Africa
Your Age : 43
Your Website: : Queerlife
Your Gender : Male
What did you come out as? : Queer
What other words would you use to describe yourself? : Tree Hugger, Queer Druid, Hater of christian and muslim bigots… The list goes on…
How old were you when you first realised your identity? : 11
How old were you when you first told someone? : 20
Did you plan it? If so, how? : Yes I planned it, I needed her as a front girlfriend… :)
What made you choose that person to tell? : Because she drove a Harley Davidson with a bath chain spun across the backseat. Go figure…
Can you remember exactly what you said? : I told her I am gay and I needed a ‘girlfriend’ to accompany me to official events and parties. (I was on Student Councel of Conservative University). One who wouldn’t expect anything physical beyond acting.
How did you feel? : Elated when she said yes.
What was the person’s reaction? : She burst out laughing!
What did they say? : She told me that she was also Queer and that we would actually be helping each other out by this pretense. Eish! The good old days when everybody was wearing masks and everybody was an actor. Hey! Thats why us queerfolk make such good actors!
What was your relationship with the person like afterwards? : Very, very close friends up until a few years ago when she died in a motorbike accident in Cape Town.
What’s it like now? : I’m sure its fine, I think she still visits every now and then…
If you’ve been outed unwillingly, who did it? : I outed myself to my mother by accident.
What happened? : My very first krismis in my own place I invited my mother over. I had a boyfriend at the time and he was also there with the full understanding that he’s not to touch me if my mother is near..
However, I forgot my own rule and kissed him in the kitchen. When I turned around, there was my mother!
What were peoples’ reactions? : She was shocked, went straight to her dominie to help pray for me. She finally disowned me. I haven’t spoken to her in over 10 years now…
If you’ve experienced homophobia etc, please give an example. : You had to ask this!
Being in media I see it often. Most recently we had that Jon Qwelane story in the Sunday Sun…
Media24 must be THE MOST homophobic media company in the country!
Since coming out how out are you at school? : not_applicable
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? : Not having to lie anymore…
What differences, if any, did your cultural background make to your experience of coming out? : If my family wasn’t christian, maybe I would still HAVE a family today…
What does the concept of the closet mean to you? : Fear, constant fear of being caught out on the latest lie…
What advice would you give someone wanting to come out? : Just do it… It will set you free…
If you could do it all again, would you do it any differently? If so, how? : Nope, I’m glad things happened the way it did…
Anything you want to add? : Aluta Continua! Our Struggle Continues!
In : Queer
