It’s funny. As a teenager and young man I was always adamant I would never end up living in the Welsh valleys. I grew up here and it always seemed boring, quiet, never anything going on. When I realised my sexual orientation there also saw the burning undercurrent of homophobia. I wanted to live somewhere much more exciting and much more accepting of gay people.
I started going to gay clubs in Cardiff when I was 16. I am sure I looked underage (and could never get into any other clubs) but I think it was just accepted and allowed that underage boys could come in. Of course, I wasn’t that naïve, and a friend of mine at college (a ‘sixth form’ college for those of you unfamiliar with the concept; it was not part of a school nor was there a uniform but you could take A-Levels there) had a harsh and cruel encounter with the darker side of this culture, when he woke up in a dark room above one of the clubs after a night out. He had been drugged and abused.