Blog: the authentic self

For this Pride Month, Ungulate Keeper Luke shares his story:

Hi I’m Luke and I’m one of the keepers here at West Midlands Safari Park. I wanted to take part in this month’s Pride issue as I think it’s important to continue to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, whether you fall within it or just want to be a supportive ally. Despite all the progress we have made, it is crucial we still be proud of who we are and show people why Pride is important.

Coming out as gay at 18 was a scary prospect for me, and I did not know what to expect. It is often portrayed in media that the coming out process can have its backlashes, and those in the centre of it can find themselves open to discrimination and abuse – which sadly can be the case. However I found myself in a much better situation, and I want to highlight that coming out doesn’t have to be a completely negative experience.

I first came out to my flatmates at uni, then later to my home friends. To say it was rather underwhelming is an understatement. It’s built up in films and on TV that it’ll be this big moment that leads to some sometimes-uncomfortable conversations. To my relief though, not a single person was at all bothered or had any reservations – and to be honest no one was surprised (maybe the Little Mix poster gave it away). None of my friends changed how they behaved around me or treated me any differently, apart from being incredibly supportive and so excited for me.

Here we are now, nearly 9 years later, and I can happily say that I have never been subjected to any homophobia or ever been made to feel like I’m wrong for being who I am. And throughout my work life here at the park, I have never been met with anything but acceptance, which has given me the confidence to be very open with my sexuality to anyone who I meet, something which would have terrified me at an earlier age.

Whilst I know I have been very lucky to have had the experience I have had, I hope this shows that being your authentic self hasn’t got to be as scary as you think it will be, and maybe it’ll help give someone the confidence to start thinking about coming out. Or even if you’re someone who happens to know someone who’s recently come out, you perhaps won’t need to worry about them as much as you were. Hopefully we can continue to make being LGBTQIA+ easier and easier.

- Luke Nicholls,  Ungulate Keeper

All blogs reflect the views of their author and are not necessarily a reflection of BIAZA's positions