Duncan James teams up with The Albert Kennedy Trust to raise awareness for young LGBT people coming out
Duncan James is among a host of celebrities who have teamed up with The Albert Kennedy Trust to raise awareness for young LGBT people coming out, as part of their annual Winter Appeal.
The Trust, which was created to provide accommodation and support for people aged 16-25 who are either homeless, at risk of homelessness or severely at risk in their home environment just for being brave enough to come out, asked several celebrities to talk about their own experiences.
Blue singer James said: “[I came out] when I was about 26-years-old after having a secret four year relationship with a guy.”
The 36-year-old feared people would harass him in the streets if he revealed his sexuality. He said: “I thought I would be gay bashed in the street with people shouting ‘queer’. I had all of these fears in my head that all of these horrible things were going to happen.”
Gillespie Sells, 36, said coming out wasn’t too hard for him as he was raised by two women, but that he would have “no idea how [he] would have coped with it” if they hadn’t been so supportive.
Former Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou, 41, questioned whether he would have been able to come out at all.
He said: “If I hadn’t had those close people around me being supportive I don’t quite know what I would have done. I don’t know if I even would have come out.”
Last year the Trust provided 8,000 nights of accommodation for young people facing abuse and rejection as a result of coming out. A donation of £25 is enough to provide someone with accommodation, food and 24 hours of support.
