Coming out has long been synonymous with being gay, but as Evan Davis says in this candid video – that’s no longer the case, with ‘coming out’ now being part of a wider narrative.
In the video, Evan Davis talks about his “long and tortuous” process of coming out to his parents, who he told he was gay for the first time – on Christmas day. For the first time he speaks about the close links between mental health and coming out – adding how terrified he is every night he goes on TV.
Evan spoke ahead of the National Student Pride event, which is happening in London this weekend at the University of Westminster, and gave advice on coming out and dealing with mental health. These are the two key focuses of Student Pride, which unlike other pride events, is focused on a daytime event with panels and discussions – not a parade.
In the interview, Evan elaborates on how understanding his sexuality was a long and tortuous process.
“Coming out to myself was a long drawn out teenage thing, it was pretty tortuous really and I was resisting it for quite a while then suddenly I just let go, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Indeed. Evan broke every rule in the ‘Coming Out advice rule book’, choosing Christmas Day with the whole family at the table to make his move.
“I said to myself I was going to tell them by Christmas this year, and at three o’clock on Christmas afternoon, and I still hadn’t done it so ok it’s got to be now, and the whole family was there, so I did a kind of ‘hey guys, I’ve got something to tell you.”
Evan, was fortunate to have a good coming out experience with his family, and with a little help from his brother, he speaks with warmth about this memory. However, for many LGBT people in the UK – coming out remains very difficult. Why is this important? Evan says Coming out and Mental Health are inextricably linked.
One in four of us will face mental health issues in our life. But the statistics are worryingly more acute for students. A recent study by the National Union of Students produced for parliament showed 4 in 5 students faced mental health issues in the last year.
On top of the pressures any students face, LGBT students are faced with even more. Another report by the NUS’s LGBT arm in 2014 showed that 1 in 5 students face homophobia, and 1 in 3 face transphobia. That’s why National Student Pride’s key focus this year is breaking down the taboo around Mental Health. We’re talking about it because we believe every story we tell about mental health gives hope to others.
“good mental health and being authentic and being true and comfortable with yourself are inextricably linked so I think it’s much easier to have a sound, comfortable mind when you’re one person and you know what that person is and you’re comfortable with it”
Talking about Mental Health, Evan Davis had this to say:
“I think it gets better, I can remember when I was younger, having a lot of uncertainties and stresses about things because a lot of experiences are still quite new and you don’t know where you are or what you’re gonna do….
…there are kind of acute stresses and I have loads of those and I get terrified every night I’m on TV. So there are those short-term stresses and I think the best approach to those is ‘hey short term stress, I’m just gonna ride with you, I’m not going to let you defeat me’, the harder ones are the more chronic stresses, the long term ones and there’ll be feelings of loneliness or discontent or dissatisfaction or something even more chemical in the brain that’s causing problems and I think in some ways, those are more difficult, and those ones you need to basically get help and talk to someone”
Evan Davis has been a long time supporter of National Student Pride, last year hosting the #VotePride debate at our event that saw LGBT policy announcements ahead of the elections, and set the LGBT debate in the run-up to the elections. In previous years, he has chaired panels on the ‘T in LGBT’, and Homophobia in Sport.
The R U Coming Out panel that Evan was speaking ahead of is now confirmed to have:
- Adele Roberts – Radio 1 DJ
- Jaymi Hensley – Union J
- Charlie Craggs – Nail Transphobia Campaign
- Sherelle Garwood – Stonewall Youth Leader
- Chaired by Wayne Dhesi – RUComingOut.co.uk charity founder.
National Student Pride is this weekend 5-7th Feb at the University of Westminster and G-A-Y and open to all. Student ID is not required: www.studentpride.co.uk/2016
Photo by National Student Pride
