A note from the Editor ... 02 October 2018
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Coming out is a big thing to do. It's about first being able to accept yourself, before you can even let others accept you. I'm not sure exactly why, for a long time, I was so convinced that it's not something I wanted to do, and that my sexuality should remain secret. Well, not secret perhaps, but private. As in, it was my business and mine alone. And while all of this may seem terribly cliche, but, I suppose, that doesn't make it any less true, or any less real, or any less my experience.
But as I was saying, I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to come out. It's not something I'm particularly ashamed of, and while I've gone over and over in my head too many times to keep track of how others may react, I don't think that's really been my main concern either. When I told my mum, I wouldn't say it went badly - but it didn't exactly go swimmingly either.
I think it's probably because I didn't feel like I should be defined by it. I didn't want it to be the thing that people pictured, as soon as they thought about me. I'm already well known (well, amongst my friends at least) for a number of specific personality traits and beliefs. And again, while I'm not the slightest bit ashamed of any of those things, it still gets to me that I'm not just Oscar, I'm Oscar the vegan-lefty-environmentalist-preachy-social justice warrior-hack (gotta love the hack one though 'ey guys). I just didn't really want to add gay to that list. I just wanted to be known as me.
And again, writing this note may seem incredibly cliche. As a forum it's well, a bit rubbish - a student newspaper, and let's be honest no one actually reads the editor's note. But I've found that I'm not very good at talking. Writing, however, is, well, kinda my thing. So, when one finally accepts them-selves for who they are, why not write about it?
Anyway, my time on the senior team of Nouse and as Editor is now drawing to a close. So much for all the memories, the laugher, the stress (oh my god so much stress), the panic when you realise you're a whole page short of content, and the 3AMs doing the News section on a Sunday night. But I'm happy in how it's ended. That's it from me. Over and (most importantly) out.
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