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# Why Pride Matters to Neil Borrett from Brighton Bear Weekenders
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/why-pride-matters-to-neil-borrett-from-brighton-bear-weekenders/
- Published: 2014-06-02T13:51:55.000Z
- Updated: 2014-06-02T13:51:55.000Z
- Description: Neil Borrett explains why Pride Matters to him. “I was born and raised in Brighton. I went to a local comprehensive during the 80s. As a shy, quiet, overweight lad with no interest in sports but with a great love of pop music, I was picked on and told I was gay. At the time, […]
- Author: Besi
- Tags: News, Pride

## Neil Borrett explains why Pride Matters to him.

![Neil Borrett](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/web-6002.jpg)

*“I was born and raised in Brighton. I went to a local comprehensive during the 80s. As a shy, quiet, overweight lad with no interest in sports but with a great love of pop music, I was picked on and told I was gay. At the time, I didn’t really care what others thought. As long as I had my music and a few close friends to go out with, I wasn’t that bothered. I did have a few experiences at school which excited me, but I was in denial.*

*After leaving school, I went between jobs not knowing what to do, and started dating women. I fell in love, and after an 18 year on-and-off relationship, we married. During the 90s, we had often gone out with her gay friends, and went to Pride every year. I never had feelings towards men then; during our visits to Pride, I would get excited and think, “I wonder what it would be like? Am I bisexual?” Pride made me realise that being gay is normal, and that I was just kidding myself that I was straight. Could I ever love a man?*

*“Our marriage wasn’t going too well. I was mostly to blame, and we became increasingly distant. I started seeing a guy regularly, and then BANG! I started having feelings towards him. It was May, and Pride 2008 was coming up. I had to do something – I couldn’t lie any more to my wife, family and friends.*

*“One Saturday afternoon, my wife and I were having one of our good days. After a few drinks, I blurted out, “I’m gay!” Pride arrived and I went on my own, not having any other close gay friends. I watched the parade and went to the park. I felt at home and normal at last. I started to chat with people and form friendships. I left the family home and moved into a room with a gay landlord. I later met the man of my dreams and am lucky enough to be with him today.*

*“Pride is important to me because it made me realise that you don’t have to pretend to the world about the way you feel, and that being gay is normal. I just wish that I had had the courage to come out back in the 80s. It seemed like a different world then, but it wasn’t really.”*