‘When My Wife Fawned over Richard Gere, I Was Secretly Thinking, Phwoar!’: The People Who Come Out in Later Life

THE GUARDIAN: Olympic athlete Kelly Holmes spoke openly about her sexuality last month for the first time at the age of 52. But she is not alone. We meet five people who embraced their true selves in their fifties and beyond

Norman Goodman: ‘When my wife died in 2017, part of me went with her. But at last I could shout about my sexuality.’ Photograph: Richard Saker/The Guardian
There is no right age or time to come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans. These days, it is a rite of passage associated with the young; over generations, the average age for coming out has fallen. For some, though, it takes a little longer: last month, after 34 years in the public eye, the Olympic athlete Dame Kelly Holmes came out at the age of 52, for the first time speaking openly about her sexuality. She is by no means the only one. For some, it is a self-realisation that comes out of the blue; others may have spent a lifetime grappling with prejudice, with memories of a time when homosexuality was still criminalised, or a culture that once encouraged silence. Here, five LGBTQ+ people who came out later in life share their stories, proving that there is always time to embrace and explore identity or your sexuality.

Norman Goodman, 72, Manchester

When I was very young, I thought I was gay. It’s why, in the 1950s, I found school rather uncomfortable. Being Jewish meant being gay was never a possibility in my mind, even if our family wasn’t particularly orthodox or religious. With nowhere to turn, I became confused about my gender and sexuality. I was taken to doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists. I was admitted into a psychiatric unit and given a course of electroconvulsive therapy. Later, I had aversion therapy. … » | Michael Segalov | Thursday, July 14, 2022