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When I was 13 and at secondary school in Lambeth, a guy I knew from primary school was removed and taken to a "special needs" school that could care for his mental health issues. I knew he was gay, but that wasn't the reason he was removed. However, his obvious sexuality did set him apart from the lads in his year and magnified the problems in his mind. I put distance between him and myself because, while he had his own troubles, I didn't relate to the way he identified as gay and was on my own difficult path to discovering myself. If he had been removed and placed in an LGBT school, I think I would have hidden myself even deeper in the closet. Today, I'm ashamed how I felt toward him. But, as a boy, I hadn't developed the confidence to be as outwardly supportive of difference as I would be now.Stonewall's bold advertising campaign told us that it gets better, but it doesn't always get better. The world doesn't become less homophobic overnight just because you have come to terms with your sexuality.
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