On the relationship between sexuality, football and his strict religious upbringing.
I came out when I was 14. As I say my cousin who went to the football games, he was aware of that, and was one of the few people that actually accepted me for who I was. So that made going to the Thistle games that bit easier. I can always remember him saying – he’s sadly passed away now – but I can always remember him saying, “I can always tell a gay man by his shoes.” And it’s just one of those phrases that, [laughs], “go on, tell me, what about our shoes?” So yeah. So that was always a good way, the fact that I was striding out of going to a “worldly” thing like going to the football, from a religious background, I was actually coming out as being gay. Although I wasn’t as open as I was, you know, as I am now, obviously. But– And every day is about coming out to somebody, I suppose. But when you’re that age and you’re just coming out, it’s quite a thing.
So I would say, in relation to football, I mean I was– clearly there was a lot of difference in football way back in the ’80s in terms of racism, sexism, homophobia, you know, and it being verbalised in the stands, towards players, referees, whoever. [Pause] But that was, it was kind of of its time, you know. There was no rationale, nor reason, nor right to it. But it was certainly how you, kind of people viewed it. And I think it probably put a lot of people off going to football who might have been gay.
Yeah, so sexuality and football, you know, at that point I was, sexuality and life was a big thing for me, because I was coming out as, you know, a young, very young, teenage gay guy. Not really quite sure of my circumstances. Feeling a bit uneasy about the background that I came from, and acceptance there. And, from the church, I left the church because, you know, they wouldn’t have accepted me. And they still, you know, nothing has changed in that particular church. So yeah, so it was all an explosion of life, you know. Going to football, going to things which were regarded as “worldly”. You know, going to the cinema, you know. It was all new excitement. Going to a nightclub, going to a pub, you know, obviously that’s, as you get to 18, you know, you get those liberties given to you, you know, to go and do. But it was even more exciting because I had led such a sheltered life.
On people who have impacted his relationship with football, including support for Proud Jags from ex Partick Thistle chairperson, Jacqui Low.
I suppose my cousin certainly had a big impact, for sure. He sort of [pause]– when you go to football it’s nice to experience it as part of a group. And so as part of a group that actually, a family group that actually knew that I was gay, and that– so they knew the whole person. So that was great. I would say more latterly, somebody that’s probably had the most, the biggest impact on what I’ve tried to do with Proud Jags was Jacqui Low. We went for coffee one time. I’d sort of started writing in some of the fan webpages and things about Proud Jags, or the starting of Proud Jags. Was getting a lot of negative feedback, I had from, “what do you want to do that for?” You know, “you want your own wee pen to go and sit in?” and all this kind of stuff. So it was quite negative at times. And I’d seen an advert for, it was at Hampden, and it was LEAP Sports. And various other groups, groupings, that came together at Hampden to try and encourage people who were interested in starting LGBT supporters’ groups. And so I’d gone along to that, and I think she must have just noticed that I was, you know, sort of getting a bit of flack. And contacted me, and we said, right, let’s meet up. So we met up at Tinderbox on Byres Road, and we sat and chatted for about two hours, just about life. And about what I wanted to do, and the fact that I’d gone to this, in 2017, the conference at Hampden. And yeah, that was really, it was good to have somebody who was that supportive reaching out. Rather than me having to hunt them down. And she was very supportive.
On feelings of joy, pride and community when your football team succeeds.
Right, with Dougie, my cousin, and his son. And we went to St. Mirren Love Street, the old ground. And I’d come back up from living down south for 17 years. And we’d been promoted the previous season. And we got the coach over to– brilliant pub, but it was a St. Mirren pub. And having a few pints and whatever. Got into the stand, and we won, and that game gave us promotion back to the top league. And it was fabulous, absolutely brilliant. I had a huge flag, it was like on a 6-foot pole, and I walked all the way along, and after getting back to the West End, and having a couple of pints with my cousin, and I walked from Kelvinbridge to Anniesland, waving this flag, with all the taxi drivers tooting their horns as they went past. It was just a fabulous day. One of those really, you know, warm days, where your heart’s just pounding with pride, you know, that your team has got back to– You know, in Scotland, and in Glasgow in particular, where you’ve got teams who are huge, and you know, are always talked about, whatever, it is lovely when you get a piece of the pie. And Partick Thistle were back in the big time.