Stepping out
We all remember that exciting, nerve-racking night when we made our debut on the scene. So what was it like for you, the first time you walked through the door of a gay venue?
STE SOFTLEY, 38, RADIO PRODUCER, BRADFORD
The summer of 1995 is often remembered for Britpop sweeping the nation, but for me it was the year I made my debut on the gay scene, in my home town of Bradford.
It was common knowledge that there was a “bent bar” somewhere at the top end of the city centre and everybody knew someone who knew someone who worked with someone who had been “caught” in there, so I had to engineer my first visit carefully to make sure I wouldn’t fall victim to being named in the roll call of shame.