I grew up in Letterkenny in Donegal and was one of the young people who did not leave. Donegal is extremely rural, growing up, there was no mention of gay people, so genuinely didn’t know what the word ‘gay’ meant. As got older, things became more difficult, like most young people, conformed and pretended and tried to suppress who was.
When I came out it was not easy at all but was very self assured in who was. If have a sense of pride other people can’t say anything because they’d look like the silly one. Not me.