Will Young felt 'awful, internalised shame' about his sexuality while growing up

Will Young has opened up about the “internalised shame” he felt about being gay while growing up.

On Sunday, the singer appeared on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch to promote his new book, To Be A Gay Man.

During the interview, Young said that he has confronted a lot of feelings about his sexuality over the last decade and only discovered he felt “shame” at the age of 32.

Speaking to presenters Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer, the “Leave Right Now” singer said: “I was doing this podcast, it was an LGBT podcast, and a lot of gay shame came up a lot.

“Particularly when you’re growing up feeling that you’re wrong in society and all the messages that you are getting from movies and TV – I mean this is like back in the day, we’re so much better now.”

He continued: “But it creates this awful, internalised shame and it starts from when you are really young and it’s a topic that is quite under-explored.”

The 41-year-old went on to explain that writing his book caused him to confront his emotions.

“Some of the stories I had completely forgotten,” he said. “It’s soul-destroying to walk around thinking: ‘I am not for this world, I am wrong’. It destroys your inner being."

Young added: “But it was all just part of the parcel.

“People were homophobic about you on the radio, on TV or in the press – you didn’t do anything about it, it was just the way it was. I didn’t realise I had gay shame until I was about 32, but I got out of it.”

The Pop Idol winner also shared his thoughts on the changing attitudes towards the LGBT+ community, stating that he believes there is still a long way to go, especially for transgender people.

“I was driving through Fulham and this transgender woman was being bullied by kids, and she said: ‘This happens to me every morning when I go to work and walk past this school and every evening.’

“Every day when these schools are in – how many months that is a year? She has to deal with that and I think that’s where it’s still bad for transgender people.”

Young has previously opened up about the discrimination he has experienced for being gay.

In 2018, the singer appealed to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to help trace a bus driver he claimed subjected him to homophobic abuse.

On Twitter, Young said had been called a “poofter” by a London bus driver, and had reported the incident to Transport for London (TfL).

He later added: “TfL been great reacting to my tweet. All I need is an apology – no witch hunt. To be called a poofter isn’t the nicest thing and it reminds me what a vile thing prejudicial language is to try and shame others. I can take action, many young people can’t.”

TfL chief executive Steve Burton said in a statement at the time: “We’re very sorry to hear of Will Young’s experience, and are looking into it urgently.

“Everyone has the right to travel without fear of abuse or intimidation, and if anyone witnesses or is victim to hate crime they should report it immediately.

“We work closely with our police partners to eradicate hate crimes and fully investigate all reported incidents.”