We all deserve our chance at love and to express that love publicly

Firstly, let me introduce myself: my name is Aaron Cowming and I am a native of Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, and currently living in Cork. I am also a gay man and a happy and proud one.

But I wasn’t always happy with being gay, because there was so many stigmas attached to it and, to be honest, it terrified me.

I remember being young and having all these feelings and not knowing what to do with them. It was torture walking around every day, knowing I was different and being afraid to come clean about who I am as a person. The older I got, the harder it got to repress my feelings and the bigger a toll it took on my life.