Lesbian first dates in stirling

I sometimes wonder to what extent I’m oppressed as a gay man. I live in a big city, and through a process of selection I’m only friends with other gay people, or people who aren’t homophobic. Working mostly in gay-friendly pubs in Hackney, I’ve never experienced employment discrimination. My mannerisms are fey enough that most people clock me as gay within a minute of conversation, but my dress sense is sufficiently boring that I never get harassed on the street.

The oppression, for want of a better word, is internal. The damage was done years ago. It finds its expression in years of (if not outright addiction) substance abuse and (if not exactly mental illness) poor mental health. This stems from a violence that is institutional and society-wide. It’s about policy and representation and the legacy of Section 28. But it’s hard for me to see it in conceptual terms. Instead, I see Stirling, my hometown; I see the people I went to school with, and my tea

•