The Gay Farmer

When I was growing up in the ‘70s in a village on the south coast it was hard feeling ‘different’ and having next to no access to information about what we now call LGBTQIA+ people, beyond some village gossip about certain individuals and/or sniggers about women deemed too ‘manly’ or men deemed ‘effeminate’.

It was impossible to know how to talk to my mum about it or to know who I could trust with my feelings, let alone to figure out for myself what exactly I *was* feeling. It took a long time to find the information, and the people, that I needed. But I got there in the end. And my mum and I got there in the end too. These days I like to think that we’re as close as we’ve ever been; in fact, I count her as a chum as well as a mum!

It’s really good to know that things have moved on in my old neck of the woods. Today, my mum and I went to the monthly farmer’s market in the village hall carpark. I used to go to Brownies meetings on Thursday evenings in the village hall (but stopped when I decided that I’d rather watch Top of the Pops on telly!). Today, the first thing I noticed was that one of the stall holders was called ‘The Gay Farmer’! Obviously, I had to find out more!

Now, as it happens, my great uncle was a farmer, and he lived with another man for as long as I knew him. The nature of their relationship was never really discussed although they were both much-loved members of the family. These days, even the national institution that is BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Archers’ features a gay farmer, but today’s Blip subject is much more interesting than the rather dull (to my mind!) Adam Macy.

He’s called Mark, and I loved having a chat with him and his partner Sean (Shaun?) (see Extra) about our childhoods, our backgrounds and his business - which specialises in Olive Oil www.thegayfarmer.co.uk We bought some fresh pesto from him and ate it with our lunchtime pasta. Delicious!

I hope to see them again next time I’m down to see my mum.

Just around the corner from the Village Hall, and just opposite my mum’s flat (which is built on the site of my old primary school - which had a decidedly butch headmistress…), is the Bondwood Tea Rooms, run by another gay couple, Rick and Mick, who we also popped in to see today - there’s a picture of them in my Extras too. Looks like the village may have been a hotbed of homosexuality all along!

Today’s song is Orville Peck’s cover of Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’ https://youtube.com/watch?v=vjbosSgeHk8