| Description | An interview with Jon HOMER, a single man with no children, who is a Teaches EFL, born in Birmingham and now living in Coventry. Jon HOMER’s father was a Solicitor, born in England and his mother a Lecturer/housewife born in England. In the interview, he talks about …
'MS2255/2/102 Homer, Jon Logged by Bernadette Shortt
01
My mother was from Birmingham, father from the Black Country. Early childhood in a flat in Five Ways, moved to pleasant green suburb of Harborne when I was 2 . . .. Local parks, village high street, very much a village atmosphere. We knew the neighbours but weren’t in and out of each other’s houses.
1.20 – Description of village high street
1.50 - Description of Five Ways, small shops along Broad street.
2.40 – Pre school visits to Botanical Garden with Grandmother.
3.05 – Memories of flat – Victorian tiles tall large rooms.
3.35 – Grandmother looked after me a lot, a Victorian woman with all the good and bad things that brings, she had definite ideas and standards. She had a big influence on what I thought as a child and she had a big influence on the family.
Brother had a blood change at birth; Grandmother failed to accept him because of this, which had an influence on the family.
02
Started school, Lordswood Road, in September 1955. Talks about teachers. First and only girlfriends at school, aged 4 –5. Got on better with girls, felt threatened by the boys. Stayed there till 1958.
2.15 – West house Junior School Five Ways, all boys school. Geared towards getting to public school.
4.15 – At the age of 10 I was put into classes with 14 years old which was socially difficult.
03
I fell in love with one or two of the boys. Had a lot of freedom, there wasn’t any fear then like there is today.
1.50 – Talks about social activities - I wasn’t a great mixer socially. Went to church . . . . . St. Augustine's, Edgbaston, even though I didn’t believe, just went because my friends did.
3.30 – I went to King Edwards School in September 1962. Great relief to be with 24 boys my own age.
04
Secondary school continued - never missed a day because I loved it so much.
30” I fell in love with one of the boys, even now I think about him and he is one of the few people I would like to know about now.
2.40 – Conscious sense of sexual difference at 13 – 14 . . . Something told me that I wasn’t going to grow out of it . . .. This was me. Stayed away from the boys behind the bike sheds.
4.00 – To be gay in the 60s was an illness, sin or a crime. Kenneth Williams was an idol.
4.40 – First gay book the Underworld was quite frightening. Part of me wanted to deny being gay.
05
Talks about hippie culture.
1.15 – People expected a lot from me, I had to be 110% good to make up for the something bad, rotten inside me which had to be compensated for. A need to keep the gay part of me separate from the rest of my life. Shine in every other way. Denying a deep self in me. Frightened of it coming out.
2.20 – Denied being gay to prevent being bullied and to keep my credibility.
3.10 – Involved in school choir and orchestra.
3.30 – Talks about Headmaster of school
4.30 – In 1966/67 became aware that toilets were a meeting place for men who wanted to have sex with other men.
06
Particular toilets such as the cottages in town, old generation of underground ones and the new generation like Stevenson’s Place, Colmore Circus . . . you saw guys queuing up on a Saturday afternoon to get in these places. Lightwood’s Park was used; Canon Hill Park was used like it is now, Highbury Park . . . wherever it was public but quiet to go. I might have a look and see what was going on. As a teenager it was quite exciting. If anyone found out I dreaded to think what would happen.
2.20 – Felt attracted to some boys but never did anything with them.
2.30 – Close friends emotionally but no question of being intimate with them.
3.15 – I left school in 1969, I had a place at Cambridge by then. I went to Germany on a voluntary journey for six months, living in a community run by Protestant church. Went back the following summer to work in a children’s home.
4.30 – Describing 3 years at Cambridge from 1971. A non-event, no friends from that period.
4.50 – Gay societies at Cambridge but didn’t join them, spent free time working in another children’s home.
07
I thought I was going to be picked up by the police for going around parks, meeting guys in parks . . . this frightened me to death . . . I used to have nightmares about it. I went to the Samaritans . . .
1.35 – Decided that I wanted to work with children . . .. Being gay this proved difficult.
2.00 – Ran a youth club in Small Heath in 1973/74. Also ran a play centre, Bolton Road deemed “the worst in Brum” . . . if you saw the Birmingham Evening Mail headline “worst street in Brum” that meant Bolton Road in Small Heath. They had proposed the Coventry Road by pass about 10 years before and it hadn’t been built and Bolton Road was allowed to go downhill.
2.40 – Families on Bolton Road – Elderly people . . . families who had been shifted round the inner ring . . . families who had had a lot of problems. There were very few black or Asian families . . . they were in Sparkbrook at that time. A number of Irish families though.
4.40 – Close to a nervous breakdown, too much responsibility at a young age.
08
I went back to Germany for six months, living in Cologne. I still wouldn’t allow myself to be sexually active.
1.10 - By 1977 I had discovered Amsterdam, the gay Mecca at that time. That became the focus for expressing my gay life . . . I went 2/3 times a year after that.
1.40 – Came back from Germany, worked in Coventry in residential care. I ended up working in a children’s home where I stayed for 4 years. I worked with children with disabilities as well as completing my social work training.
2.15 – At that time in children’s homes you could make a difference, I was like an Uncle or father to many of the children. Today, because of paedophilia you wouldn’t be allowed to have fights, go on camping trips, one to one counselling etc.
3.10 – One of the children, when he reached 18 started to call me Dad, one of the them is staying with me at the moment who is 36 and I still see some of the children I cared for.
3.59 – Parents lived in Selly Park.
4.10 – Visiting friends in Birmingham, aware of redevelopment, inner suburbs becoming estates.
09
Studied social work at UCE in Birmingham in 1983 – 85. Had three placements during that time, one in Chemsley hospital . . . old style ward, traditionally run, 2 nursing staff within a ward of 20 – 25.
1.05 – Second placement, black community in Jenkin Street, Small Heath, aware of changes in Small Heath . . .. Housing changes, Coventry by pass had been built, so Bolton Road was no longer there . . . new housing so it looked a lot better. Perhaps a higher proportion of Black and Asian people than before.
2.50 – Describes work within Black community.
3.10 – Third placement, mental health clinic, Lode Lane Solihull.
3.50 – Highcroft Hospital 1984 /85 . . . felt less institutionalised, most people there couldn’t have lived effectively on their own.
4.45 – Social life in the 1980s – Out door activities: cycling, walking.
10
Social work training made me aware of gay rights.
50” Worked for alternative new age camps, all part of trying to find myself.
1.25 – In 1990 I went on a gay men’s community weekend in Scotland, it really changed my whole outlook on life. Coming out party for a whole week.
1.50 – Birmingham Gay scene – In 1990 the Nightingale Club was the main club, the Jester was open, 2/3 gay pubs which were not well publicised.
2.30 – Birmingham Friend group ran a social evening in the Holloway Head pub on a Friday evening which was a non threatening environment to talk to gay men.
3.00 – Became involved in setting up a support group, Midlands mutual support group, for local gay men . . . discussion groups, music making, art . . . create an alternative environment for groups of gay men.
4.50 – I sing with the Birmingham Rainbow Voices Gay and Lesbian Choir, which started in 1995.
11
Growth of local gay interest groups –
Attitudes have changed in the last 2/3 years. It has become more acceptable on the television . . . occasionally you can see men holding hand in hand in Hurst Street. We have an Amsterdam style pub . . . where anything goes. Gay pride in Birmingham has become very popular.
Changes in Birmingham – from Industrial City to focus on business, tourism, travel, international status.
4.00 – Talks about crowds in gay bars / clubs.
12
Talks about stigma for Black and Asian people to come out. Racism in the gay community: “I may be gay but at least I am not black!” I say let's embrace our differences.
1.45 – Lesbian scene – the Fox in Essex Street only predominant lesbian pub.
3.10 – Differences for gay men today, increased chance of bullying.
13
Debate about age of consent – critical of conservatives
1.30 – Discussion about Aids. Know two people who have been diagnosed HIV Positive.
2.40 – The debate about the age of consent and Aids - issues which have united the gay community.
3.00 – Freshwinds Trust and the Terence Higgins Trust both promote gay health.
3.40 – Coming out - coming out to parents, children etc.
4.50 - “The fear of being outed, if you are still in some sorts of jobs is a real one.”
ENDS |