A Romani Gypsy storyteller uses his gift with words to build bridges of understanding between cultures

hi their am 43 year old male cheshire born into a gypsy family back when i were 13 yrs old i knew their was something different with my life i fancied men not women this cant be right i thought not me a gypsy boy what are my mam and dad going to say if they ever find out probably kill me or worse disown me and i lived a lie for the next 10 years and killing me inside out on dateswith girls then finaly decided to get married did not last very long though i decided that it was time to open up to my wife and then finaly my parents they were great and still are my mam and dad have been to canal st with me for nights out in the village and the mardi gras manchester and london and many other gypsy and travellers also know the attitude to homosexuality is chaning for the better and about time to and finally i think i were the first open gay gypsy and christian in england thank you Harry Smith

im half romany half gypsy, so dont know if ive the best of both worlds,yeah i too knew i was gay, bi-sexual,tri-sexual. at a very early age,its true were all family oriented, but still a lot of taboos about gay gypsy lads, think we need to stick together as travellers and gay lads. i have an email or phone number for other gay gypsy lads to get in touch, im in northumberland

I heard Richard at an NATT conference and really appreciated how he got even the reserved British to break their silence and engage with him in the telling and sharing of life stories that heal and change. Powerful magick indeed!

Hi,

Firstly as ever this is another excellent article from Richard O'Neill who is someone who I have the greatest of admiration for, not least because he is always willing to put his head above the parapet and say the things other people daren't say! Well done Richard, please continue with your highly intelligent, warm and inclusive writing and discussion/story sessions.

Now for a bit of an ulterior motive. I found this article when web-searching for Gypsiies/Travellers and Gay/Lesbian. I do hope you don't mind me using this posting to ask if I can email anyone who has commented directly (or can provide an email address for you to email me) but I'm currently undertaking some work for the Equalities Commission on equality issues and access to services for Gypsies and Travellers - amongst other topics we want to consider attitudes to being gay/lesbian and whether services are supportive/available for Gypsy and Traveller community members and also how easy it is for Gay/Lesbian Travellers and Gypsies to obtain support from their families, or are they excluded. I know this is a very personal question but if anyone has any information they are willing to share (completely anonymously) or can refer me to any reports - this element of the study needs to be completed by the end of March 2008. I would be very grateful and your comments may help us to make recommendations which support other Gay and Lesbian, T and B members of the Gypsy and Traveller communities. Best wishes Margaret