Tom Allen: The Idea of Gay Shame Still Pervades

At the turn of the millennium, when comedian Tom Allen was a teenager, a celebrity coming out as gay regularly made headline news.

As a celebrity, people are always interested in knowing your sexuality — maybe you’re straight or queer. Therefore, when a celebrity comes out as gay, it must make headlines.

Celebrities like The late Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, Brian Dowling, who won the big brother in 2001, and Ellen Degeneres made the headlines when they declared their sexuality to the public. That is the case when you’re a celebrity; people are always eager to know more about you.

In the past years, society experienced transition as there was little hostility toward the queer people. However, the game is currently changing with the interventions of laws that respect the right of the LGBT community in some countries.

In his new memoir, Tom Allen reveals the pain and shame he passed through growing up as gay. According to the popular comedian, “Those were such seismic events 15 or 20 years ago,” says Allen, “I can remember those changes coming in and how positive they were.

“But we forget sometimes that that doesn’t flick a switch. If you grew up in a world that was full of shame and silence and being aware of nail bombings, as well as violence towards anybody who was different, then it’s wonderful that the law has changed because that’s an essential part of the journey, but it doesn’t mean that it goes away from our minds.”

Although gay people are no longer afraid of coming out, a story involving the queer community still has the power to make the news headline if it has something peculiar in it.

Currently, everything is changing, including the way people perceive gay people. They believe everybody has the right to live and as well, flaunt their sexuality with pride.

Consequently, to give more rights to the queer community, Equal marriage was introduced in the UK in 2014, and earlier this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to outlaw gay conversion therapy were being brought forward.

However, according to a BBC report, the veteran comedian claims it is “still tricky” for gay people to come out. The issue of queer identity is “an ongoing journey that we’re still on,” he says, adding: “I think the idea of shame still pervades.”

Allen’s memoir was released as he is currently witnessing a tremendous turnaround in his career. He is presently one of the biggest comedians in the UK and a staple of some popular shows, including The Apprentice: You’re Fired and Bake Off: An Extra Slice.

Tom Allen began to stand up following his friends’ encouragement to partake in an open mic. Despite several trials, errors and failures, the comedian eventually reached the London Palladium for a sold-out gig in 2018.

However, the feelings of acceptance from the public (as a popular comedian) eventually made him overcome the shame he passed through as gay during his childhood