Duncan James, former singer in pop band ‘Blue’, spent the early years of his career hiding his sexuality. James recently opened up about why he kept his boyfriend, Rodrigo Reis, a secret. Duncan originally came out as bisexual in 2010 before coming out as gay in 2017.
Duncan said that it took him a while to share details about his boyfriend, not because he was embarrassed or ashamed of the relationship, rather he was afraid of the response they would receive.
He explained that he didn’t want to post about his partners in the past because he wasn’t comfortable within himself at the time. Over time, however, the singer has grown more confident in his sexuality, claiming that his appearance on Channel 4’s First Dates Hotel where he went on a date with another man was a “big step” for him.
Speaking to Extra.ie Duncan said he told Rodrigo not to post anything about them being a couple online due to his fear of the backlash they would receive. Rodrigo however was confused, asking Duncan if he was embarrassed by him, with Duncan assuring him “it was the first time [he] wasn’t.”
He recounted the conversation in an interview saying; “Rodrigo asked me why I didn’t talk about our relationship, and I told him that I always felt that I can’t or shouldn’t. Then I posted a photo of us online.”
The photo of the couple Duncan posted gained praise from fans and followers worldwide, with many congratulating the couple while others thanked him for being so open about their relationship.
I posted this pic on my Insta yesterday & couldn’t get over the amazing response, comments and love from people. I didn’t identify as a gay man for many years because of my own issues with coming out, but finally im happy in my skin & this guy next 2 me makes me proud 2 be gay.❤️ pic.twitter.com/pXOQjBknFe
— Duncan james (@MrDuncanJames) July 21, 2019
James was overjoyed and relieved by the extreme show of support online after posting the photo online saying; “The positive attention it got was overwhelming. It got so much positivity from it all and I felt almost safe to do it when before I would have felt weird, just because of my own thoughts about stuff.”
James said that it was a drag queen who pushed him to go public with his relationship saying to him, “Why don’t you, as an openly gay man, post that you’re out and proud with your partner? You’ve got such a big voice, you’ve got to do that and you should be doing that to help people.”
Although Duncan was hesitant and said he had always been too scared to do that, the encouraging words from the queen spurred him to get involved in the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity for LGBT+ young people in the UK and shared his story with others.
Duncan James spoke to GCN TV early this year to discuss his love for musical theatre and his role in The Rocky Horror Show, as well as delving into the topic of coming out and his work with the Albert Kennedy Trust.
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