32-летний Лайам Сванстон впервые рассказал о детстве в гомофобной среде и работе младшим ухаживающим

A man is sharing his story publicly for the first time as part of The Proud Trust's #DeserveBetter campaign. Liam Swanston, 32, Director of Development and Partnerships at The Proud Trust and a former University of Chester student, has opened up about his childhood and the challenges he faced growing up gay in a "lads’" household in Manchester. At the age of 12, he became a young carer for his mother, who lived with bipolar disorder, while also grieving the loss of his brother Michael, who died in a car accident when Swanston was 11. Mr Swanston said: "There was always this idea of what it meant to be a ‘lad’. "I had three brothers and I was often described as ‘emotional’ or ‘soft.’" He said the pressure to conform and the constant presence of homophobic language made it even harder to accept himself. He said: "At school, homophobic language was everywhere. "People would say ‘that's so gay’ or talk about gay people as disgusting. "When you're already trying to work out who you are, hearing that every day creates a huge pressure not to be seen as gay." On top of this, Mr Swanston was caring for his mother, managing her medication and supporting her during both depressive and manic episodes. He said: "When you're a young carer, you think about everything through the lens of not making things harder, and that definitely affected coming out. "I wasn't just thinking about myself, I was thinking about everybody else too." Mr Swanston found support at an LGBTQ+ youth group when he was 15, after asking youth workers about resources. He attended the group in secret for two years before coming out to his family at 17. He said taking that step was transformative. He said: "Walking through that door changed my life. "Until then I'd spent years trying not to look too gay, sound too gay, or give anyone a reason to ask questions. "Suddenly I was in a room where I didn't have to pretend anymore." Encouraged by youth workers, Mr Swanston changed his career path from photojournalism to youth work, eventually joining The Proud Trust. He said: "That youth group didn't just help me come out, it changed the direction of my entire life. "It helped me find my voice, understand who I was, and build a future I never imagined for myself, and without that support, I honestly don't know where I'd be today."