Before coming out, a common thought many of us have instead of coming out of the closet is the alternative of suicide. Nigel Owens opens up to CNN about suicide, his parents response, and even his desire to be chemically castrated.
This year, Owens was given the opportunity to referee the Rugby World Cup Final, becoming the first openly gay man to do so.
He has openly described the relief he felt at sharing his sexuality with the world in the past, but has now detailed the struggles he’s had along the way.
Speaking to CNN, Owens said: ‘I didn’t want to be gay. I actually went to the doctor at one stage to see if I could be chemically castrated in any way, if it would get rid of me being gay.
‘Looking back at that it was a horrific thing that one would have to do but that’s what I was going through at the time.’
At one point, the Welshman was so distraught with his sexuality, that he attempted suicide. It was only after he spoke to his mother that he began facing the truth.
‘I was an only child. I sat up in bed that night and I cried. I thought to myself that I need to grow up here. That’s when I accepted who I was and that was the biggest challenge of my life over with.’
Owens believes that people who keep their sexuality a secret just haven’t accepted themselves yet and are ‘struggling with who they are.’
Owens said that finally accepting himself for who he is has allowed him to give others the chance to accept him too. – metro.co.uk
To learn more about Nigel and see a great clip, go to this CNN VIDEO. Watching the video, you will see why Rugby and the world would have missed out on such a great person if he was successful with his suicide. Thanks for sharing your story Nigel.
For another video where Owens shares more of his story, view the one below from HARDtalk.
