Interviews - Interviews with the Serving

In The Navy by Neville Walker originally appeared in Gay Times in 2005.

“Before I joined the Navy at 28, I was a baker for 10 years. I always wanted to join, and I thought, ‘If I don’t do it now, I won’t ever’. I joined in May 2001 and didn’t tell anyone about my sexuality. I wanted them to know me for me.

“I joined a Minesweeper in November 2001; everyone got to know me, and I came out in December, A minesweeper is a small ship, all-male — but a lot of the reactions were very supportive. At Christmas, we anchored and went out for a drink. I told the captain, and people overheard. The next day, there was an atmosphere. The boson asked if he could have a word, and said the word was rife I was gay. I said ‘No, I’m not’ - then the coxswain spoke to me: ‘The Lads would think better of you if you told them’, he said, but I said I wasn’t.

The day the ship came back to Faslane, I told a few guys, and they reacted okay. Everyone was fine. The captain and others said, ‘lf you get hassle, let us know,’ but I never did.

“My career has gone fine; I’ve gone up one rank, and I’ve been in southern Iraq in a combat situation, On the way there, one of the guys asked me if I knew why I didn’t get any hassle. He said, You may be a gay guy. but you’re our gay guy’.”