You’re 20 years old. You’ve been hiding your sexual identity from all of those around you. But now you find yourself on a journey towards your first ever gay bar.

You’re excited but you’re also terrified. You’re terrified that someone who recognises you will see you enter the bar. You’re terrified that your secret will finally be revealed. You circle the bar 6, 8, 10 times, checking each time that no-one you know will see you enter. You go into the bar and finally the journey of discovering your authentic self begins.

Today we’ll find out how Stephen’s journey into gay culture helped him to make sense of himself as a man. And we ask, how can men be supported in today’s world to live a life that is true to themselves?

Alex Melia, and the Stories of Men team are on a mission to uncover what it means to live an independent and meaningful life. We'll be sharing this knowledge with you every week.

We’d like to extend our appreciation to today’s guest, Stephen K Amos. His honesty, generosity and passion in sharing an important personal story of struggle and acceptance is profoundly appreciated. It also provides a vital part of the puzzle as we try to piece together what it means to be a man in today’s world.

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