Scottish world-champion cyclist Graeme Obree comes out

photo Andy McCandish

From BikeRadar.com:

Mon 31 Jan 2011, 11:40 am UTC
Graeme Obree reveals he is gay
By Richard Tyler in London, UK

Graeme Obree, a two-time World Champion and hour record holder, has admitted the torment he faced as he came to terms with his sexuality, after revealing that he is gay to a British newspaper.

In an interview with the Scottish Sun newspaper published on Monday, Obree admitted that the anxiety associated with hiding the fact that he was gay had led to two separate attempts to take his own life, in 1998 and 2001.

"I was brought up by a war generation; they grew up when gay people were put in jail. Being homosexual was so unthinkable that you just wouldn't be gay. I'd no inkling about anything, I just closed down," Obree told the newspaper.

While Obree has only now made it public, he said he had come out to his family (he is now divorced from his wife) shortly after discussing the truth about his sexuality with a psychologist in 2005. He admitted that the revelation had been a particular shock for his parents, though the truth has had a positive impact upon his relationship with them.

"It was difficult and there were lots of tears. It wasn't easy. But the relationship with my parents has been improved by it," he said. "We talked about it and discussed things and we're a lot happier."

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