The title of this recording is "Nicolas - Q12". It was recorded in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand on the 27th February 2012. The duration of the recording is 15 minutes, but this may not reflect the actual length of the event. A list of correctly spelt content keywords and tags can be found at the end of this document. A brief description of the recording is: In this podcast Nicolas talks about being young and gay in 2012. The content in the recording covers the 2010s decade. A brief summary of the recording is: In an intimate 15-minute podcast recorded on the 27th of February, 2012 in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, the subject, Nicolas, candidly discusses the personal journey of discovering and accepting their sexual identity as gay. The recording touches upon various themes including youth, sexuality, gender identity, and the social dynamics of coming out in the early 2010s. Nicolas begins by sketching a portrait of ordinary life, emphasizing interests in cars, socializing, movies, and dancing. Raised in Auckland, they spent part of their childhood in Sydney before moving back to their familial roots. The conversation delves into their acknowledgment of being gay at an early age. Feelings towards the same gender were recognized around age 11, but it was not until the age of 15 that they openly embraced this identity. A significant factor that influenced the realization was the interaction with a co-worker who was also gay. This opened up avenues for self-acceptance, but not without initial confusion and concern. Coming out presented a challenge as their social group consisted predominantly of straight peers, which caused apprehension regarding acceptance. Yet upon revealing their true identity, the expectation of losing friends was unfounded, and instead, they received wide support. The strong sense of self helped navigate the potential social risks associated with coming out. The first brave step towards openness was taken with their mother, who responded with surprising nonchalance despite a very emotional disclosure from Nicolas. The general reaction from others in their circle was also positive, with no loss of friendships being a testament to an accepting environment. An interesting pastime shared was that of participating in drag, a topic approached from a young age with support from unexpected corners, notably their grandparents, who embraced this form of self-expression. Nicolas, who came out at a relatively young age, compared to many others they encountered, recognized the gradual shift towards acceptance, highlighting that younger individuals seemed to be more forthcoming about their identities. Relationship dynamics post-coming out showed confidence in choosing partners who are open about their sexuality. Nicolas avoided complicated relationships with individuals who were not accepting of their own identities. Socialization and forging connections occur across various platforms, from workplaces to online dating applications and social media. Despite being shy initially, Nicolas painted a picture of a sociable individual, easily making friends and engaging with others. Despite the risks associated with being openly gay, Nicolas did not experience any form of abuse or derogatory treatment. They attribute a lot of this resilience to being strong-willed and thick-skinned. The audio traces the unique yet universal story of one individual's journey in understanding their sexual identity, navigating societal norms, and building relationships. This personal narrative from Nicolas represents an important moment in LGBTQ+ history, depicting the societal shift and personal courage required to live openly and authentically. The full transcription of the recording follows.  It includes timestamps every thirty seconds in the format [HH:MM:SS].  The transcription begins:  So tell me a little bit about yourself. Yeah. My name is Nick. I and I I don't know what you want to know. Anything. Um, what's your interests? My interests. I like cars. Hang out with mates, movies, drinking, [00:00:30] dancing. Uh, I don't know. That's about it. Really? So whereabouts, are you born here in Auckland and still hanging around? Yeah. No. I moved to Sydney when I was five when I was 10 and then moved back here. This is where our family is. So OK, So how old are you? 24. So, what's your gender identity? [00:01:00] Gay. Is your sexuality identity or What do you mean, male and your culture? I So, um, when did you realise that you were gay? Um, I suppose I had feelings when I was, like, Probably about 11 and intermediate, But I didn't come out till I was 15. [00:01:30] So how how How did you realise? How did I realise? Um I don't know. I just, like, started having sexual feelings towards other guys at my school and friends. And that's why I just experimented a bit and realised that that was what I liked. I didn't find girls attractive at all, even at a young age. Yeah, [00:02:00] I've never found them attractive at all. So when you realise what was the first point that I was like, Oh, my God. What realised that I was gay, like, um, I don't know. I just kind of it just sort of happened, I suppose. I. I used to work somewhere where one of the other workers who was a bit older than me was gay. And [00:02:30] we used to, like, sort of flirt and all that sort of thing, like nothing sexual. But it just sort of I suppose that was, like, a real awakening and made me realise that I am gay. Open new doors to you. Yeah. So how did you feel when you came to realise it? How did I feel when I came to realise I was gay Or when I accepted that I was gay realising, [00:03:00] I don't know, I really don't know. It's like a maybe a bit confused. But how about when you accepted it? And I accepted it. I felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. And then everyone was like, Oh, we always thought you gave I wondering when you were going to come out. And I was like, Oh, great. If only I had no one. So, um, did you feel that you had to keep [00:03:30] a secret at all beforehand? Yeah. Um, I guess I just didn't really know how people would react. I hung out with, like, a lot of really straight people that were like, You know, you're a real typical straight bloke, bloke type people. And so I guess I just didn't really know if they'd be accepting of it or not. Hm. So did you [00:04:00] feel that, um, all your friends was gonna go against you at all? Yeah, sort of. But I'm quite a strong person. And so I just you know, when I finally decided that it was the, you know, the time to tell people, I, you know, sort of just came to the conclusion that I sort of know who my real friends are and who they aren't. So when you experimented, how old were you when you first did it? [00:04:30] Uh, 11. 12 I. I have I have a memory of, uh, kissing another guy in school when I was, like, in primary school in Australia when I was probably about six or seven, but I don't know. I mean, was he a friend of yours? Yeah, I guess so. Yeah. But not like a Hey, you're a boy. I'm a boy. I like you. [00:05:00] Yeah. No, it was more just, like, just one of those things that wasn't like a thing. I don't think I knew at that age, you know, that I was actually interested in boys. That just sort of happened. Whoops. So, um, you're out of the closet, right? Yeah. So who are you out at the moment? So does everybody know? Yeah. Everybody knows. I I'm not ashamed to tell people or, you [00:05:30] know, if I'm talking to my clients at work, I You talk openly about gay issues myself being gay partners that I've had. Do you get a lot of gay people at your work? Yes, a lot of a lot of closeted ones and a lot of openly gay ones. The ones that just come up to you starting with you randomly. Um, I have a few of them. They're normally the older guys. It's a little bit scary. [00:06:00] So when you first came out, was it to your parents or friends? um I actually discussed with one of the guys that I used to work with who was actually straight, and he kind of told me that, you know, it's the sort of right thing to do to come out and everything. So he kind of prepared me and, um yeah, I. I came out properly, first of all to my mom because I thought that, [00:06:30] you know, like, she has the right to know. Before I start telling friends and other family members, What was the general reaction from people? Oh, they seem to be pretty cool. But they were like when I told my mum, um, I was crying and I told her that maybe she would just sit down and she was busy cooking. And she's like, No, no, I don't need to sit down. Just, you know, what is it? What do you want? And, uh and, um, I said, [00:07:00] you know, Mom, don't tell you I'm gay. And she said, Really, is that you're gonna tell me? I said, Yeah, Yeah, she goes, Oh, so you're gonna tell me on drugs or something? So she was pretty cool with it, And all my other friends are cool with it, and I, to be honest, haven't lost any friends at all from coming out. Well, it's a good reaction from a mother for someone to say, Oh, that at all. Yeah, she's pretty cool. She's open minded. It's, uh, [00:07:30] the main thing. That's good. Is that the general reaction that, um, people usually get when they come out of the closet? Mhm. So, um, how about so what about other people apart from your friends and your mother's mother that I've told you mean what's their reactions? Um I mean, they've all been good. I have, Like I said, I haven't [00:08:00] had a a really a bad experience with it. And, uh, I haven't lost any friends or or anything from being gay or coming out. Um, I guess I've gained more friends. How did you feel when you came out? Uh, when I told my mom I was really emotional, I was just, like, quite upset. And I guess I just wasn't really sure what her reaction would be [00:08:30] and didn't want to disappoint her. Uh, a lot of our family is, um, females. So there's only myself and my older cousin and granddad and uncle So four of us are males, and there's about 16 females. So I sort of I guess I felt like she was losing her son, But, jeez, seemed to be cool with it. And, you know, over the years, we've, [00:09:00] you know, growing together and got used to it. Talk about a hormonal hormonal family, a hormonal family. All my family is crazy. God, I can just imagine a family full of females. Yeah, you don't want to imagine it. It's really horrible. Yeah. So, um, what was the support that you get [00:09:30] the support? Um, yeah, it was good. I everyone's been supportive. When I was younger, I got into drag and, uh, people, you know, like my grandparents used to be quite supportive. But, you know, I mean, I was young, so I wasn't really sure you know, all about all about all that sort of thing. Like I was only, like, 16 [00:10:00] or 17. And, um, you know, my grandparents used to take me like shopping for drag clothes and makeup and fake eyelashes, and, um, you know, big stilettos and things like that. So I suppose you know, that's quite supportive and everything. It's not like everybody has parents or grandparents or other family members that do that sort of thing for them. What was the age What was your age when you came out to your mother? [00:10:30] Yeah, a very young age. No, I think it's a good age. And I talk to people online or in person. And, uh, you know, like they only just come out or being gay is a new thing to them. And they're like, 21 22. And to me, that's like Seems like quite a late age to come out. I don't know these days anyway, it's quite more accepting, like you find that there's a lot more [00:11:00] younger gay people around than they used to be, anyway, I think just sort of it seems to be a bit more accepted. Um, not fully, but a bit more. So. You've been in relationships before, right? Yes. So, um, has you coming out affected your relationship at all? What do you mean? Well, there are some people about some people aren't actually in yet. Some [00:11:30] people are in some people. Well, sometimes you being out can actually affect your relationship. Has that really ever affect your relationships? No. I I go. I only really go out with people that are open about being gay and accepting of themselves. I just think that it's the type of person that I am. That's too much work to be with, someone who's closeted or not fully, [00:12:00] uh, open to their sexuality. So I I wouldn't really put myself in the situation of dating someone. Um, especially long term. Who's not comfortable with themselves. OK, so how do you meet other people? Uh, I meet people through my work. I meet people online through Facebook grinder NZ dating man [00:12:30] hunt. And I don't go on that one. The clubs through other friends. Hm? Yeah. So you're pretty as social queen, and you be like, No, I'm not a queen. It was just a play of words for myself, but yeah, he was just a very social. Yeah, I'm quite social. I mean, I'm a little bit shy at first, but once I sort of warm up, I'm quite sort of chatty and easy [00:13:00] to get on with and, you know, introduce myself to other people and everything, so I find it easy to make friends. So what's your definition in virginity? No, definition in virginity because a lot of people, both religiously and non or spiritually or non, that believe in different ways of virginity. Some people believe that virginity is if you do any sexual sexual [00:13:30] thing at all, you lose it. Or if you have penetrative sex, you lose it. And some people think you can get it back in a way. So what's your definition and virginity? Yeah, like with being gay. You mean like obviously like anyway? Well, I don't know. I'm so [00:14:00] confused. Um, I don't know. I have to think next the bell questioned. Um, So, have you ever experienced or received any abusive behaviour or abuse because of your sexuality or gender identity? You mean like gay? Yeah. Uh, no. Nothing [00:14:30] at all. No, I'm quite a strong person. I. I mean, you know, someone's gonna dish it out or dish it back. I I'm I'm, um Yeah. I've always been, like, quite a thick skinned person. I. I don't really, um, get upset. Easy. Uh, you know, if people are saying things or being dis disrespectful in any way, I don't get upset [00:15:00] where I feel depressed or anything like that, You know, It doesn't. Yeah, I I'm I'm quite a strong, strong willed person and and strong person in general. OK, so that's the end of the interview. Um, is there any other comments or any other questions you want to want me to ask? Um, not good enough. If you want to ask anything, you can. OK, Thank you for an interview. Thank you. The full transcription of the recording ends. A list of keywords/tags describing the recording follow. These tags contain the correct spellings of names and places which may have been incorrectly spelt earlier in the document. The tags are seperated by a semi-colon: 2010s ; Aotearoa New Zealand ; Auckland ; Australia ; God ; Grindr ; People ; Q12 (series) ; The Closet ; abuse ; audience ; blood ; cars ; cheese ; closet ; closeted ; clubs ; coming out ; cooking ; crying ; culture ; dating ; drag ; drugs ; emotional ; energy ; experiment ; family ; feelings ; friends ; gay ; gender ; gender identity ; grandparents ; identity ; kissing ; makeup ; movies ; other ; parents ; primary school ; queen ; relationships ; school ; sex ; sexuality ; shopping ; social ; straight ; suffering ; support ; time ; treat ; virginity ; work ; youth. The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/q12_nicolas.html. The master recording is also archived at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand.  For more details visit their website https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.1089220. Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.