The title of this recording is "Snapshot 2000 - John". It is described as: John talks about coming out and first sexual experience. It was recorded in Sydney, Australia on the 19th January 2000. The duration of the recording is 6 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 John talks about coming out and first sexual experience. The content in the recording covers the 1950s decade. A brief summary of the recording is: In a revealing six-minute recording titled "Snapshot 2000 - John," an individual shares a candid account of their personal journey with their sexual identity amidst the backdrop of the 1950s societal norms. The narrative charts the course from early self-recognition, through societal conformity and family life, to eventual acceptance and liberation. Initially recognizing a different orientation before the age of ten, the individual navigated life adhering to traditional expectations, which led to marriage and children. Over time, a realization that the marriage was not fulfilling prompted a foray into exploring their true self. The recording poignantly describes the internal conflict and emotional turmoil associated with the subject's first same-sex experience, characterized by fear and a sense of wrongdoing, yet accompanied by an undeniable sense of satisfaction and affinity. This experience marked a profound turning point, highlighting the natural inclination the individual had always felt towards the same gender - an attraction that persisted, unacknowledged, throughout their marriage. By coming out, the speaker experienced a dramatic shift in social dynamics. While their former spouse remains unaware of their orientation, the speaker's children have been informed, with one of them openly being in a same-sex relationship as well. This revelation led to a change in the subject's circle of friends, with some falling away and others – the true friends – remaining supportive. Facing the world post-divorce, the individual speaks to the newfound ease of living authentically. The importance of personal happiness as a guiding principle is emphasized, pointing to the futility of conforming to the fluctuating expectations of others. The discussion on coming out is nuanced. Choices about disclosure are made carefully, weighing the potential impact on trustworthy connections versus avoidance of misunderstanding with those less likely to accept the truth. This discretionary approach is particularly noticeable in the decision not to inform their mother due to their traditional European, religious upbringing, and lack of formal education, which likely would generate incomprehension and conflict. The account evokes societal issues such as homophobia, the critical importance of acceptance by peers, and the consequences of refusing to conform to societal pressures. Notably, the theme of seeking acceptance is not solely focused on society at large but also includes self-acceptance and the need for one's internal happiness to take precedence. The speaker identifies a significant other who has become central to their life, remarking upon the contemplation of a shared future that may compel them to confront any remaining barriers of disclosure. The full transcription of the recording follows.  It includes timestamps every thirty seconds in the format [HH:MM:SS].  The transcription begins:  I probably realised that I was gay before the age of 10. Um, never had the chance to order opportunity to explore it, Got married, had kids. And probably a few years into into marriage, when figure didn't work, I started exploring the gay side. Um, marriage ended. My ex-wife has not known about me and never will know. Um, [00:00:30] but my kids do, um, my youngest daughters in the lesbian relationship and quite open about it. Um, the first couple of experiences I had were at a beach, if you want to tell it that way, my knees were knocking. I was shaking. I was sweating. Um, I realised it was wrong, but I loved it. Um, [00:01:00] I got more warmth and affection, and I realised that there's some things that I liked. I've always liked looking at guys rather than women. All my life over I was married. Um, it's much easier now because, um I can do whatever I want and whatever I feel. And, um, life [00:01:30] is so much better because I get warmth, affection, compassion from a person which I can't get from anyone else from a guy that I can't get. Can I get from anyone else. Um, the tendencies are all there. You can't suppress them. Um, you'd walk down the street and you'd automatically look at guys. Um, you'd go to the movies and you'd sort of sit there and dream. Um, [00:02:00] the feelings are there, and they are very, very strong. Um, and you can't do anything about them. I mean, people think that they can overcome it, but you can't. It is just personal feelings and personal perceptions. It's like someone likes one type of car and someone likes another type of car. And some person just we say I don't like either of them. Um, it's just personal feelings and emotions. [00:02:30] Um, I used to go out by myself, and I ended up in a situation once when I went with a guy never looked back. Never, ever look back. I was probably married about 10 years at the time. There are a couple of people that I know who have just completely wiped me and just don't [00:03:00] don't speak to me. Don't have any contact with me. And other people that are straight in the straight world have just accepted me the way I am. Um, circle of friends has changed in the last few years. Um, real friends, which I can classify as real friends, have stayed, and [00:03:30] there are probably very, very few Probably less than five. Um, because your real friends will accept you no matter what you are. And no matter how you are, and that's what I found with my real friends, the rest of them are just, you know, people that pass by the coming out process. I basically tell the people that I feel I can trust and don't [00:04:00] tell the people that won't understand. My father is dead. Uh, my mother I have not told one she is European. Um, older person would not understand. It would totally go off about it and completely cut [00:04:30] contact. I don't Not that it worries me, but it sort of would hurt her feelings. Although at this stage there is a person that I am seeing that if I ever moved in with him, I would come out to my mother irrespective of what she felt. Irrespective of what she would say about it. I think she would blur, refuses, go completely [00:05:00] hysterical because, um, her background is very religious. Um, very naive no education whatsoever. She never went to school and she just can't understand. Uh, anything outside her stereotypical field. Things have got a natural order to her, and this is wrong. [00:05:30] Makes me feel that I want to live my life the way I want to live my life. I can't live my life to conform to other people's ideas because if it comes down to happiness, I've got to be happy. First. I can't please everyone else, and no one can please everyone else because no one has ever managed to make people happy. As soon as you you conform [00:06:00] to one set of standards, they'll change the standards and they'll want you to do something else. 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: 1950s ; Australia ; Circle of Friends Memorial ; Coming Up ; People ; Snapshot 2000 ; Sydney ; affection ; change ; coming out ; compassion ; education ; family ; feelings ; friends ; gay ; growing up ; happiness ; heritage ; marriage ; opportunity ; other ; religion ; school ; sex ; shoes ; straight ; time ; women ; work. The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/snapshot_2000_john.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.1089394. Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.