Mr Scott said that after the other three guests spoke he geared himself up for addressing the children, having not rehearsed what he was going to say and suffering from sleep deprivation the previous night.
He also invited his husband, a lecturer at the University of Sunderland to speak, and planned on telling the children himself. Mr Scott's idea behind the assembly was to teach the children that what he had been telling them was true, and so he invited Lt Col Jim Turner, the commander of Catterick Garrison army base, who is gay, and Hanna Johnson, North Yorkshire Police’s LGBTQ+ representative, to speak to the children. Headteacher Colin Scott came out as gay to pupils at Risedale School in North Yorkshire. I love the Navy and still miss it to this day and have them to thank for building me up to be the confident person I've now become."
He said: "I was defiantly straight and pushing back against the gay side of me and after four and a half years I found I couldn't suppress it anymore and left the Navy. He left school at 16 and joined the Navy in 1984. Mr Scott grew up in Hebburn, South Tyneside, in the 1980s "when being gay was not really talked about and very much stigmatised". Lucy Mecklenburgh finally picks name for daughter three weeks after giving birth.Dame Kelly Holmes comes out as gay after 34 years as Olympic icon insists she is 'finally free'.Yorkshire Live spoke to Mr Scott about his life-changing week and how his decision to 'be himself' is helping to empower others. His story has touched the hearts of many and been covered by various national news outlets - even making it stateside and into the US press. The 54-year-old says since coming out, his phone has been ringing non-stop with calls from 'hugely positive' friends, family, students, parents and members of the press. The first headteacher of an English state secondary school to come out as gay says he was brought to tears when his news was met by an 'eruption of applause' from 'proud' students.Ĭolin Scott made his announcement to pupils during an assembly to mark the start of Pride Week at Risedale Secondary School in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.