Andrew Hayden-Smith looks back on ‘QAF’

Queer As Folk

first aired 15 years ago today. I remember so vividly, the evening I stayed up late, finger poised on the TV remote just in case, hidden away in my room to watch that first episode when schoolboy Nathan had his first taste of Manchester’s Canal Street and gay nightlife; the night he would meet Stuart Alan Jones and his life would change forever.

I was the same age as Nathan at the time and going through similar struggles in coming to terms with my sexuality. What would my friends and family think? Could I really keep it a secret forever? It makes me sad now to look back and think that that was how I thought.

I now consider myself a very proud gay man but at the time, during those tough teenage years of self-doubt and questioning, it feels like the worst thing that could possibly happen to you, as many will be able to relate.

Queer As Folk wasn’t just a programme about gay men; it showed myself and others that being gay was part of an acceptable lifestyle. It was OK. The characters were living their lives and were comfortable with who they were. The character of Stuart was and still is my absolute hero: he was an empowered, proud individual and so what if he had a multitude of notches on his bedpost? Stuart, Vince and co. were living their lives and were happy and therefore, by following their example, I could be too. For that, to Queer As Folk and Russell T. Davies, I will always be grateful.

> First episode of ‘Queer As Folk’ aired 15 years ago today

Follow Andrew Hayden-Smith on Twitter @AndrewHaydSmith or visit his official website.