Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price recalls childhood struggle with his identity: ‘I couldn’t imagine myself getting there’

Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price has opened up about struggling with his identity as a young gay man growing up in working-class Wales.

The current Member of the Senedd (MS) and former MP spoke to Attitude in the latest issue, out now. During the conversation Price touched on how his political origins intersected with his identity as a gay man.

Price, a miner’s son, was born in Ammanford, south Wales in 1968. The miner’s strikes of the 1980s were a crucible moment for Price, who was invigorated to get into politics due to the injustices of the time. Having first realised he was gay at the age of seven or eight, it was seeing the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners movement interact with his working-class background that provided some comfort for Price.

“I really struggled to piece myself together, to have this strong sense of Welsh and working-class identity” – Adam Price

The politicians recalled one night at the Pantyffynnon Social Club in Ammanford which held particular significance. “For the first time, I could build a bridge between my working-class Welsh identity and what I obviously knew as my gay identity. I could see those two worlds in one room, literally embracing each other. That was a fantastic moment for me.” It gave him hope. “If they could be welcomed into my community in 1984, then I wouldn’t be shunned.”

Despite this, Price still witnessed homophobia growing up. He didn’t feel able to come out until he was 21, which came about after a friend came out to him as gay. He told his mum four years later who went on to tell his dad and brothers.

As he discussed the conversations in recent years about the trauma experienced by the LGBTQ+ community growing up, Price got visibly emotional. “I really struggled to piece myself together, to have this strong sense of Welsh and working-class identity. I couldn’t see how my sexuality fitted in with that. There were times when I felt suicidal or depressed. I couldn’t imagine myself getting there,” he said.

However, he was able to celebrate how far the community has come since his youth. “We’ve reached a stage where we can be more open and show some vulnerability. That kind of trauma stays with you. It maybe explains some of the things that within our community we must address, and we struggle with in terms of mental health — issues around substance, alcohol misuse, and so on. I think it’s important.”

“I was thinking intersectionally probably as a 12-year-old” – Adam Price

Price also agreed with Attitude that there’s a connection between Plaid Cymru’s unequivocal support for trans rights and self-identification and the drive for Welsh independence. Plaid Cymru was one of the only parties to explicitly reference trans issues in its 2024 election manifesto.

“Being LGBTQ+, at a very young age notions of identity were something I was thinking constantly about. Maybe if you’re a white heterosexual, in a country where your language isn’t discriminated against, those questions wouldn’t loom so large. I was thinking intersectionally probably as a 12-year-old. One of the reasons why I was drawn into Plaid Cymru was I was alive to these notions, and I wanted society to advance on all fronts.”

He added: “We talk about a free Wales. You can’t have free Wales if women aren’t liberated, if the LGBTQ+ community aren’t liberated, if ethnic minorities don’t feel equal.”

Read the full interview in issue 360 of Attitude, available now.