Probably one of the last things we expected to read about, when searching for sex news, was a gay male farmer helpline. We figured there were gay farmers just like there are gay everything else. We just didn't consider the issues they face.
Luckily, there are men like openly gay Cheshire, England chaplain Keith Ineson.
Ineson says he was approached by a number of gay men in their 50s who were having trouble in their marriages and their occupation because they're gay. In farming, the pressure to take over the family business leads to the pressure to marry and produce an heir to take over the family business after retirement. Many male farmers are gay, Ineson says, and are looking for help.
“We listen, it's as simple as that,” he said. “We don't take over the farm, we don't take over the marriage; we help them to look at the options that are around and then they decide which option they're going for.”
He is looking for volunteers as the need for his helpline becomes more apparent, but the people he's looking for really need to be gay, male, and know something about being a farmer.
“I spoke to some of the original gay farmers [who rang] and asked them what they would have done if someone answered the phone who was not male, not gay or not a farmer,” Ineson said. “They said they would have simply put the phone down.”
Luckily, there are men like openly gay Cheshire, England chaplain Keith Ineson.
Ineson says he was approached by a number of gay men in their 50s who were having trouble in their marriages and their occupation because they're gay. In farming, the pressure to take over the family business leads to the pressure to marry and produce an heir to take over the family business after retirement. Many male farmers are gay, Ineson says, and are looking for help.
“We listen, it's as simple as that,” he said. “We don't take over the farm, we don't take over the marriage; we help them to look at the options that are around and then they decide which option they're going for.”
He is looking for volunteers as the need for his helpline becomes more apparent, but the people he's looking for really need to be gay, male, and know something about being a farmer.
“I spoke to some of the original gay farmers [who rang] and asked them what they would have done if someone answered the phone who was not male, not gay or not a farmer,” Ineson said. “They said they would have simply put the phone down.”