Year: 3rd
Age: 20
Degree: MA International Relations and History
Hometown: St Andrews
Lyle comes strutting towards me with laptop case in one hand, coffee in the other and a scarf so big you can barely see his face. #DIVA. He is quite flustered as he unwraps telling me all about how busy his life is between being a Student Ambassador for the ERASMUS programme, Working in H&M and dealing with the majorly unanticipated jump between second and third year.
So we know there is the ABFAB society and many university groups for the LGBT community but Whats the best/worst bit about being openly gay in Aberdeen?
I think it’s important to start with the fact that I’m not an active member of the LGBT community. I just don’t have time. I can’t help but feel that you’re making friends with gay people because you’re gay. For me, I don’t want the fact that I’m gay to be a fundamental reason that someone is my friend. But back to the question, Best thing about being gay in Aberdeen is that I can be who I am. It’s great because people can really see that I’m myself (camp as christmas). Because you’re comfortable in your own skin, your friends can be too. The worst thing about being gay in Aberdeen is the close knit gay community. My choices are VERY limited. My year abroad in Stockholm showed me that because the community there is so big. Here, everyone knows everything about everyone’s business. Who’s with who, who’s done what and where etc.
Single/attached:
Single
Boxers or briefs?
Boxers… but really fitted ones. The men love it. #perky
Favourite location for a date in Aberdeen?
An exit from Aberdeen? No, im joking. Anywhere but cheers! Bar 99, its really cosy and cute but quite mature.
Perfect man?
Well, A less gay version of myself? No, it sounds really weird, but someone “normal”. I mean, someone who is much less feminine than me. University is an important factor, someone who is motivated and organised. He has to be taller than me though. Essentially, he has to balance me out.
Worst Date you’ve ever been on
This is so embarrassing. We are all familiar with Grindr (Don’t judge). I’d been in Stockholm for about 5 weeks. I was loving it because I was the new guy and the swedes all over that whole “OMG he is British” thing. So, this guy wanted to take me out to welcome me to the city. I was really excited; I genuinely thought I was going on a date. We went for a “Fika” (Swedish term for a catch up over coffee and cake) and it went really well but what I didn’t know was that the café was very close to where the guy lived. He was a bit older than me and being naïve, I was just chatting away and he stopped me and told me that he had left the gas on at his house and he invited me back while he “fixed it”. And quite quickly, things took a very dramatic turn and he began to take things a bit further than I was expecting for a first date. I when asked him what he was doing and his line was “dates are for fun and games”… safe to say I left straight away. I was mortified. Stay in School kids.
What is your favourite thing in the whole world?
Honestly, Music. I could not get through a day without music. It motivates me.
What is your signature style?
I reckon people who know me well would say my style changes all the time. I used to be super preppy but going away on EURASMUS changed me. I still have the underlying preppieness, but I’ve toned it down a lot. I am a lot more casual, but still dressy.
Favourite Celeb Couple
Obviously, I’ve got to shout out to my gays. I am obsessed with Neil Patrick Harris. When he performed at the Tony Awards, he made my life. And he is married, and has babies, and I basically aspire to have his life. If he told me tomorrow he would leave his man for me I would be all over that.
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
I plan to have gained my degree, and then do my masters abroad. I would love to be in New York doing maybe journalism or public relations. I need to be working with motivated people like me and then obviously settle in suburbia.
As we end the interview and say our goodbyes, I am given a peck on the cheek and Lyle struts off into the distance, iphone in hand, onto whatever project he has next.