Rory O'Neill AKA Panti

If I hadn't been queer, like, the world is built for straight Rory.

It absolutely is.

You know, I don't have a hump or, you know, and I have all me teeth.

Yeah.

You're a handsome man.

I'm passable.

I'm book smart.

I can get by without having to work too hard at things.

I speak well.

I don't have any obvious psychological issues going on.

Like, if I was straight...

i would have you know left school i would have gone into ucd or trinity i'd have come out and i got a great job in some bank or whatever i'd now be making a fortune i'd be driving around in a big car and getting annoyed at homeless people the world is absolutely set up for straight rory but i wasn't straight rory i i knew i was queer and i also knew that i didn't want to abandon that

so like in 1989 or whatever it was impossible in this country to be openly queer and get a good job right like it literally was well the homosexual act was still yeah a crime totally a crime until 1993 and socially you were an absolute outcast if you were going to be open about it

Like you couldn't be openly queer and then go into an interview in the bank and get a good job.

And if you did get the job by hiding it, A, you were going to have to continue hiding it.

And if it came out, they may not have fired you depending on the job or the employment law at the time.

They certainly weren't going to be, you know, giving you the promotions.

None.

Yes, Mr. Humphreys in Are You Being Served is the only, like, obvious gay, you know, at the time.

Sure, Freddie Mercury was straight as far as everyone is concerned, you know.