International day against homophobia: “I was a priest, then I married a man”. The thousand lives of Chris Bryant

This entry is posted on number 21 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until May 20, 2025.

How many lives are there in a lifetime? It may be that you take a degree, then a second, it may be that you enroll in a party, which you make you priest, who fall in love before a woman and then you get married a man. It may be that your mom is an alcoholist and that you don’t see your father for thirty years, who publishes books, who you make the minister and who never stop wanting to change the world. At least in his life, for now, there has been all this.

Chris Bryant63 years old, English, a Labor parliamentarian for the college of Rhondda and Gamed, now presents his ninth book The love that does not dare to say his namesubtitle: “James Pratt and John Smith: a story of prejudice and death”, which tells the dramatic story of the last two condemned to death for sodomy in the mid -nineteenth century England. He kept us ready in time and that he was published on the occasion of May 17, for the international day against homophobia.

The interview with Chris Bryant

Today there are still many countries where the death penalty can be foreseen for homosexuality. What do you think and what could be done?
«When I was born, in 1962, homosexuality was illegal in most of the world, including the United Kingdom, and for most of my life gays were treated as second class citizens. But in some countries we have witnessed significant improvements and, for example, today Europe recognizes the marriage between pairs of the same sex and nobody would expect a person to be fired only for his sexual orientation. Other countries, on the other hand, is as if they had reversed the course of progress: in Russia homosexual people are persecuted and discriminated against and many states still foresee the death penalty for them. We have to do two things: never forget that the freedom we enjoy today are not guaranteed forever. The safest place in the world for a gay man, in the 1930s, was Berlin, but already in 1936 the Nazis deported homosexuals in the concentration camps. And then, always carry on universal values ​​such as respect for everyone, the dignity, equality and belief that each person must be treated in the same way before the law, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, breed or creed “.

Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, prohibited the “homosexual propaganda”. How important are events like Gay Pride?
“They are very important. I remember my first pride: we paraded in central London. AIDS was the background and people spit on us. But it was vital, regenerating, manifesting with thousands of people and saying: “Do you know something? I don’t care what you think, I’m done so, and you can’t let me be ashamed of myself”. Gay people can feel a strong sense of isolation and Pride is not just a celebration of our existence, it is also an act of liberation for those who feel alone. The dating apps have changed the experience of growing as gay, but seeing thousands of people parading together can give courage to those who still find themselves blocked in a community or in a family that do not accept it for what it is ».

She is a believer, he had even been made: how do you see the position of the Church towards homosexuals?
«There are millions of homosexual Christians outside, and many other Christians who celebrate the marriages of their gay friends. Hurish! Slowly – very, too slowly – the Church is starting to realize that its historical position contradicts the fundamental command of “loving your neighbor as yourself”. One day the Church will wake up and realize that its condemnation of homosexuality is comparable to its historic slavery support “.

The legalization of the marriage between people of the same sex in the United Kingdom began in 2014. What does it mean for her?
«Jared and I have been united civilly since March 27, 2010: we exchanged the marriage votes and we established our civil union in the member of Dining Room of the London Parliament: it was the first homosexual union celebrated in the Westminster building. The fundamental thing is that we can enjoy all the legal protections of a married couple: we have assets together, we can inherit from each other, make medical decisions like the closest relatives and live as a couple recognized by law. I know that the word “marriage” has a profound meaning for many people, especially for those who have faith and want the blessing of their Church. One day I hope that this also becomes possible for everyone ».

Episodes of violence against queer people are increasing. Why, in your opinion?
«They worry me some things I read on social media, where anonymous accounts poison the well of the public debate. Populist politicians who seem to believe they can strengthen their popularity also concern me by attacking minorities ».

She is a great reader: what books have been most significant for her life?
“I love Charles Dickens’ novels because they are fun, moving and deal with the theme of the agaustice. We often quote William Shakespeare, because the vastness of his imagination has embraced all emotion. But I also read contemporary fiction a lot, because it is the best way to put yourself in someone else’s role and understand the life of another person. I just finished an exceptionally touching novel about two men who live in the South Wales valleys, entitled A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland ».

We know that she loves to mention songs to describe her life. Which song does this moment describe better?
«I am the Minister of the Arts, so I should say Face of artan air for soprano of the second act of the work Tosca by Giacomo Puccini, the one that a Drag Queen once sang on my brother’s knees during my party for the fifty years in Madrid. But after two episodes of melanoma in advanced stage, my song is I’m still here from the musical Follies by Stephen Sondheim ».

He lived many lives: what will the next be?
«Curiously, I have a new book out in August, a memoir entitled In Life and Half. I am not going to withdraw for at least another decade, but when I do it, I can’t wait to get old in an unbalanced way. And I haven’t played Hamlet, Macbeth or King Lear yet. I am open to proposals ».