A Leicestershire teacher has opened up about years spent feeling “invisible and different” during his childhood. Bobby Scoynes says the isolation of growing up as a closeted gay teenager in a time without LGBTQ+ books left him searching empty library shelves for his own story.
The Syston-based teacher remembers how he “didn’t even know what it meant to be gay” during his early years, with no relatable characters in fiction to guide him. Those experiences of what he describes as “a monochrome world” have now driven him to write the book he needed as a young person.
Bobby, who now teaches Drama and English in Leicester after training as an actor at London College of Music, said the journey to accepting himself took years. He says the lack of representation shaped his childhood.
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Bobby hopes his book will help other closeted teens
(Image: Supplied)
His novel, Invisible Me, follows a young boy grappling with depression and the feeling of being invisible to those around him, in what publishers say will appeal to readers of fellow LGBTQ+ writers, Adam Silvera and R.J. Palacio.
“I was inspired to write Invisible Me after thinking about the sort of book I would have enjoyed reading as a teenager,” said Bobby. “As a closeted gay teen, there weren’t LGBTQ+ displays in libraries or bookshops, because openly queer representation in literature just didn’t exist on the wonderful level that it does today.
“Without this representation, I didn’t even know what it meant to be gay as a kid – I just always felt different to everyone else,” he added. “It can be a difficult journey of acceptance that can take people years to navigate.”
Invisible Me will be released on Thursday, January 28. The publishers said the book will be priced at £8.99.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with issues related to sexuality or mental health, the national LGBTQIA+ support line offers support and information. You matter. www.switchboard.lgbt Phone: 0300 330 0630