In the second instalment of Bruce Mouat's Pride Month, Bruce takes a dip into the world of long-distance swimmer and Tokyo 2020 finalist Dan Jervis.
Dan publicly came out as gay on 29 June 2022, showing the world his authentic self after years of being confused about his sexuality.
In this unfiltered conversation, Bruce and Dan trade sporting stories, share their coming out experiences and talk about the importance of self-acceptance.
Dan: I guess long distance swimming chose me. My grandad was actually the one that taught me to swim, so, I owe all my success to him. But when I first moved to Swansea, I wasn't a long-distance freestyler, I did 200 backstroke and 400 individual medley. However, my coach identified that I was quite good training long metres, so he entered me into a race, very much against my will. Now I can say it fortunately went well and I progressed from there.
But how did you get into your sport? I would love to curl, I watched it during Sochi 2014 with my grandad.
Bruce: My dad was really interested in the sport, and he saw a newspaper article about a club. So, he took my brother along and I went to watch until I was allowed to go on the ice. None of my family had done it before, but we all still curl to this day.
The BBC LGBT Sport Podcast was the first time you spoke openly about being gay and shared your story. Since then, how do you feel that coming out has affected you and your sport?
Dan: I came out on a Wednesday morning, and I had built it up in my head and was very nervous, but in an excited way. All my life I had pent it up to think that my world was going to turn upside down, but I had no evidence that that was going to happen. I was born into a very loving family, and I knew that they were going to accept me. The day the podcast came out was fantastic and the response I had was overwhelming. The podcast was going to go live at 6am on Wednesday morning and I was literally counting down the seconds. I knew it was going to be fine but you're still holding your breath.
It was actually really empowering for me, and I was really proud to walk into swimming the next day and see my team because only a few members knew. The rest were finding out when everyone else was finding out and everyone was so happy for me.
I try to tell people who are in that moment or are just about to come out or have come out already, that it's such an amazing experience. I completely understand that we're in a very privileged position in that we've been accepted and that some people don’t have that, but that moment when it's out there and the weight has been lifted off your shoulders, you can't quite describe it.
Bruce: I always struggle to describe it as well. It's one of those moments that is so personal but then there are so many people now starting to do it to feel comfortable and it's amazing to see that we have so many athletes in Team GB that feel comfortable enough to tell their teammates and feel comfortable in their sport.
So, before you came out to your friends and family, how did you come to terms with the fact that you were gay.
Dan: It's still confusing to me now. I had been in a pretty long-term relationship with a girl and then we broke up that June. I would never say that you're different because it's completely normal, but you feel different, especially because I was not brought up around the LGBTIA+ community at all. So, when we broke up, I knew I had to deal with this feeling. I was really struggling with my mental health, and I was depressed, but I wasn't showing any signs of this to anyone.
So, my friend Rachel came over to my house and something just came over me to tell her. I couldn't even say 'I am gay', because I was still dealing with it, I said, 'I think I'm gay' and she had the best reaction. I would not change a thing about the way I did that now. Rachel may not be blood related but she's basically my family and it was perfect.
Bruce: I got asked this question recently and it took me a while to figure out what my answer would be but, what does it mean to you to be an openly gay member of Team GB.
Dan: That is a difficult question. Even taking away the fact that I'm gay, and you'll relate to this I'm sure, being a member of Team GB it's unbelievable. It's literally my dream and I'm living my dream. So, being an openly gay athlete in Team GB is great.
When I went to the Olympics in Tokyo, I was not openly gay and only certain people knew. I don't regret anything in terms of my coming out journey but part of me does wish that I had gone to that Olympics being me. It's a world stage and so many people are watching you, so to be able to have gone to that Olympic Games and have stood on that block with everyone watching back home knowing that I was truly being myself, I can't get that back for Tokyo but I'll now be able to have that for Paris.
When it comes to personal preference, I suffer with nerves quite a lot. I don't hide that because I think it's good for people to see that side of sport. There was a bit of me wanting to come out before the Olympics because of what we've just said but I knew there would be a lot of self-pressure on me anyway and I didn't want to overshadow that as it was my first Olympics. Now, when I go to Paris, I'm going to love the fact that being gay will be a big part it.
Bruce: I decided to come out before my Olympics because I was worried that a journalist would just randomly ask me, so I decided to do it on my own terms. British Curling posted the article, and a lot of interviews came from that, and I managed to get it all out of the way before the Olympics so I could focus on my curling. So, it worked out pretty well.
You had such a great time in Tokyo, coming fifth in the 1500m freestyle final. Looking head now to Paris, because I'm sure you'll qualify, what's the goal and the dream.
Dan: I've got so many professional goals, to come away with some silverware would be a boyhood dream. But my actual goal for Paris is to enjoy myself. These opportunities in an athlete's life come around so few and far between that you want to enjoy it. I went into Tokyo with that mindset and my main aim was to come home to my small community with a smile on my face and say that I absolutely loved every second of it. And I did and that will be my main aim again in Paris.
I'm the type of athlete that if I'm enjoying myself, I'll swim well and if I'm not enjoying myself, it's so obvious because I won't be. I want to love being in Team GB and I want to love being there. I wouldn't be surprised if my village has buses going to Paris to watch!
Sportsbeat 2023