So the axe has finally fallen on Channel Ten’s reality TV series Big Brother.

Most would probably say that its demise was long overdue, but no one can deny that the oft-maligned program has stirred plenty of controversy and generated significant public debate over its eight year run on our screens. What’s more, it has influenced public thinking and exposed many people to issues that may not have normally been part of their lives; all courtesy of its assortment of housemates.

For me, the 2006 contestant David Graham was one of the standouts of a truly eclectic bunch.

An international model-turned-farmer, David publicly struggled with his sexuality and eventually came out on the show. It was an act that not only made headlines nationally, but was also well-received by fellow housemates and the viewing public at large. But what I found most fascinating were the ensuing revelations when doubts about David’s homosexuality began to surface, due to his close relationship with a female housemate.

David confessed to finding it insulting when others questioned his sexuality, since his coming out experience had been particularly hard, at times traumatic. He wanted those he had told to know that his revelation about being gay was genuine, in spite of, at times, making comments about being attracted to women; in particular, fellow housemate Claire, whom he found stunning and beautiful.

David tried to explain that his attraction towards Claire stemmed from his need to please his family, as she was someone who would suit them ideally, and who they would have loved to see him start a family with. But David admitted that this was something he knew he would – and could – no longer pursue if he were to be truthful to his feelings.

David’s sentiments very much mirror my own. I, too, have a ‘Claire’; a close female friend who, if things were different, could potentially be something more. And like David, this stems from my wanting to make my own family happy. She’s someone that they would love to see as my wife and the mother of my children; someone I could settle down and grow old with.

Although it would be terrific to fulfil my parents’ unspoken wish, it’s something that I know I will never be able to grant them. They’ve been very supportive of my coming out, and I know that they’ll be pleased to see me settled with an equally ideal man. Nonetheless, I don’t want to live my life for them, just as I don’t want to have someone else live their life for mine.

Years have been devoted to finding out who I really am, and although this is still an ongoing process I am definitely certain about one thing: what I am and what I am capable of. It’s just that, like David’s, my heart beats slightly different to most – and in some way, this is something that Big Brother has helped everyone else understand.

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