FORMER Coledale kid, Matthew Webb, has found himself on the cover of a national magazine with a loud and proud statement to share.
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The former Tamworth man recently featured in a cover shoot with the Star Observer, a well-known national magazine covering gay and lesbian issues.
The magazine released on Thursday features Mr Webb on the cover next to the words “gay, black and proud”.
It is very bold statement which Mr Webb, 21, said had him initially conflicted whether it was the right way to go.
“They came to me with the statement, and I thought ‘that’s really bold and out there’,” he told The Leader.
“But then I thought, ‘why can’t the statement be the norm?’.
“I had to take a deep breath and say it was bold, but it was also brave”.
Mr Webb said the magazine wanted to grab attention with the cover.
Growing up gay in Coledale had its challenges, Mr Webb said, but it has held him in good stead for the rest of his life.
“You learn a lot of commonsense,” he said.
“Commonsense, which is handy in the big smoke, like being able to walk with confidence in the streets.”
Resilience was another key attribute Mr Webb said he gained from his upbringing.
“When you’re in Coledale and you might be going through these day to day hardships, they could be so critical in helping you in the future,” he said.
“They create a resilience and I believe the challenges are what make you.”
He said while his circumstances did make it tough, he felt comfortable growing up.
“People always knew that I was different and you feel that energy from the heterosexual community,” Mr Webb said.
“I think the Indigenous community get it being a minority and I think it would be hypocritical to be hurtful to another minority.”
Mr Webb hoped the the cover shoot could inspire Indigenous kids “to be brave enough to be themselves”.
Which was life lesson Mr Webb said his father instilled in him as a youngster.
“My father said it was always important to be yourself,” he said.