John Barrowman claims he had to lie about his sexuality to get a mortgage with his husband
John Barrowman on Loose Women (YouTube)
John Barrowman has revealed that he and his husband lied about their sexuality in order to get a mortgage.
Barrowman said on today’s episode (January 3) of Loose Women that he deliberately hid his sexuality from his bank when applying for the mortgage as he was afraid he would be asked to take a HIV test.
While addressing the huge social change that has taken place for gay people in the UK in recent years, Barrowman said: “It wasn’t long ago we had to lie about who we were to get a mortgage.
“I had to say it was an investment… it was not looked on as a [legal partnership],” he said, the Daily Mail reports.
John Barrowman avoided telling bank he was gay as he was afraid they would make him take a HIV test.
Furthermore, he said that mortgage applications used to have a box asking those who identified as gay to tick it so queer men could be singled out and made to take HIV tests.
“It’s not someone’s right to make you go have a test, that’s your choice to determine your status,” he said.
“It was terrible, and we’ve come a long way,” he added.
It’s not someone’s right to make you go have a test, that’s your choice to determine your status.
There is evidence to suggest that anti-gay policies such as forced HIV tests were once part of the mortgage application process. In 1995, The Independent interviewed an unmarried heterosexual couple who were applying for a mortgage. The man was told he would have to take a HIV test as he was considered single, and all single men – regardless of sexual orientation – had to be tested before being approved.
Barrowman was recently announced as one of the judges on the new season of Dancing on Ice.
Barrowman’s comments come after he was announced as one of the judges for the new season of ITV’s Dancing on Ice. The show is set to break new ground this year as it will feature a same-sex pairing in Ian H Watkins and Matt Evers.
This week, Barrowman hit out at rival BBC show Strictly Come Dancing for refusing to introduce a same-sex pairing, telling OK! Online that it’s “about time” there were more diverse dancers on television contests.
“I implore and say to all the other competitive shows on TV that have couples involved – you know who I’m talking about – get with the times, get with the programme, don’t worry about people being upset about these things.”
He said that producers behind dance shows need to have more courage to introduce same-sex pairings – and said they should stop worrying about how anti-gay viewers will react.
“If they don’t like it you should have the big enough cajones to change the channel.”
