David Clancy had an unhappy time at school. Today he is a grown adult but he still remembers the names he was called at school because he was different to the other boys and felt like an outsider. Other children called him "Nancy Clancy". When David was young, the word 'Nancy' was used to make fun of boys who didn't like 'boy things'. We don't hear that word today in 2022.
"I wasn't very good at football or sport and was more creative... I remember crying to my mum about it as I felt so ashamed."
Forty years later, David has opened a hair salon in Cumbria, England, and he needed a name for it. He says today some of his friends use the nickname 'Nancy Clancy' but they use it with love and he likes the name. He decided to 'reclaim' the name he used to be called and use it for his salon.
David said he was a little bit worried about what people might think and wondered if some people might laugh at him again. He also thought the sign might attract homophobic graffiti and considered covering it up at night. But he realises those thoughts only came from a feeling of 'gay shame' and since putting it up, he has only had positive responses; "People loved it... they walk past and take photos."
David has also had letters from people he went to school with forty years ago, asking if they were the ones who had been nasty and saying sorry.
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