October 11th 2023.
Will Njobvu is a familiar face on many British TV and radio shows, always bursting with energy and happy to entertain. But the 28-year-old presenter has also experienced some dark times and is now ready to share them candidly.
Will came out as gay in 2022 and received a flood of support but also an obscene amount of trolling and even death threats. "Never in a million years did I think I'd feel this comfortable speaking about my sexuality on a public platform," he said. "But here we are. There's power in owning who you are. Life's too short to be anyone else but yourself."
However, the negative reaction made Will question whether coming out publicly was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the worst ordeal he had gone through as he went on to detail his sexual assault. He explained that he had met a man on Grindr and went on a date with him before going back to his home.
“I had to literally wash my face, put on a brave face, run into the studio, make it seem like everything was okay and in the commercial break I’d have flashbacks to the night before. I was really traumatised,” he recalled.
Will revealed that he didn’t report it to the police because he didn’t want to speak about his sexuality. He said: “I always thought it was this dirty little secret and I didn’t want to tell the police in case my family find out and they find out about my sexuality.”
The TV and radio presenter realised just how taboo being Black and gay in Britain still was and wants to emphasise that, even in 2023, there are still many young gay Black boys who are scared to speak out about their sexuality. “It’s still a taboo and you can only imagine how many other young Black boys have experienced this and are scared to report it just because of the taboo of being Black and gay,” he said.
Will now feels comfortable in his own skin and is determined to be his true, authentic self. “I'm in this place now where I'm finally tapping into my true authentic self. I've had this awakening in the last year since I came out but it's definitely taken me a long time to accept a lot of truths in my mind to myself,” he said.
For Will, it’s all about embracing your true identity, no matter what society thinks. “Life’s too short to be anyone else but yourself,” he said.
Will Njobvu is finally living his true authentic self. After coming out as gay in 2022, the TV and radio presenter has experienced a new sense of freedom.
"I'm in this place now where I'm finally tapping into my true authentic self. I've had this awakening in the last year since I came out," Will told The Agency.
Unfortunately, Will was not only met with supportive messages but also an obscene amount of trolling and even death threats. He recalled: “Some older African men were like, ‘You’re a shame and disgrace to the community, we’re going to track you down’. Really scary death threats that I received.”
Capital Radio had to arrange security for Will to come into the studio and do his radio shows for safety reasons, as he was feeling increasingly paranoid.
Will questioned whether coming out publicly was the right thing to do, but ultimately, he has no regrets. “I didn't make a mistake, I knew what I was doing and did that because I wanted to put my stamp mark and say now I'm living life as an openly gay man."
Will also experienced sexual assault. He detailed: “I met a guy on Grindr and we went on a date outside and I went back to his. I had to literally wash my face, put on a brave face, run into the studio, make it seem like everything was okay and in the commercial break I’d have flashbacks to the night before. I was really traumatised.”
Will didn’t report the sexual assault to the police because he was still in the closet and didn’t want his family to find out. “I always thought it was this dirty little secret and I didn't want to tell the police in case my family find out and they find out about my sexuality," he said.
This experience was a wake-up call for Will, showing that in 2023, being Black and gay is still largely taboo in Britain. He said: “In this day and age, there are still so many young gay Black boys who are scared to speak out about this truth because of cultural backlash from their community or in general. It’s still a taboo and you can only imagine how many other young Black boys have experienced this and are scared to report it just because of the taboo of being Black and gay.”
Will is a living example of how important it is to embrace your true self. He's proud to be living life as an openly gay man and hopes his story will give others the courage to live authentically.
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