Will Young: I was persecuted as a gay man

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Will Young claims he was "persecuted" in the early days of his career.

The 'Leave Right Now' hitmaker - who came out as gay shortly after winning 'Pop Idol' in 2002 - is happy times have changed since he first shot to fame as he no longer feels afraid to "rock the boat" because he is confident in himself and knows his relationships and choices have "legal backing" that wasn't there before.

He said: "Things have changed a lot since I won 'Pop Idol' and I didn't even realise in the past how persecuted I was as a gay man.

"At times I felt scared and I didn't want to rock the boat for my career.

"But now, that feels archaic. We're in a different age and I'm more confident in myself and I also have legal backing that I didn't have before.

"Civil partnerships, gay marriage, gay adoption, being able to feel secure in your relationships - all these things have made me, as a gay man, feel more secure."

The 40-year-old pop star believes inclusivity should be taught and differences celebrated from a very young age.

Speaking to HELLO! magazine, he said: "Inclusivity must start at the youngest age possible - why would it not? It's really important because every child is different. We're all unique.

"It's not just about the people you want to love or are attracted to when you grow up but what you want to eat, what you look like, where you live, what your parents are like - difference should be celebrated from the youngest age.

"No matter what makes them different, children are equal and they should never be made to feel abnormal."

And Will thinks there's a lot older generations can learn from young people.

He said: "The problem, I think, is that adults, because they've had more years of social conditioning and prejudice and shame put on them, get scared about talking about these issues.

"But kids aren't born with prejudice and they haven't been conditioned and it's very normal to them."