A Scouser who moved to Northern Ireland has spoken of his pride after becoming the first openly gay councillors in his new home region.
John Hyland was well known in Liverpool as a co-chair of Liverpool Pride and founder of the Liverpool City Region Pride Foundation. He recently made the decision with his partner Allan to relocate to the Ballymena area of Northern Ireland to be near to Allan's family.
As John, originally from Wavertree, said the area was known to be very conservative. He said: "Whilst my experience since moving to Northern Ireland has been incredibly positive, it is not lost on me that the area I live in is seen as one of the most conservative areas in the country, with plenty of quotes from elected representatives being quite unwelcoming of the LGBTQ+ community.
