Woody has moved on from his past and is proud of what he has achieved
All names and identifying details have been changed.
Participants have given us permission to share their experiences.
Woody says that his parents were from ‘good backgrounds’ but after they separated his dad moved far away and his mum started abusing drugs.
His mother lived a chaotic life which left him vulnerable to sexual abusers.
Woody explains that at times the family would stay in a hostel for homeless people. For a while his mother had a boyfriend who threatened that he would harm her children, and physically and sexually abused Woody and his sibling.
In another hostel an old man befriended Woody’s mother. He would offer to look after the boys so she could go out. Then he would send Woody’s older sibling to the shops and use this opportunity to sexually abuse Woody.
Woody remembers the old man also trying to sexually abuse his sibling, but they were big enough to stop him.
The abuse continued at the hostel for the next few years, until Woody’s mother died when he was six years old, and he only found out later the details of what had happened to her.
After this, Woody was placed in care until his father returned and gained custody of him. He says they are now very close and it was his father who encouraged him to talk to the Truth Project. However, he has never told his father the full details of the sexual abuse he suffered; he doesn’t want his father to feel it was his fault.
Woody struggled academically at school because of the disruption caused by moving so often, and he was bullied. He remembers being told from an early age that he would never achieve anything.
He believes the trauma of the abuse led him into risky sexual behaviour. He started meeting older men when he was a young teenager. He made contact with them online and he says the websites he used did not make any checks to prevent young boys from sending and receiving messages.
Woody would like young people to know how dangerous this online activity can be, as it potentially exposes teenagers to paedophiles. He would like to see more safe spaces provided for young gay men to talk about issues, problems and concerns.
Woody describes himself as strong and resilient and feels he has been able to move on from the past. He did have some therapy as a child but as an adult he is not comfortable about sharing his experiences in front of other people.
Woody has been in touch with his local social services and has requested his case records.
Although Woody left school with no qualifications, he is proud of what he has achieved since.