“I’ve only ever had sex with men, but over lockdown I realised I’m gay,” 22-year-old Rosie says. “So I haven’t been able to properly explore that yet.” Rosie thinks the legally enforced break from men was good for her, as it helped her come to terms with her sexuality. She says: “In lockdown I had to stop distracting myself with dating and getting with random men, and without it I don’t think I would have realised who I really was. So in a way I’m grateful for it – but I wish I could date properly right now.”
Rosie hasn’t had sex since the end of 2019, and like Poppy, she’s spent the last year living at home in the countryside, where dating opportunities are slim and she wants to avoid awkward questions from family members. She says: “I could never bring a girl back to my family home, and honestly my parents wouldn’t let me stay at someone else’s right now. My mum’s at additional risk from coronavirus, so we’re all having to be a bit more careful. Which is fine, but I’d find it really hard if I started talking to someone I really liked and couldn’t have sex with them because of that.”