Man runs for Mr Gay England and urges fans dont feel ashamed to be yourself

A man has made it his mission to inspire millions of lads in the UK.

Mike Turner felt like he had to do more for the LGBTQ+ community so he decided to run for Mr Gay England.

The pageant is an annual contest for gay men with regional heats held in gay nightclubs with a final usually at an LGBT venue too.

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And the Swindon bloke wants to get his message across, as well as donate 100% of his winnings to the Charlie & Carter Foundation.

The charity provides financial support to the parents and carers of seriously ill hospitalised children with life-limiting conditions.

Mike, who has his own GoFundMe page to fundraise for the charity, spoke to Daily Star about his Mr Gay England journey.

He said: "I hope to inspire other men and hopefully they can see that there is a lot of support out there and that it's ok to be yourself.

"I felt like I needed to do more for the LGBTQ+ community so I'm doing this for them."

Speaking about when he came out, Mike, who has over 3,600 Instagram followers, said: "I had a good support system.

"I'm lucky as everyone accepted it and supported me and still do to this day."

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Mr Gay England looks for more than beauty as champs must be a spokesperson for their community.

The pageant looks for someone who can speak from the heart and shine at every challenge thrown in their way.

And this year, Mike reckons he's got what it takes.

He continued: "If I win I would use my title to inspire and do things for my local community and hopefully start my own campaign."

On his journey to victory, he also wants to get an important message across to others who worry about what people think.

Mike revealed: "Remember there's no time scale on coming out it's a very personal process you need to come out when you're ready.

"The only people that matter are the ones that love you friends and family.

"And when you do come out it's a massive weight of your shoulders."

You can follow Mike Turner on Instagram and donate to his GoFundMe page.

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