Sky High Confessional #14
What It Feels Like to Land the Cover of DNA Magazine

I first read DNA more than twenty years ago, when it very first came out.
Back then I was growing up on the rural outskirts of Melbourne, having the experience a lot of gay men have. There were no real role models, and being gay just was not talked about.

I used to dream of moving to Sydney one day. Sun, community, freedom, hot boys. A life that felt open and unapologetic. DNA represented that future to me. It was not just a magazine. It was hope. A vision of the life I wanted, long before I believed it was possible.

I was reading DNA before I ever set foot in a gym. Seeing those bodies, and especially the guy on the cover, was hugely intimidating. That cover felt like an impossible standard, a world reserved for someone else.

Fast forward two decades, and landing the cover feels like an authentication of what I have been working towards for so many years. Honestly, it is one of the most significant moments of my life so far. When I found out I was running as the cover, the feeling surprised me. It was not just excitement. It was next level... like something between the moment I found out I had received a scholarship for university, and week before Christmas!

That same sense of disbelief mixed with quiet pride. Like a door opening that once felt permanently closed. I really enjoyed doing the interview because it allowed me to share more of myself, which is something I am actively trying to do more of. But when the issue was released, my immediate reaction was vulnerability. It felt raw and deeply personal. I was putting myself out there in a way I never had before.

Then yesterday, I picked up the magazine from the newsagent and reread the interview properly. That is when everything settled. The nerves eased. The excitement set in. And pride followed.

More than anything, I am grateful for the opportunity, and for the chance to be a role model for other gay men. Whether it's those finding their way early on, or others who, like me, come into themselves a little later in life. A reminder that it is never too late to go after the life you once only imagined.

Some dreams really do clear for landing, even if it takes a while to reach the runway ✈️

Now your turn. What is something you once thought was out of reach, but later made happen?
DM me and I will reply personally and answer any question you choose, about DNA or anything else ❤️