 Although he says he came out to himself when he was 15 or 16, he came out to his parents when he was 18.Tovey and his father subsequently had a serious disagreement, with his father suggesting that, had he known earlier, he would have asked Tovey to take hormones or undergo some other medical treatment to "fix the problem".Tovey says his parents were deeply concerned about the possibility he might contract HIV, which might have contributed to the disagreement.