Editing Neil Tennant (section)

==Personal life==
Tennant came out as gay in a 1994 interview in ''Attitude'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burston |first=Paul |date=13 March 2016 |title=Attitude Archive: Neil Tennant's 1994 Coming Out Interview |url=http://attitude.co.uk/attitude-archive-neil-tennants-1994-coming-out-interview/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314161846/https://www.attitude.co.uk/attitude-archive-neil-tennants-1994-coming-out-interview/ |archive-date=14 March 2016 |access-date=29 August 2016 |magazine=Attitude}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=For Hard-Core Petheads: The Tennant Interview in Full|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2009/06/for-hard-core-petheads-the-tennant-interview-in-full/200905/|magazine=The Atlantic|date=5 June 2009|access-date=29 August 2016}}</ref> Otherwise he remains quiet about his personal and romantic life, preferring to be a "man of mystery", as he states it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/arts_ents/18184913.prefer-neil-tennant-man-mystery/|title=I prefer to be Neil Tennant, man of mystery|date=25 January 2020|newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]}}</ref> He maintains a house in London. He owned a house in County Durham<ref>{{cite web|title=I refuse to be restricted by background - or fear|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/sep/05/popandrock|website=The Guardian|date=4 September 2004|access-date=14 February 2016}}</ref> in the countryside of North East England,<ref>''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', BBC Radio 4, [[Kirsty Young]]</ref> but has since sold it.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Diament, Robert and Tovey, Russell (hosts)|date=25 April 2024|title=Talk Art, season 21, ep. 5: Pet Shop Boys|type=podcast|url=https://shows.acast.com/talkart/episodes/pet-shop-boys|time=1:13|ref="talkart"}}</ref> He and Lowe also have an apartment in Berlin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.morgenpost.de/vermischtes/stars-und-promis/article228199225/Neil-Tennant-mag-fast-alles-an-Berlin.html |title=Pet Shop Boys: Neil Tennant mag fast alles an Berlin |website=morgenpost.de |date=21 January 2020 |access-date=4 October 2020}}</ref>

Tennant is a patron of the [[Elton John AIDS Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ejaf.com/about/our-patrons/|title=Elton John AIDS Foundation patrons|website=ejaf.com|access-date=29 September 2014}}</ref> In 1998, Tennant was named in a list of the biggest private financial donors to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/161057.stm |title='Luvvies' for Labour |work=BBC News | date=30 August 1998}}</ref> However, in the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]] he voted for the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], citing disillusionment with Labour's [[ID card scheme]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4763874.stm |title=Pet Shop Boys protest at ID cards |work=BBC News |date=1 March 2006}}</ref> The Pet Shop Boys agreed to personal appeals by then-Mayor of London [[Boris Johnson]] and then-Prime Minister [[David Cameron]], both prominent [[Conservative Party (United Kingdom)|Conservative Party]] politicians, for the group to play at the "winners' parade" taking place shortly after the [[2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony]]. Enjoying the event's atmosphere and how their stage presence turned into a well-received performance, Tennant subsequently texted Cameron's staff pushing Cameron to use gay scientist [[Alan Turing]]'s centenary year as impetus for the UK Government to formally pardon Turing.<ref name="Utopia">{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/09/beyond-suburbs-utopia|title=The Pet Shop Boys on texting Cameron and Russian homophobia|website=New Statesman|date=10 June 2021}}</ref> The formal pardon did go through on 24 December 2013, with the related official paperwork signed by [[Queen Elizabeth II]].

Tennant has praised the group [[The Specials]] and singer-songwriter [[Elvis Costello]], highlighting "[[Ghost Town (Specials song)|Ghost Town]]" and "[[Shipbuilding (song)|Shipbuilding]]" as [[protest song]]s successfully putting politics into pop music.<ref name="Utopia"/>

He has criticised ageism in the music industry, stating in 2013 that radio professionals would tell him that they want to play Pet Shop Boys songs on air, but will not because the duo, then in their 50s, were considered to be "too old".<ref name="Utopia"/>