Out and about.
(Oops. I hit "Draft" and not "Publish" yesterday. I so smart! So, this is now totally untimely. Oh well.)
Every "National Coming Out" day, I think about how various friends have discussed their coming out stories. Often it sounds difficult, but sometimes it's heartwarming and happy. But really, not very frequently.
I'm particularly mulling over this because a friend of mine recently described revisiting the "You're not *really* gay." discussion with his parents, and it just sounds sucky as all hell. I've had, and still have, weighty discussions with my parents about religion and politics -- I can only imagine what it is like to add "sexual orientation" to that mix of topics -- and it sounds like a royal bitch.
In comparison, I have little to come out about. For a while I was attending the gay-lesbian-professional-student group here, because a close friend was president and their attendance was lacking. So, moral support, and free food and drinks. Eventually I outted myself to the only other woman member.
"Blah blah blah ... guy I'm dating.... blah blah blah"
It was kinda of awkward, and I wondered if she felt lonely, perhaps duped, now being the only Official Lesbian coming to these parties. Oh well.
In other coming out notes, I do still deal with plenty of folks who suggest it's "weird" and abnormal that I happen to have lots of friends who are gay. I really don't get their point. I try to explain, "It's not like I like all gay people by default!" Because I don't! It's just how things are -- no biggie. I also happen to have a lot of friends born in January. Is that weird too?
On the flipside, I've also met girls who have commented along the lines of coveting friendships with gay guys, quote, "It seems fun to have gay guy friends." Well, sure, yeah ... but moreso because I consider my friends my friends, we have common interests, we have fun together... so yeah, that's cool.
Back to work, but later perhaps some semi-related thoughts on "gayness" and vocabulary evolution.
Every "National Coming Out" day, I think about how various friends have discussed their coming out stories. Often it sounds difficult, but sometimes it's heartwarming and happy. But really, not very frequently.
I'm particularly mulling over this because a friend of mine recently described revisiting the "You're not *really* gay." discussion with his parents, and it just sounds sucky as all hell. I've had, and still have, weighty discussions with my parents about religion and politics -- I can only imagine what it is like to add "sexual orientation" to that mix of topics -- and it sounds like a royal bitch.
In comparison, I have little to come out about. For a while I was attending the gay-lesbian-professional-student group here, because a close friend was president and their attendance was lacking. So, moral support, and free food and drinks. Eventually I outted myself to the only other woman member.
"Blah blah blah ... guy I'm dating....
It was kinda of awkward, and I wondered if she felt lonely, perhaps duped, now being the only Official Lesbian coming to these parties. Oh well.
In other coming out notes, I do still deal with plenty of folks who suggest it's "weird" and abnormal that I happen to have lots of friends who are gay. I really don't get their point. I try to explain, "It's not like I like all gay people by default!" Because I don't! It's just how things are -- no biggie. I also happen to have a lot of friends born in January. Is that weird too?
On the flipside, I've also met girls who have commented along the lines of coveting friendships with gay guys, quote, "It seems fun to have gay guy friends." Well, sure, yeah ... but moreso because I consider my friends my friends, we have common interests, we have fun together... so yeah, that's cool.
Back to work, but later perhaps some semi-related thoughts on "gayness" and vocabulary evolution.
posted by Nicole at Tuesday, October 12, 2004
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