My belief is that if I am going to maintain normalcy, I need to be able to refer to my partner, as such without doing the dog-and-pony show of not introducing him as such in public. I don't deny it, but I am not as open as straight people are either. Last night at an event, being introduced to some people, I was talking to a lady from my neighborhood and didn't say "this is my partner." It upsets me that gay people, with anxiety as I have, are so conditioned to be so goddamn inhibited that nothing comes natural. Please, if you've got advice, I'll hear and appreciate it.
I don't know if you already do this, but it might help you feel more open if you kiss each other in public, or maybe if somebody assumes he's your roommate or something it would be easier to say "No, he's my partner." It just seems like it would be easier to tell someone if they outright asked you about the person.
