I don't know what's happening lately. I've gone through the last 15 years thinking that nobody perceives me as gay (except those who know me in gay settings). Now it seems that I'm getting pulled out of the closet all the time! The latest happened over the weekend. I went to a Western apparel shop to buy some things to wear to an LGBT square dance. When I got to the counter, the cashier asked: "Are these things for a special occasion?" I told her that it was for a Western-themed square dance. Then her co-worker nearby chimed in about how she was into square dancing and wanted to know where this dance was. I replied that it was at a church... The co-worker IMMEDIATELY guessed that it was the LGBT square dance club, despite my offering very little information about the dance (there are about 30 square dance clubs in the area). I was genuinely shocked she figured that out on so little information... Does it ever get easier to live openly? When I get pulled out of the closet in public/mostly-straight settings like this, I feel nervous and vulnerable. I almost EXPECT to be greeted with condemnation, and then am left reeling in shock when people act like it's no big deal. (Internalized homophobia again?)
