Friday night I made up for the two missed opportunities I had blogged about Friday morning.
To the library coworker who had referred to me remarrying [a woman], I sent an email explaining that while she had not said anything unreasonable, I felt bad because I had not corrected her. I acknowledged that she surely didn't care about my sexual orientation, but that this was more for my sake than for hers. She emailed me back Saturday morning and thanked me for sharing and invited me to go out for coffee some time.
To the admissions coworker who had remarked at my not having kissed anyone until 21, I sent an email just sort of randomly saying, "Oh, by the way, I'm gay." I felt confident in doing so largely because she is also gay--not that this makes her any more accepting than my other coworkers [as she later said, "Being gay is more normal than you think. I mean, people think it's more normal than you think. Especially here. I mean, it's like, boring to be gay in Seattle."], but that she's done the whole coming out thing before so I hoped she'd understand my compulsion to tell people what in theory should not matter enough to tell. She did. She invited me to go out for a drink some time.
Tonight Admissions Coworker emailed because she had outed me to two other coworkers and she wasn't sure if I would be upset. The truth is that I had wanted her to spread the word, because that spares me having to make a big deal of it. This way, people know, if it comes up, it comes up, if it doesn't, it doesn't, and we can all proceed with life. She was glad to know I wasn't angry, and suggested we all--the five graduate student admissions readers and anyone else I want to come out to--go out for drinks.
Apparently the thing to do when one comes out of the closet is to have beverages of one kind or another. The funny thing is that I hate coffee and, having never drunk alcohol nor felt the need to, I'm not too anxious to start now. That doesn't stop me from going out with friends and, while they drink the beverage of their choice, having a Shirley Temple or something. Which Admissions Coworker finds amusing, I think, but that's okay. I find myself amusing too.
Perhaps this isn't the place to say it, but I must say that I like the view of your eyeball better than the view of your tonsils (just in case you were wondering). :)
ReplyDeletei love virgin daquries. but my favorite is just to order it. i feel naughty just for publicly saing "virgin". :)
ReplyDeleteWe can get in contact with my Comms 319 professor at BYU for tips on how to appear like you’re drinking alcoholic beverages with clients (or, in your case, new non-Mormon friends) when in actuality, you are not.
ReplyDeleteAnd a sidenote: you can order any drink virgin. “Virgin Mojito” sounds a lot better than a “Shirley Temple.”
My personal favorite when not drinking with friends is club soda with lime. You don't have to say the word virgin, which for me is right up there with 'moist' in terms of ookiness, it's very refreshing, and it won't keep you up all night, eyes a twitching, like sugary/caffeinated sodas.
ReplyDelete