I realized today that I have finally reached the point where I will volunteer that I am gay. I realized that if you ask me if I have a girlfriend I would respond “No, I am gayâ€.
Well almost. There are still a few exceptions to this. One of necessity, one of fear.
First, I would not respond this way to most of my family. I still do not trust my family enough to be able to tell them I am gay. Most of my family would probably be ok with it. But there are a few who I think would have an issue and rather than tell part of my family and ask them to keep it quiet from the rest of the family therefore burdening them, I do not think I am going to come out to them for just a little while longer (a year or two).
Second, I would not respond that way at work. I work in Indianapolis and am in one of the states that do not have a policy against discrimination based on sexual orientation. I am not stable enough to be able to lose my current job therefore as a matter of necessity I will not come out at work yet. Yes, the company has a policy against discrimination based on sexual orientation, but I do not want to take my chances with company policy. Enforcing company policy is a lot different from enforcing the law.
Yet it still feels good to realize just how comfortable I have become with myself, and my sexual orientation.