I have been teaching at a small private school for over a year now and have successfully kept closeted, especially since I was told when I first started that I was effeminate but that the school’s board members decided that I couldn’t be gay since they knew I was a good Christian. (See this post.) What bullshit! Anyway, I am still the same person, but I keep my sexuality quiet. Some of the students probably suspect, and I don’t allow for them to use derogatory language for gay people or anyone else in my class nor do I allow them to bully anyone, especially for their sexuality. None of the kids at my school are out, but there are some that will come out one day. When a community is as small as ours is, everyone knows everyone else’s business. I know that these kids will do much better when they go away for college. They need that opening and accepting experience so that they can come into their own and make those first steps out of the closet.
The point of this post, however, is that I finally found a good friend at school who is about my age. She is our new art teacher. Most of the teachers are much older than us, but we have been hanging out together lately when I don’t have night classes. It’s great to have a new friend. I haven’t had many since I moved back to my hometown two years ago. When I first met her, I knew that if we did become good friends that I could tell her that I was gay. She, being an art major in college, had already figured it out and was just waiting for me to tell her. We have a blast together. I can really be myself around her, and even around her husband. This weekend, her husband was gone to visit his daughter in college, and we had our big homecoming game at school, so we basically were hanging out together all weekend. Friday night after the homecoming game seemed like a perfect time to tell her. Of course, much as I suspected, everything went great. She was so happy that I finally told her. Subject that we had been beating around the bush and talking about, we could now really talk about them openly. It has been a wonderful experience.
I finally have a new fruit fly. I have always despised the term “fag hag” but I love the term fruit fly. Besides, a fruit fly, though most often a heterosexual woman, can be a heterosexual man as well, who hangs around with gay people. It’s really nice to have someone that I can be open and honest with and not have to worry about whether or not I will lose my job for being myself.
By the way, remember that National Coming Out Day is October 11. I just jumped the gun by doing so a little early.
Joe
The Closet Professor 