On Saturday one of my friends (Barry) held a LAN party at his house. (Quake III still rocks!) Brent called and asked for a ride so I figured this would be a good opportunity to come out to him over lunch. Again, everything went well although he was speechless for about a minute before regaining his composure. Later on during the party, after he’d had more than a few beers, he pulled me aside and asked if this was some sort of joke or test and I assured him this was not the case. I left the party early and told Barry and his brother Don as well before leaving. The list of those I still need to tell is getting ever shorter and I am encouraged by how well everyone is reacting. Yay!
On Friday I called Carlos and Jen who both live in MA and also wrote my friend/ex-boss Mike. Carlos was taken aback and was quite tongue-tied so I’m not sure how things will work out there. Jen was very supportive and happy for me. Proof once again that women are the superior gender. (haw!) I haven’t heard back from Mike yet but I’m hopeful he’ll take the news well.
I talked to Bryan on Sunday about Brent’s reaction later that night (after I had left) and apparently he’s somewhat in denial. Then again, that could just be the hooch talking. According to Bryan he thinks I’m off my rocker but, as is typical with Brent, his own problems are always someone else’s. He’ll get over it, I’m sure.
So who do I still need to tell? Well, as far as family is concerned I still need to tell my mom and my sister but that has to wait until my mom is back in town. I have a large extended family on both my father and mother’s side but I have virtually no contact with them. I’m going to talk to my cousin JK (who is openly gay) about who on my father’s side to approach first. I need to get his phone number from my aunt which will be a weird conversation. I have even less contact with my mom’s side of the family so I guess they’ll just get to hear about it from her if she decides to tell them or they’ll hear it through the grapevine.
After that, I think I’m done. I have some friends I’ve made on-line I can tell but that’s no big deal. Overall, I’m surprised at how much worry I had over the issue of coming out. Either I’m really good at choosing friends, I’m really lucky, or people are generally more accepting that I gave them credit for. Maybe all of the above?
Brent did call the next day on Sunday just to chat which is rare. It seems obvious he was testing the waters and just trying to make sure there was no lingering weirdness between us. Bryan and Tom also called on Sunday so I think everyone is checking up on me. It’s good to have good friends!
