h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ok it's already on site somewhere but here is the update.

I've been out on h2g2 for a number of months now. But had yet to be more fully out, to my parents and work mates. Well all that has changed.

First off my mother came up to me one night at around midnight and asked me about the gay sites I had been visited. Darn cache and when had I forgotten to empty it.

Anyway as it was late I told her I would talk to her the next day about it. So I was taken aback I thought she already knew, I thought I'd already told her and then this had happened. So I nneded to keep it simply.

Anyway after a day of panicking and frantic e-mails to a number of close friends I was ready to come back from work and answer any question.

She simply said well. I said Because I am gay. She asked are you sure. I said yes. And she just said be careful. Far easier and far less painful than I thought.

Anyway the next day she and my dad were off to see my kid brother in Cambridge so I had almost a week by myself here.

But on their return I had to tell my father who also took the news surprisingly calmly, mind you I think my mother may have primed him for some big news.

The following day I was in work in my new post which I had been in for 14 days when the conversation got unto gays they knew. Well I was being a little quieter than normal. Well one of the girls noticed this and asked me was I gay or just offended, so I said I was gay. And everyone was really supportive as a result. So after all the worries it ended up being not so hard for me after all in the end.

good for you. ive got my own comp, so nobody can tell how i am closeting. But normally, one can tell a person's reaction long before you tell them.

I already know what everyone will think.

Such is vagrancies of living a public life that I've always vowed to myself that if I was ever asked a direct question regarding my sexual I would not do as some in the political sphere have done and skirt the issue but give a 'straight' no pun intended answer.

Well the other day on my football clubs website a heated discussion started up following a number of comments about one of the players alledged sexuality. Well somebody PMed me to ask me the question, that was easy and it was also a really good friend even if of a different party, but as I'm not hiding anything and they have nothing to gain from honesty of a known fact honesty it was.

Then one of the obvious homophobes in the discussion asked the question on the thread. Well one just can't be two faced about this, despite a number of other users jumping in to say that there was no need for me to answer that question as that was what the whole debate was about. However, the question had been asked so the answer was given and recieved with admiration for the honesty.

So a word of encouragement to everyone out there. It really does become easier once you first are honest and open about your sexuality to just keep being so. Even in a hostile environment if dealt with in the right way.