On this National Coming Out Day, I think of my great-aunt Arlene and the day I realized she had probably been gay.
She lived up north, so I only met her twice, but when I did, she was smart and funny.
I don’t remember what prompted me thinking about it, but when I told my mom what I was guessing about her sexuality, mom said, “oh, we’ve all thought that for a long time.”
Yet Arlene was the only relative who came to visit who wasn’t asked about her dating/married life.
I don’t know anything–she might have been out, but my Florida family didn’t mention it. It’s more likely she was closeted, at least to them. Her brother, my (grand)daddy, was a conservative military vet, after all.
My mom’s assertion that it was an open secret infuriated me. How could my grandfather–and how could my mother–consistently vote against someone they loved having equal rights?
To all my friends who have come out, thank you for your courage.
To any of my friends who haven’t yet, I’m sure there’s a reason.
And I apologize for my family backburnering your human rights because of their focus on other bigotries and their anti-socialist hysteria.
