And with that, a floodgate of pressure was released and we
were finally able to talk without secrets. It turns out
that he was quite relieved to share it with us. He hadn't
said anything because he was afraid we wouldn't be his
friends anymore if we knew. I assured him it didn't matter
to me, that I just didn't want him to feel he had to lie to
me anymore.
After our talk, it seemed as though an entirely new society
was revealed to me. Chris' employers were gay, several of
his co-workers were gay, and many of the people we knew in
town were gay. This once invisible society now labeled us
gay-friendly and we were permitted entry. Suddenly I had an
expert on homosexuality ready and willing to field
questions. My education had begun.
I was amazed at how many people were gay. My naiveté
became more painfully apparent with each new couple Chris
introduced us to.
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