I am ... coming out !

This week, as a result of MAM – Miss Adams Morgan – or just luck, I have had to tell 2 coworkers I am gay. It was an empowering moment, because it allowed me to confirm that with some people at work I can be out and all is fine and will continue to be fine. The funny thing is how round about the conversations happened. The interesting one was with out Office Manager/HR head, she is a great lady and I have a good relationship with her, but had never had the homo talk, I knew she knew.

The conversation happened very casually we were in our kitchen having lunch, watching TV, and for some reason the subject of cars came up. I mentioned how pragmatical I am when it comes to cars and that I could never buy a sporty, impractical car, because even it was just me, I always think of times when I need to drive people around, or go to the supermarket or the mall and where am I going to put my bags? She said that she knew exactly what I meant, she was the same and we both compared the types of cars we had both acquired lately.

Then she maid a funny comment, she mentioned how she had a driven a Mercedes, that was a friend of a friend’s car. But it was weird, the way she said it. So I asked about the car and she said she loved it but she is not ready for it. So I thought the conversation was over and as I was going to turn back to the TV, but she continued talking about the car, and how it was a convertible and had a hard roof and it was great but so impractical. The she maid her confession, she said that her husband’s best friend was gay and that the Mercedes was his partner’s car. Aha! I thought, I knew there was some weird reference to something in the “friend of a friend” phrase. So I said well you know I am gay and she said that yeah she knew and then we discussed living in the city and living in the suburbs and how as a gay man I could not live in the suburbs, mainly because I am single and need to be where the single people are, and secondly because I do not need to pay private school for kids. She said she could never live in the city but that she knew exactly what I meant and then we talked about her gay friend and his partner, who love their dogs, have a lot of money, travel all the time, been married – so she referred to the partner as husband – for 5 years and live in upstate New York. Not to be upstaged I mentioned the swim team, and all the multiple couples I know and how long they have been together – funny how it became like a competition, where I could not brag of a partner for my own, but dam it, I know partnered people too.

As is usual she told me how the husband’s friend, who was their best man, came out to her during a party. How she had no idea, how if he was single she would introduce him to me- the fact that I live in DC and he lives in up State New York, seems not be a problem in the straight world I assume. It was a fun little conversation, so leave it to beaver, about gay and straight couples and nice houses and cars, so of course I had to up the ante and mentioned how I was so wiped after MAM. She asked what it was, and I told her the whole story, she looked at me, and she said that she had a coworker when she worked for Marriot who was not just gay, but did drag on the side – shocker I know – and then asked me if I wanted to tell her something, so I just said, well D, of course I have done drag, but I am not sure people in the office are ready for the pictures.

So there, now there is probably a rumor that the token fag in the office is a part time drag queen, oh if they only knew that my make up skills are nill.