National Coming Out Day

Having never been "in", I never had to "come out". But I do encourage any gay person who's in the closet to step out and nail the door shut behind him.

But of course, you're never out to the whole world. For this reason, I always tell each new person that I'm gay. I look at it this way: if you're going to reject me, I want you to do it before I develop a relationship with you. This way when I walk away -- which I'll do immediately -- it won't hurt. After all, I hardly know you (and you're a stupid twit). It's a protective mechanism.

Today I saw an article on John Aravosis' blog. It's by Mark Thoma, MD, and it's about the importance of coming out to your doctor. (I always do that, too.) Thoma said this:

When it did happen to me, [i.e., a doctor had a bad reaction when Thoma, the patient, said he was gay] I felt angry and hurt. But a few minutes later, I felt relieved. Relieved that I hadn’t continued to see that doctor, built a professional relationship with him and then found out a few years later that he was “uncomfortable” with gays. Then I’d have had to move on. Instead, I found out during the first exam and just left and got a new doctor.

Good advice, and that's just the way I operate. Tell 'em on the first visit -- in fact, within the first minute of the visit. If the doctor can't handle this information, he or she is not worth going to. I see a doctor who's totally fine with having gay patients. I wouldn't go to any other kind of medical professional. 

Any coming out stories you'd like to share? Do tell.