Progress is being made. A small but significant moment

[TownsendPLocke]

I was "out" at a very early age(I was 17 when I publicly came- and this was in the late 70's) I had been out to close friends and family for a few years before that) in a rather small town in NorCal. I was pretty much alone except for a couple of teachers who counseled and consoled me. Today I was in a Starbucks in this town and there were three young Gay boys (this Starbucks is across from the newish High School) were chatting rather campily when this very "straight"appearing Jock entered and joined them-holding the hand of one of the other boys. I had to sit in the car for a moment till the tears of joy dried so I could drive safely.

All of the Gay Pride marches and rallies. all of the National Coming Out days, All of the "Visibility" events lead up to this. That two young fellas can feel free to hold hands in a public place in a small town if they feel like dong so.

Part of my coming out publicly was a dramatic (SURPRISE!!!! ) reading of this piece by Armistead Maupin in my High School Speech class. http://www.sfgate.com/.../article/LETTER-TO-MAMA-2714157.php

[TotallyOz]

Beautiful story! A tear came across my eye just reading it.

We have come such a long way. I was 28 when I came out. I didn't have the nerve to do it earlier and being from Alabama, I was terrified. I love going back home to visit now and seeing rainbow necklaces on the guy at Best Buy.

Just as a side note, I store the Armistad Maupin books from my library to read them and then returned them. But, they were beautiful.

[Guest EXPAT]

Of course we see this all the time now. But I think I would be shocked to my core if I saw it in my small town in Indiana. I suspect we are years away from that happening. I can see it happening even in a small town in California long before I see it happening in a small town in Indiana. But hope springs eternal.

[TampaYankee]

Who would have thought that when the ice broke, the thaw would have proceeded at the rate it has. It is almost like a damn busting: seeming to remain ever fixed it slowly erodes over time until enough small cracks and fissures appear to weaken the structure that lets all the pent up energy behind that dam have its way. The dam has yet to be washed away completely but water is gushing under high pressure blowing bigger and bigger chunks away so that water is significantly unimpeded in its journey to be free. The conservative social establishment is trying its best to plug the holes with their fingers and thumbs in a futile attempt to hold back the onslaught -- too little too late.

[TotallyOz]

TY, you write so beautifully! I think you missed our calling as a novelist! Or, are your secretly that 50 Shades guy?

[AdamSmith]

Of course we see this all the time now. But I think I would be shocked to my core if I saw it in my small town in Indiana. I suspect we are years away from that happening. I can see it happening even in a small town in California long before I see it happening in a small town in Indiana. But hope springs eternal.

I don't know. Yesterday I saw very similar in a KFC in a small town out in the sticks in NC. Not Chapel Hill! Rather one of the fading mill towns that dot the Piedmont, where open gay expression and behavior were unimaginable a few short years ago.

[Guest EXPAT]

I'll be the first to report anything I see. I'm going back to Indiana for my father's 90th birthday in late November. I just don't see it happening there anytime soon.

[TampaYankee]

TY, you write so beautifully! I think you missed our calling as a novelist! Or, are your secretly that 50 Shades guy?

Thanks. I find that surrounding oneself with informative, thought provoking contributors with the gift of expression encourages one to up his game. We are fortunate to have such a group here, the characteristic I like most about this site, narrowly beating out the hot guys. Ah well, priorities change with age.

[AdamSmith]

narrowly beating out the hot guys.

I try to follow what a high-tech CEO I knew used to berate his sales force to do:

"Sell what you've got!"

[RA1]

I have often characterized my career as giving away millions of dollars worth of advice every day and just, once in a while, needing to sell an airplane to pay the bills. Perhaps I should have listened to your CEO or maybe I did.

Best regards,

RA1