Decision Points

Had an interesting interaction with a new colleague at work today. This new colleague is also a manager in the same department and he invited me to lunch so we could start to build a relationship and he could learn more about working with my group.

At one point the conversation turned to small talk and he asked me if I was married. I said no. He said "Really, why not?"

In the moment I initially found this to be a little invasive, but after a slight hesitation I ultimately decided to not go down the path of some vague or evasive answer.

My response was, "Well, I have a partner but it's not legal for us to get married. I'm gay."

He was very kind about it and answered with something along the lines of "Yeah, that sucks."

I'm not sure what caused this tiny moment of bravery, considering the only other time we had spoken was during his interview.

It was a good example of how gay people don't just come out once, but need to do so again and again--many times to people they hardly know. I don't know that it was any huge milestone for me personally...but I am a bit proud to have just been honest about it.