Disagreement.

I disagree with much of this article. 
 
I feel that your sexual identity is fundamentally a private matter. Personally, I consider myself out. But most of my friends and family don't know that I'm gay. Why? I haven't told them. Why? I haven't had reason to tell them. 
 
I only tell people that I'm gay when it becomes relevant. This can be a lot of things. If somebody asks me outright if I am gay, then I'll tell them "yes". If it becomes relevant to a discussion I'm having with someone - for example, if we're discussing relationships, or why I don't have a girlfriend, or the gay marriage political issue - I'll say that I'm gay. 
 
However, I don't introduce myself as "hi, I'm Ryan and I'm gay" to people I meet in the course of life. For the most part, they don't need to know the details of who I enter into relationships with. 
 
I've become very disillusioned with the whole idea of "coming out". To me, it is unnecessary and can in fact be harmful to decide that you must tell all of your friends that you are gay, simply because you feel that it's part of "coming out". The reality is different. Your friends and family don't have any right or need to know the details of your love life. 
 
I just told a good friend of mine whom I have know for years that I'm gay today. Why? I've considered myself "out" for almost as long as I've known her - shouldn't she know already? Well, it only became relevant today because we were discussing her boyfriend, and she asked me if I had a girlfriend; I replied no, she asked why not, I told her why not. 
 
As to not "pushing it in peoples' faces", and specifically not showing physical affection in public, I feel that society as a whole has gone a little bit too far. A couple of months ago, a (straight) couple walked up to me at work and wanted to buy some meat. (I work as a clerk in a grocery store's meat department; ample opportunity for double entendre!) They were holding hands - which in my book is fine. The man placed the order, and while I was weighing and wrapping the meat, a rather interesting - and to me, inappropriate for public display - series of events began. They passionately embraced, began deeply kissing each other, and the man's hands began wandering wide and far. I get the feeling that they would have done the big nasty right there in the store if I hadn't interrupted them to give them their order! 
 
The point is, it's not really necessary to do those sorts of things in public, regardless of who you're doing them with. Again, holding hands is fine in my book. But I feel that showing any more physical and romantic affection than that in public crosses the line of what is proper. 
 
Anyways, that's just my $0.02.

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