Come Out as HONEST!

Like everyone, I have an opinion about almost everything that comes up in a conversation. Just because you have an opinion does not mean that they are worth talking about for the most part. With that said, let me say this, I don’t usually talk about gay rights, gay issues, gay matters or anything gay unless I am talking about one of my ex gay roommates and how fun they were or I am explaining that being gay was not the WORSE part of being married to a man, who just happened to be gay. It was his lying, cheating, conniving, hateful, spiteful actions that really overshadowed being gay for the most part.

The other day though, a headline caught my eye. Wanda Sykes comes out and announces she is proud to be gay! I have to admit, I didn’t have an immediate reaction to that. But my brain, hard wired as it is, starting running through what I had seen Wanda in, did I like her, had I found her funny, and so on and PING, all of a sudden, it hit me. Wanda had been married before and she had talked about it in one of her HBO specials or something like that on TV. Not that I care personally about Wanda. I don’t know her. She makes me laugh and when people make me laugh, I WANT to like them.
So I had to really restrain myself from using my super private investigator powers to find her home phone number and call her. Yeah, really. I just want to say to her “Wanda!!!!!! Instead of coming out of the closet and being proud, how about coming out of the closet and apologizing for being a big, fat liar!!!!!”
Really. I do want to say that to her. And to all the other people who have been acting like heterosexuals for year, even going so far as being married to someone of the opposite sex. Yes, that is right. Wanda was married to a man, five years her junior until 1998. Wasn’t she gay then? Or was she bi trying to be straight? That looks even more ridiculous in print than when I was just saying it out loud to my husband yesterday.

I don’t’ care if Wanda and these other folks coming out are gay, bi, straight or curly cued. What I do care about is they these folks come out with their mantra of gay and proud of it and they are how old.. 35, 45, 55??? How old was George Takei from Star Trek when he finally came out? Almost in his 60’s? That doesn’t sound like you are really proud of who you are. Proud or not, what is being overlooked is that many of these folks were LYING about who they are, who they loved and the types of lives they were living. The headlines should read something like this – “Wanda Sykes comes out and says, Hey guys, I’m really sorry, but I’m gay and I haven’t been honest for the past 30 years, but I’m going to be now. I will still be funny and hope you like my jokes, and I’ll try to be straight with you from now on. (Straight as in honest, not sexual.)
Give me a break, yes, I know there is still discrimination toward gay people. There is still discrimination against race, age, sex and many other things. And for the most part, none of these other groups can HIDE who they are and what they are. If you’re old, people can tell. If you have a skin color, people can see it. And thankfully, most of us can tell the sex of other people pretty quickly. Sexuality? That is a whole ‘nother ball game though.
So GAY PEOPLE – come out, come out, wherever you are!!!!! If you want us to accept you and respect you, then be respectful and be honest. No one likes being lied to. And frankly, don’t come out just when you think it’s safe or you are finally too old to give a rat’s butt about what others think. Come out now, while you’re young, before you marry an hetro for whatever reason you might possess to do such a thing. Be yourself. Be true and BE HONEST. That is a headline to be proud of, no matter who you are. If you don’t act ashamed, then maybe fewer people will try to treat you shamefully.
And Wanda, if you are going to come out next month, as black… we already know that, just like we suspicioned for a very long time you were gay. Thanks for clarifying that finally.