Gay Marriage

I worry every time I write this column. Will people find it relevant? Do LGBT experiences matter to the people reading it? Is it going to be typecast as the “gay column”? I especially worry about the value of critiquing institutions like marriage, a ritual unlikely to change dramatically in the near future.

Imagining a future for myself was one of the hardest things to do when I was first coming out of the closet. Before admitting I was gay, I thought I knew exactly what my ideal future would look like: a large family, a nice house, a good job, and, of course, a loving wife. It was this powerful notion that kept me so fearfully in the closet for so many years.