Umm...seriously, Una, just in case you forgot, I didn’t grow up in the US or in any Western liberal democracy or for that matter in any place where it still isn’t an actual crime to be gay (and people get thrown in jail, set on fire and have all sorts of other good stuff happen to them). And, my family isn’t too far off from thinking those are the right responses.

But, that doesn’t mean anyone I looked up to for coming out is someone I’d look up to for a whole lot of other stuff although I see that clearly others do (and gawd knows, I latched on to people because I was starved for someone — just about anyone — who was out and wasn’t whispered / heckled about or worse still, shown as if they’re about to kick the bucket from HIV; and, I spent a helluva long time looking since I knew something was different for me from around when I was 7 but basically had to keep my mouth absolutely zipped and plot and plan entirely in secret to get the heck out of the country as soon as I could [where I couldn’t tell even my partners because I knew they’d never get it / never come out and worse still, alert my parents in ways that would put a total stop to my getting the heck out] — I absolutely loathe playing the “I’m also a victim of such and such and so, I can say whatever crap I want” card but thought I’d thrown it in here [despite my better judgment]).