So many times when we as gay/bi men talk/think about our coming out, our minds flash back to tearful confessions to loved ones. But what were the funny, innocuous moments when it dawned you that you were a card-carrying member of the Rainbow Coalition? Here are my top five moments:
5. When I nearly passed out when one of my aunts brought my freshly sewn and tailored black and gold choir robe to our house. I literally ran through the house and pretended to faint when I saw it.
4. Once while at my great-aunt's house when I was about 9, my cousin, a firefighter, brought a calendar that his department had created for charity. I remember flipping through the entire thing 2 or 3 times to get a good glimpse at all the man candy lol.
3. I memorized the entire dance routine from Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody." Both the guy's and the girls' parts. Seriously. My brother could tell when the video came on because he could hear me stomping away in the other room. Janet's "I Get Lonely" was also another video I grooved to every time it came on. Of course I've J-sette along to "Single Ladies" more than a few times too, so I guess not much has changed!
2. When I was about 8 I was mowing the front lawn while our next-door neighbor, a police officer, was also mowing his yard. To this day I can still remember what he was wearing: purple basketball shorts (and those babies were short!), a purple sleeveless T-shirt that accented his huge bulging arms, a dark-colored cap and white sneakers. What really sealed the deal was when I rode down the little slope of the yard and caught a view of the brotha's backside as he was pushing the mower back up. Them cakes were just bouncing away and sweat was just dripping off of his biceps and strong calves *whew* *fans self to cool down*. FYI: He still lives next door (and is still fine--in an older man sort of way).
1. This moment also took place at my great-aunt's house lol. Somehow my brother and I found ourselves in my cousin's old room. As we explored its contents we found--what else?-- some Playboy magazines. Naturally curious we flipped through the dirty mags to see what was so forbidden about them. Baby, if I didn't know my veins bled lavendar before, I knew that day, because while my brother drooled over the bare ladies' naked nether regions, I in the words of Stanford Blanche, "Took one look at it and said--NO!" You might as well have called my ass Bill Compton, because those breasts felt like sunlight to my eyes, and I quickly tossed them. Now that calendar on the other hand.....:)
So what are your top 5 moments? I'd love to hear them.
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