It’s easy for the pink brigade to heap criticism on people who have skeletons in the closet, because closets are for clothes. But here in post-Will and Grace America, we of the free to be you and me generation might take it for granted that full disclosure is imperative. I’m among those fruit flies who subscribes to the less popular opinion ‘in your own time.’ Must identity always be a political act?

Unlikely sex symbol Clay “Gay” Aiken, American Idol’s favorite nerd, had every right to find himself, in his own time. That said, no one was surprised to see the flaming headline on People Magazine: “YES, I’M GAAAAAAAAAAAAY.” But sashay out in style he did: Clay may be the only person in all of history to come out while holding his brand new baby in his arms.

I want to share a story with you, from a brave young man I met while working in state government. He is a 17-year old high school student from Connecticut, and was thrilled when his state legalized gay marriage. The victory for equality in Connecticut inspired him to start cold-calling legislators in North Carolina, because he wanted to encourage them to enact similar legislation. He told me a heartbreaking story about his own experience as a gay teenager, but I was struck by his selflessness and courage. I felt compelled to share his story with you (with his permission, of course!)

Keep in mind as you read his story that he suffers from a form of autism which makes it difficult for him to use and understand language, adapt to changes in his routine or environment, and recognize when people are being disingenuous. The symptoms of his disability make his story all the more heartbreaking. The fact that he is able to so articulately share his story makes him remarkable.

We are a gay family. Well, at least the Dads are. And we are a Christian family. I mean actively Christian: we attend church on Sundays, we teach our children to pray for our meals and before going to sleep, Jos is an elder in the church council and we are both members of the public relations committee of our church community. And boy, did our community know. ‘We have to get out of the closet’, was one of the first things we said in one of our first meetings. I mean, if you’re gay and you’re an active church community member, you usually have to explain one thing and another, at least in a rapidly secularizing country like The Netherlands, that is.

During his victory speech, Obama said, “…to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president, too.”

It was a brilliant line, one that was surely dismissed by those for whom it was intended. The Hillary supporters who abstained or voted McCain in protest, or the Palin groupies who want the U.S. of A to be a Christian Theocracy, both believed Obama was an empty suit: a man full of beautiful rhetoric without the substance to back it up. To them, his words were meaningless.

However, he’s been going out of his way to prove that he wasn’t just blowing smoke.

How do five gay couples handle mincemeat muffins and pre-party at Sahara Salvation Bed and Breakfast Inn? Bambi Weavil reviews the sharp The Gay Bed & Breakfast of Terror.