The Closet

I used to have a friend who always put sexual innuendos about women when joking. You wouldn't doubt his sexuality since he was "one of the boys". His pervert nature would sometimes cross the line for some people, but no one doubted nor cared about his real identity. Until I found out that an upperclassman was his ex - boyfriend.

I wasn't convinced at first, but when the pictures, love letters and other physical mementos came in, I couldn't help but be disappointed. Trust, after all, is a big thing in maintaining friendships.

People, I would learn later, would classify them as "closet guys". I started researching about this "phenomenon" as they call it, and lo and behold, I found out that there are already a number of them in society, numerous enough to even seek a sectoral representation in our Congress.

Don't get me wrong here; some of my good friends are openly gay. They are mostly kind and fun to be with. What just makes me sad is that the closet guys are clearly not happy with the way they live their lives. They can't freely express themselves for fear of public backlash. Some have even found the "love" of their lives, but can't even introduce their partner as such to his family. They want to be classified as more than a "parloristang bakla", as they call it. They still want to be called men, but they want to be in a relationship with a fellow man. They want to be classified as sui generis. I am not saying they're wrong; I am just saying that our present society still nurtures an environment which is hostile and unfriendly with their preferred set - up.

I believe that a person can never be truly happy if one cannot accept and be proud of his true identity. He should come out in the open and not be afraid, for if his friends are really true friends, they would understand and accept him with open arms.

So I encourage you, my friend who loves eating olives, to come out and be "happy".