Fantastic story, Chitara. The ceiling fan metaphor is brilliant, by the way.

But as wonderful as your writing skills are, what I really relate to is the power of the story itself. I think some queer people,and many of our friends and allies, get the idea from pop culture that everything is okay now in the world of lesbian, gay, and bisexual.

One prominent gay man even wrote an op-ed in an influential magazine last year saying the fight for equality is over, that it’s time to declare victory and move on.

Those people don’t know your story or mine for that matter. But our stories of rejection and struggle are still far too common in the United States.

It shouldn’t be as hard to come out as it was for you, and until coming out isn’t a big deal and no more vases get flung into ceiling fans, we have work to do.

Important work.