What a theme that was sometimes on the stage and screen, often to comic effect. I'm remembering plays and films that featured that idea. I laughed with everybody else, because that's kind of the point of humor, isn't it? We often laugh at what hurts us.

Fortunately, I never had to hide from family with my first partner Lenny. His family accepted him for who he was, so when his niece came to visit sometimes, we didn't have to take our obviously gay paintings off the wall.

Although, I was mortified once to realize that we had left up a photographic print of me in the nude. I had sat for a gay artistic photographer, and ended up in a coffee table book. I didn't get paid, but we got that lovely print. So his niece and her son walk into the bedroom as we're giving them a house tour, and there I am on the wall in full glory. 🤣

I didn't die of embarrassment ... exactly. Nor did we ever try to de-gay the apartment, but I was careful about that photo from then on. Chuckle.