Staff Recognition Award, nineteen hundred and ninety-four: the framed certificate came home with me last week.  Twenty years after having been awarded that honor, I retired from the department that nominated me for it.

Gay men my age frequently identified with the stereotype, “the best little boy in the world.”  Having grown up in a world that labeled us unworthy, we did all in our power to prove ourselves worthy.  Knowing in our closeted hearts that we could never meet expectations, we exceeded expectations in our public lives.  Even after we came out, those habits continued.

I had not planned to spend my working days as a secretary or administrator in an office unrelated to my interests.  Continue reading →