rjd@linus.UUCP (Robert DeBenedictis) (03/13/85)
Wow! The past 15 minutes were tough. I was just sitting at my desk. I'd spent the last hour or so composing a classified housemate-wanted ad for Gay Community News and Bay Windows (two Boston gay newspapers). Well, I didn't specify GWM in the ad, I just said: WM 22 prof seeks . . . Well, I'd finished filling out the forms and a rough draft of the classified was sitting on my desk. On the bottom is scribbled "GCN 12.75 BW 11", these are the weekly rates for ads in GCN and Bay Windows. WELL, this guy down the hall stops by my office now and then. His name is dave. He came in and I said, "do you think $325's a good price? listen to this:" and I read the ad to him. The copy doesn't give anything away. Well, dave's officemate stops by and wants to see the rough draft. I didn't really want to give it to him. But I did. Then they asked where I was placing the ad. "oh, around", I said. Then Dave's officemate says "What's GCN and BW?" I avoided the question by saying "oh, those are the papers I'm placing the ad in." Then dave asks what papers GCN and BW are. Well, I can only be pushed so far into a lie. There was no reason not to tell. Wasn't like they could accuse me of flaunting it -- they practically pried it out of me. So I said, "Oh, GCN is Gay Community News and BW is Bay Windows, another Boston paper." "oh", they said. They tossed the name of Bay Windows around some. Why not the Boston Globe they wanted to know? Then they launched in to a discussion of other good local papers to put my ad in. Dave's officemate left and then dave asked if there was any particular reason for choosing those papers. I said "yes, pre-screening. I don't want to have to ask a lot of difficult questions over the phone." Well, he left and then I said "Sue!" to my officemate (who knows I'm gay). She didn't even realize that anything had been happening. Meanwhile I'm drenched in sweat. Just what I need to add a little spice to my job. For months I've been telling myself that I wasn't going to hide anything if it somehow came up. Still, I wasn't as ready as I thought. I only wish that I said: "well, you see, I'm Gay and I don't want to get a lot of intolerant dolts answering my ad, you know." But I didn't say that. I should have. If only every day was this exciting . . . Robert DeBenedictis