This week begins a new phase in my post-graduation summer: Summer Orientation (called "CTOPS" at UNC) has begun for upcoming First-Year students at UNC and party of my job this summer is to train them with their new $2000 laptops.

I'll be the first to admit that my interactions with straight folks are quite limited. So many of my friends are queer that I forget sometimes what it's like to make small talk with people who don't share my queer sensibilities. It's easy to become cynical and dismiss many of them (straight folks) as homophobic, uncaring, etc. And sometimes that certainly is true. But at the CTOPS computer training, I discovered something rather remarkable: despite my obvious queerness, everyone was rather... well, nice! There, I said it. Straight people apparently can be nice!

I'm exagerrating, of course. But it was really rather suprising the intensity with which they all chatted me up about my major, my graduate school plans, and my move to San Francisco (if they didn't know I was queer by looking at me, that surely gave it away). I work one-on-one with these students for about 20 minutes while their computer boots up and installs all the necessary software, so there's often quite a bit of time to chat about our lives, etc.

The best part, surely, is that I get to give advice to these unknowing students about what classes to take and, of course, what classes not to take. One student, a rather macho boy, was signed up for "Introduction to Women's Studies" - and he was quite confident in telling me so (but not the kind of seedy confident that means he's taking it to "meet chicks"). This was encouraging, so I asked him who his professor was and he said the name of surely the most ultra-left lesbian professor on campus. I smiled and said, oh yea! You'll love that class! He was obviously excited that I thought so. The whole time I was thinking, I love this job.

Okay - I know - I'm assuming a lot here. For one, clearly there are queer people coming through that I don't read as queer. But, take for instance another client: a tall, handsome Italian guido-esque rising First-Year with thick fingers and a rich Long Island accent who, that morning, was wearing a mesh basketball jersey. He was at least straight for the moment, since he mentioned his girlfriend. He was hands down the nicest and most sincere person that came through on my first day - SO interested in my plans and very open to my advice for classes, etc. Maybe he didn't read me as gay. Maybe he's really not straight. But the fact that a butch Italian guy felt comfortable having a really open and friendly conversation with a pretty femme gay boy with pretty hair in a room full of his peers must say something about the progress we have made towards full equality for LG(BT) people. (Right?)

I know, I know, it's not as if he's necessarily going to vote to support my right to employment non-discrimination. But today, I'm feeling optimistic. And maybe that will change with future CTOPS sessions, but for now I'm sticking with my sunny skies. Cheers!