Johnny just pointed out to me that this section existed, and I did miss all the sweet "Happy Birthday" messages. This is sweet and kind of people to say these nice things.
I've lived through the times when it was a crime to be gay, and then when it was a shame to be gay, right into when its very popular to be gay these days. I'm totally open about it now, to everyone on earth. Even when I was a kid, people who did not have Pre-Frontal Lovotomies, if they observed at all the way I conducted my life, they certainly would have known something. Most people had the coping mechanism down to just ignore whatever it is that you don't understand.
My parents had this couple that worked for them. My father had his heart set on his kids not being narrow-minded and inexperienced products of the Texas Parochial Dust Bowl. So, even when I was very young, they'd send these people to escort me around the world to different adventures. I'm almost sure they knew I was gay, because once I was out of the house, they paid absolutely NO attention to my activities, which led to lots of gay sex.
In those days, the idea that people would have sex with under-aged kids was not so appalling as it is today. I started having sex with adults when I was 12, but I was as discrete as I could be about this. The man in this couple died a few years ago in his late 90's, still living and working on my old family farm. This old woman is now over 100 years old and still living. I have wanted to ask her what they knew, and when they knew it, but I've thought better of it and never did. But damn they were wonderful people.
Thanks for the Happy Birthday wishes, even if I did miss them when you posted. Sweet people.