THIS IS US

I Spent 25 Years in the Closet

And coming out almost killed me

Illustration: Malte Mueller/Getty Images

I got married when I was 20 years old. My ex-husband was 27, a graduate student at the university where I was getting my bachelor’s. We met while I was at work at the college bookstore. He bought coffee and always smiled at me. He was gentle and calm. Stable. He felt safe.