It's one of my pet theories that every single person has at least one "gay" trait. It might be a high-pitched laugh, it might be a bit of a spring in your step, it might be a soft spot for disco. But we all have something.
If a person with these traits ends up being straight, these traits are "quirks".
If a person with these traits ends up being gay, these traits are "proof".
Take my brother. At age 13, he decided all he wanted for Christmas and his birthday was clothes - all the latest fashions. He also was quite artistic, and had plenty of female friends that weren't his "girlfriends".
And how about my sister? She was the athletic one in the family, playing soccer on pub teams at the age of 15. She went into the construction business and drove a truck.
Had my brother or sister come out, people would've pointed to these things and said, "Oh, come on. It was SO OBVIOUS that they were gay!"
Just one thing, though.
They're both straight. And so what would have been "evidence" becomes now just "personality traits".
Oddly, I probably had fewer "clues" than my siblings. I did tend to sit with my legs crossed, and I did like disco music (in addition to rock), but that was about it. Now, people can use these traits as "evidence", but at the time, they were just something to make people wonder.
Did my parents know? No. I wouldn't say they were totally stunned, or that I turned their world topsy-turvy by telling them, but I do think it was somewhat of a surprise. They took it extremely well, though. They always do.
Lex