I just read through it myself - what a trip!
Honestly, that just wasn't a happy time. The TinMan was a public school teacher, and because of my postings here making it clear he was a gay man, they were threatening to get him fired - literally months before his retirement. We live in a VERY conservative community, so I had to take the threat seriously.
Would I have carried on so much if I wasn't so freaked out? Probably not. Or even if I 'knew what I do now'? Again, probably not.
But it really is an interesting read for me - and honestly, makes me happy for the relationships that got acknowledged publically - and continue to this day