"Passing" for straight

I feel like such an idiot.

I was at school working on a group project with my classmates. Our project is about communication apprehension. We were discussing questions to ask in the initial part of our presentation to make people feel apprehensive and understand what that's like.
One of the kids in the group said why don't we ask "Do you think homosexuality is wrong?" That was followed by a discussion of who in the class might be gay. I was extremely uncomfortable, as I am not out at school (other than to 1, maybe two professors). I felt awful for not speaking up. I am at a small branch campus, these are all students in my major whom I will have to work with and be in class with for the next year. From their conversations, I have determined that at least two of the three are from a fundamentalist background. Even if the college experience has opened their minds somewhat, I don't know how they would've reacted to me disclosing my sexuality to them.

One part of me says, it's none of their business, and I shouldn't feel bad for keeping my business private. The other part feels like I'm denying myself and hurting others for not showing my classmates that gay people are around them all the time and they don't even know it.


One of my professors, Dr. K, refers to our part of the country as "The Mississippi of the north" for it lack of tolerance and the pervasive influcence of the fundamentalist churches. I can't say she is wrong in her assessment. Having been a fundie myself, I know their ways. They do exert a powerful influence in the everyday culture here.

I just want to go to school and be able to be myself. I guess I still have more to learn about my own communication apprehension.