Still shocked by The question: Are you gay?

You might have heard read it before and I'll probably say it again many times in the future: I have a very crappy job as a call center agent ("warm outbound" for those who know what that means). But my working hours are very flexible and it pays my bills so it matches my needs right now.

While working yesterday evening, a customer suddenly asked me if I was gay or straight after being on the phone for about one minute. I was flabbergasted! I didn't know how to respond; the first thing that popped into my mind was saying I thought that was a very personal question, so that's what I said. The customer told me he was curious if his suspicions were right, so I told him he was right: I am gay. He was content he was right. After my confession I asked him if he was gay; he wasn't.

The incident left me wondering about two things. First of all: is it that obvious I'm gay just by hearing my voice? Maybe... but most of my colleagues are still totally in the dark about the fact that I like men, even after working with me 16 hours a week for more than two months. The second thing that's bothering me is: why didn't I just respond by saying that I indeed am gay? Why was I flabbergasted and why did I consider refusing to tell the customer my sexual preference? If he had asked for my age or hair color I'd immediately answer him. I thought I was past the point that I made a point about telling anyone I'm gay. If someone asks me face-to-face, I've always told them I'm gay, even if it might have been wise not to. I'm confused... maybe it's because I was at "a non-sexual environment" like my job. (Ehrm... well, non-sexual... that's not entirely true. There are several very, very hot guys at work so I tend to think about sex regularly at work). Maybe it's because it was none of the customer's business. But still... The incident will probably haunt me for several more days.

PS. The customer did buy what I wanted to sell to him, even though initially he had doubts about buying it. He had no problems with the fact that I'm gay.