Once the most invisible of minorities, Oklahoma's homosexuals are tentatively pushing open their closet doors and, to use their own phrase, 'coming out.'
In this, the first of a series, the status of gays in Oklahoma is examined. For that reason, many sources are referred to by initials or by a business affiliation. Some gays shared their secret on the condition it go no farther. The following series of stories, written collaboratively, seeks to put months of watching, several hundred hours of taped interviews and the lives of several hundred gay Oklahomans into focus. It took that long to move freely in a world of secrets, to get beyond bars and into living rooms, businesses and minds. Editor's Note: Oklahoman staff writers Terrie Clifford, Jim Killackey and Kevin Stoner have spent the past four months getting to know Oklahoma's homosexual community.