GAY LIFE

Richard Chamberlain has Come Out and he, apparently couldn't be happier. Coming out is very freeing and can be a wonderful experience. I can only imagine how much of a relief it must be for him after so many years of denial, secrecy, and fear:

"I'm 69 frigging years old and I've just come to this!" Chamberlain says in a voice that's giddy and incredulous. "Can you imagine all those years of fear? Not that I never had a good time, of course. I have good friends and I loved my career and all. But there was always this undercurrent of grngg- grngg" -- he makes a low, grinding noise -- "like something was wrong." Before he wrote the book, Chamberlain says, "if somebody gave me a sideways glance I would think it was my problem. And now! Somebody does that, I go, 'What's in your head that you're cringing at, that you're sneering about? It can't be me, 'cause you don't even know me. I'm happy!' Do you know what I'm saying? It's quite miraculous." He may be 69, but Chamberlain looks 20 years younger and exudes a kind of dazzling boyishness. He speaks in italics, grins constantly, laughs with astonished relief at the burden he's no longer carrying. "The whole experience still seems too good to be true. It's almost like having a dream where you can fly. I have a slight hesitation to talk about it because I don't want to tempt the gods with any kind of hubris."

Good4him!