| Carolyn Hax is away. The following first appeared Aug. 5, 2011. Dear Carolyn: I’ve been dating a wonderful man for two years. He recently proposed, and I accepted, but my family is not nearly as happy about it as I am. The reason? They suspect that he is gay and that I am about to make the biggest mistake of my life. The only evidence they have is his effeminate nature, which even I admit can be over the top at times. In fact, when I first met him, I was sure he was gay, but he has since proved not to be. Beyond the wrist flicks and the strained S’s, he’s as straight as an arrow: He has never been with a man or had any interest in doing so, and his family and friends, while admitting he has a metrosexual streak, all attest to his heterosexuality. (There’s no homophobia among them, so I don’t think they’re just denying something they don’t want to see.) This is a sensitive subject in my family; both my father and stepmother married spouses who later came out, and it was an incredibly painful experience for them all. That’s not something I want to go through, but I do love this man and believe in our future together. Any advice? — Gay Marriage? | 
