I'm from the Netherlands -yes, I happen to live very close to Amsterdam- and I came out in the 70s when Holland seemed a bit more tolerant in more senses than one than it is today. I'm an English teacher and have always been able to be open about my sexual orientation at school or anywhere else for that matter. Thus being a lesbian has never been too great an issue. I have been in a relationship for more than 25 years, we even got married a few years ago, and our son is now 11. Lately I have felt more intensely aware of being lesbian.