When They Knew

Darin, Are You a Duck?

Darin Johnson, a publicist with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, was 11 years old when he knew—but it wasn't until he was 20 that he finally had to come to terms with being gay.

"In 1992, I was getting ready for college," Darin remembers. "My mom began the conversation, 'You know, I was watching Oprah last week. She had on a show about [men] who were gay. Oprah said something that made a lot of sense to me: If you walk like a duck, and you quack like a duck, usually you're a duck.' At that moment I closed my eyes and realized what my mom was asking me. Before I could even respond, my mom blurted out, 'Darin, are you a duck?'"