Having the strong personality that I did/do, I didn’t follow any of the rules. At the time, for me it seemed like once one decided to “come out” there was almost an unwritten set of rules on how to act/declare your “gayness”.
When I “came out” back in the 80’s (here in LA after moving from a small Mid-west town) one of my biggest complaints was what I viewed as “forced” gay acting.