Hiding from the Community
Unfortunately, however, Mr. Landis didn’t feel as though he was able to express himself fully. He was gay, but living in a conservative community caused him to fear to share this fact openly – and, as a result, he referred to his boyfriend Joe as ‘just a friend’ whenever they were seen out in public by students and their parents.
Source: Twitter
So, when Joe and Mr. Landis got engaged, they were hesitant to tell the students, as they weren’t sure how they, or their parents, would react. In particular, Mr. Landis was terrified that the students wouldn’t feel comfortable around him anymore. Therefore, he decided to keep his happy news private and set about organizing his wedding without telling anyone at school.