I certainly wasn't out as a premie, even to myself.  Sexuality was taboo anyway, and homosexuality was just out of the question.  I think in a way for many of us, the ashram was a convenient way to avoid dealing with our orientation.  A few people were surprised when I came out, others not at all.  Funny, the people I was the closest to were the most surprised.

I've always said that the ashrams were full of gay men -- the San Francisco ashram certainly was.   Nice people, as most premies were. [That's where I ended up, where I was when I left, and where I still live.]

I was at IHQ, and then at DECA, when I lived at the Broadripple.  I also lived in the Surfside, and for awhile in the particularly scummy, Algiers, where I slept on the floor in a room with four other people.  What a joy.

I was also community coordinator in Miami from late 1979, through 1980. 

I don't think I stood out much, was a pretty run-of-the-mill premie.  I was also considered somewhat "non-spiritual" and I wasn't much of a gopi, and that was kind of hard, especially during the "super-devotional" period.

Interesting that you worked at the residence (Malibu, or Miami?); I had a couple of encouters with Maharaji that kind of freaked me out, so, although I had some chances of doing things to have the chance to be more around him, I was kind of afraid of that, because when I was around in in small groups, I didn't like him very much.  So, I thought if I kind of kept a distance, I might be able to hang on as a devotee. (Something like that.)

I hated Miami, couldn't wait to get out of there, which was weird because that's where everyone seemed to want to be, at least the true devotees.