As an immigrant to the U.S., I have a somewhat different story to tell. A quarter century ago when I was applying for a green card (permanent residency), I was still in the closet. I had known I was gay since high school but in a small town in the 1960's in Canada, being openly gay was unheard of. Even in college in Toronto, being openly gay was rare although there was a campus organization called the "U. of T. Homophile Association." With a challenging engineering curriculum to deal with, I like so many other gay men of my time, simply put off dealing with my sexuality.
Then came grad school where I was accepted at several schools but opted for one south of the border in upstate New York. Again, more years of the closet but with a few tentative steps out - going to a gay bar for the first time as well as attending my first gay community organization meeting.
But still, I felt I couldn't fully come out. You see, in those days, homosexuality was grounds for exclusion from the U.S. - I think it came under the heading of "moral turpitude." The years passed and I finished grad school and took a job with a U.S. company. They brought me on board under the practical experience provision for student visas at the time and eventually switched me over to various temporary visas as we prepared for the green card application.
Finally we were ready to go, having all the paperwork, labor certification, health exams, etc. completed for the application. The final step before the INS wheels would really begin grinding away was a personal interview with an INS officer. All this time, I had become more involved with the gay community, dating guys, and getting involved in gay organizations but I was not out to straight people by any stretch of the imagination. Plus I was still aware of the "moral turpitude" U.S. immigration exclusion. I also had heard of it actually being applied to would-be immigrants and became increasingly concerned about what could happen during my INS interview. So much so that I decided to meet with an immigration attorney and ask for his advice.
When I got to his office, he ushered me in and we discussed my application. I showed him all the paperwork. After looking it over, he said to me "well, everything looks to be in order, why did you come to me today?" I took a deep breath and then said "well, um, I'm concerned there might be a problem, because, well, um, I'm gay." There was a brief silence followed by the attorney, exclaiming "Gay?!!" Then, he got up, went over to his door, closed it, returned and sat down. He said he doubted it would be a problem but I asked what I should do if the INS officer asked me directly if I was gay. He checked some references, then proceeded to develop exactly what I should say if asked the question so as not to admit or deny anything. He continued to insist that they were very unlikely to ever ask the question but that if they did, and I said what he advised, my application might be put on hold but would not be immediately denied. He went on to say, if it happened, to come back to him for more advice. I was relieved and there ensued a bit of small talk. I was just getting ready to leave and he said, "you know, I messed around with a friend of mine once as a teenager and always wondered if I might actually be gay." So I became the adviser and reassured him that just because he had one or two experiences as a kid didn't mean anything about his sexual orientation. He seemed as relieved as I was with his advice on the INS interview! So we shook hands and parted with him wishing me luck and stating once again the INS interviewer wouldn't ask the gay question. After I left, I chuckled to myself and thought I should be billing him for advice!
Well, I had my interview and of course, the gay question wasn't asked and I got my green card. Years later, when I applied to become a citizen, that old provision of the law was no longer in force fortunately, so I had no worries in that regard. But I've never forgotten that odd interaction with the immigration attorney. I hope I put his mind at ease that day as much as he did mine.