After years of keeping who he truly is in hiding, today 33-year-old Tristan Scraggs officially came out to friends and family as a resident of Bellevue.
“All those times I said I couldn’t pop out to share a quick sandwich with you at Honeyhole–it’s not because I wouldn’t love to inhale a sopping wet Gooch with you,” Scraggs said to a few close friends gathered at a Capitol Hill cafe this afternoon. “It’s because there’s no way I’m crossing Lake Washington again after I’ve already come home from work, and I’m not going to be ashamed about it anymore. I live in Bellevue, guys — now and forever.”
Scraggs reported being relieved to see the news made no difference to his friends.
“We kind of had a feeling all along, buddy,” laughed friend Tyler Kyle as he patted Scraggs on the shoulder. “You suggested we eat at The Cheesecake Factory one too many times — don’t worry. We love you just the same.”
Since being open about his suburban address, Scraggs said there has been some backlash from family and coworkers, one of whom left an Olive Garden gift certificate on his desk.
“Hello? Bellevue doesn’t even have an Olive Garden — that’s Totem Lake,” Scraggs said. “Not even how we roll, but people make so many assumptions.”
He says the people who matter most, though, have continued to treat him with respect.
“I even learned one of my friends lives nearby in Bellevue too — we’re right next to where one of the future East Link Light Rail stations is going to be,” Scraggs said. “I believe what he told me: It gets better.”
