[ Piper had sort of assumed from his general manner—not to mention his mentions of being discriminated against and not being up to date on current medical technology—that he was from at least a different time, if not a wholly different world, so he's not terribly surprised by Anatoly's visible reaction to him outing himself. His words after, though, make Piper more curious about him still. ]

I'm safe here. There are still bigots no matter where you go, it seems, but they're rarer, and less brave about it since there are better legal protections against it.

It helps that I can take care of myself, though, if it ever comes to that.

[ While it's nothing like the 50s, Piper did come out in the 80s. He's no stranger to gay bashing and homophobia, on an individual basis or institutionalized. ]