There is a gap in queer theory and higher education literature, regarding how queer university teachers negotiate their sexuality in cross-cultural classrooms. This article moves to address this gap by examining the complex intersection between gay teacher identity and cross-cultural sensitivity, evident in the stories of two queer academics. Robert is an Aboriginal-Australian gay man who coordinates a pre-university enabling programme for Indigenous students--he outs himself to his students; Jane is a White-Australian lesbian who coordinates a pre-university acculturation programme for international postgraduates--she stays in the closet. Critical analysis of their stories finds that whether to, how to and when to "come out" to their students is carefully considered in light of the personal, pedagogical and political implications this revelation might have.