Although I don't think that either one of those phrases by itself was particularly unrealistic. I've had a gay friend use something similar to the first line on me (we were a bit older, but not much—maybe 19 or so) and I thought the phrase "coming out" was perfectly natural in that context. I think it's the using them together that did it.

To me the biggest tip-off was his MySpace page (Claire's was an Easter Egg on the website, and hers links to his), which lists his sexuality as "Not Sure."

And an enormous number of people commenting on the website and on the MySpace pages after the episode last night still don't get it.