I'm a gay woman, it's not the most interesting thing about me...

Let's be real, I'm hilarious. I am a hoot and a half. It has nothing to do with my sexuality or the fact that I'm a woman (aside from some wonderful opportunities for a good gay or women's rights joke, here or there).

I have many interesting qualities and hobbies. I write screenplays. I sing in an acappella group. I enjoy hard boiled eggs (t'is the season). My hair was once platinum blonde (in retrospect, bad idea).

My sexuality is only a piece of me. Erin's post really got me thinking about that. It made a lot of sense to me. Why do we have to constantly debate about race and ethnicity and how this affects us as individuals? We all come from such diverse backgrounds, why can't we just celebrate it?

Having said that, in today's political climate we HAVE to identify as what we are. Identifying yourself as a member of an ethnic, racial or social community is probably one of the most political things you can do. For example, gay rights are still largely unfulfilled. We can't get married in any state, we can't get the same benefits, people can still be fired for being gay or transsexual, there aren't hate crime protection laws in every state. THAT is why I'm so vocal about my sexuality. It's not the most interesting thing about me, this is true. But, it's something for me that has to be known, because I want to incite change. When you identify yourself, you become a part of the community and a part of the fight. We put a human face on the "issue." Sometimes we just HAVE to be loud.

But I do understand that for some people, coming out is not an option. There are many hostile climates out there that are not conducive to the LGBT community. But that is exactly why those of us who can, have to fight about it. I do it for them. This is why we have to debate these things and talk about these things. They may not be ALL of who we are; that's a common misconception the world sees. But it has to be something we embrace, so we can usher in change and make it better for those who have no options left but to hide.