LMo and Heidu,

I am not sure if or what I would say to my boss. She is basically a good person and I am not worried about her abusing the info. I think if I say anything it will be vague, something like I have been having personal "issues" (gak! I hate that word used that way) and know I have been irritable and distracted, and that I am actively working on resolving them.

I had not even noticed the gender talk turning to homo talk. I talked to a therapist yesterday and one of the things she said was how common for most people to lump all gender/sexuality issues into one and call it gay. I did and still do this. Until very recently it was one of the mechanisms of my denial; I am not attracted to men, therefore I am straight and these other thoughts are just too weird and must be ignored. I have since learned there are many colors and shades of gender/sexuality other than 100% pure straight. It is almost like I have been learning a new ability to see and feel things never seen or felt before by me or most other people. It is really rather nifty.

I think that mental issues are very similar. Many people think you are either mentally healthy or you are mentally ill. The reality is there are many colors and shades of psychs. Some of them are dysfunctional and difficult, only a few are bad or evil.

Society is eventually well served by "outing" because the more exposure we all have to all our differences, the more tolerant we can become and the more we can learn to love our diversity. On the other hand, outing is a difficult personal choice. It is very difficult knowing you personally risk misunderstanding, ridicule, and harassment because society is not yet at a place where diversity is valued.

Oh oh! My boss has arrived. I must get to work now.

Wherever you go, there you are