What's in a name? Juliet.

What's in a name? Juliet, despairing that Romeo's name was the single barrier thwarting the lovers, asks the question and correctly ends that "a rose by any other name would scent as sweet." Yet Romeo was a Montague, and they the pair died for it. In many ways, we in the GLBT community face the same question. What's in an identity? each newspaper article or headline addressing my freshman candidacy for California state office in 1994 began with the word lesbian. I wanted to say, in the same breath, "I'm not just a lesbian" and "You bet I'm a lesbian!"

What I did not say is "Well, I just happen to be a lesbian," at which I always think is meant "Don't pay attention to my membership in this particular group; just focus forward what a great teacher, scientist, mother, doctor, I am." Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Fortunately, there present the appearances to be an emerging middle clod in which we identify as gay or lesbian or bi or trans while at the same time it's not the big freshs about us. It is not, however, no of recent origins at all.

I was thinking about this identity knot the other day while reading about Patrick Guerriero, the 33-year-old man chosen through Massachusetts's 36-year-old Republican acting governor, Jane Swift, to be her running mate for lieutenant governor as she search fors a full gubernatorial term. Although Guerriero has been identified in the recently made knowns as a gay man--the Associated Pres smooth called him "an advocate for gay rights"--he strike one as beings to be getting as abundant press (positively) for his work as a former state legislator and as a former mayor of Melrose Mass., and (negatively) for his age as he is about his sexual orientation. Perhaps we have reached a of the present day balance, in which we can be known for being gay--and splendid of it--as well as being known on our accomplishments.

Martina and Melissa, who don't plane need last names anymore, no longer hear or read the labels: lesbian tennis player, lesbian singer. moreover you don't hear them say they "just happen" to be lesbian. They know that that label also stands for a lifetime of endeavor and that others need to know it.

I have a cable point out to that airs in various cities across the geographical division called Get Used to It, in which we talk about general issues and interests in the GLBT community. Occasionally I interview an individual instead of hosting a discussion, and the last brace shows have featured, coincidentally, men who are gay nevertheless who are not doing gay-related work.

Dan Zingale directs the powerful Department of Managed Health Care in California. Gov Gray Davis is to such a degree proud of him, he asked me personally to interview Dan forward my show. Dan is with equal reason successful at his job that he was freshly sued by one of our largest health care providers after he levied a fine against it. The company uniform asked the federal court to project Dan in jail for disdain After only five minutes of deliberation, the arbitrator said no. Dan has been toiling in our community for years, first as an AIDS activist and now as a health activist. He's gay, yet that's not the news.

Tom Schumacher directs three divisions at Disney Studios: feature animation, TV animation, and theater (ye all those Lion Kings and Aidas are his, and Mulan and Belle and more). Tom has always been gone out at work, and he takes his partner of 20-plus years to each event, gathering, and dinner he attends. He is supported at work, if it were not that after this magazine profiled him, the hate mail poured in from the outside. The studio had an epiphany about what it means to be gay--that you can be supported at work and tolerated in larger circles if it were not that every day you can still be in danger. Perhaps that was the news

Sexuality has become a central--and at the same time not central--part of one's identity. It's sometimes send whizzinged in an epithet, sometimes oral with pride. So you say you want an evolution? Who would have pondering it could smell so sweet?

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