Splitting Nits and Picking Hairs: CoffeeWhore on Sexual Identity Politics

I've never written about something as touchy as sexual identity politics before. Usually I confine myself to things like shoes-- DragonFruit and I share the same size, and so that makes for much convenience at times, and cameraderie... But here I go, avoiding the subject that I set out to discuss when I came here, essentially by saying, "Hey, nice shoes!..."

There's an end to that sentence that cannot be said in polite company.

Digression, it is key for the CoffeeWhore.

**What's in a name?**

It came up recently the question of whether I qualify as a "diversity student" according to San Liberal U's standards, where I attend grad school. I'm on the market this year, looking for a job. San Liberal U was holding a fair for employers looking to "diversify their faculty"-- holding informal interviews and such.

• I'm a Caucasian female. That's neither here nor there anymore on the diversity scale.

• I'm bipolar. We'll be keeping that one under our hats for now. It makes me diverse, but in a scary "can-she-be-relied-upon" way.

• I'm bisexual... And suddenly I'm Capital-D diverse! WTF?!
  

But, there are a couple problems with "being bisexual".

1. It's not something that easily announces itself, not that I would really need to since technically, technically, this career fair was "open to all".
   
   
2. I'm not very fond of the term "bisexual". Why? Because it still has baggage. And in spite of the fact that my last pseudoname is "Whore", this has nothing to do with my bisexuality-- which many, many people would assume it does. There's still a stigma about bisexuality, in that a whole sector of the population equate it with the phrase "Will Sleep With Anyone".

And so, what, do I walk into this career fair wearing a sign that says "I'm Diverse! Trust me! I really, really am!"

Or do I just not go, and cower again behind my apparent Snarky-Tweed-Wearing-Academic Normalcy.

I don't like the term bisexual; I like "queer", but I hesitate to use it for a variety of reasons, which I'm sure will become apparent over time; I'm not going to ennumerate them today.

So, Diversity Fair... How open are you to a diversity that has relatively little transparency? And really, really, how fair is it that I be weighed and measured in this way, or have to prove myself to you, give you my diversity credentials, as it were? I might as well give you my sexual C.V.-- that's what this feels like.

I am not pleased.

In fact, I am rather perturbed.

DragonFruit, care to venture a response? I do not wish to put words in your mouth like I did with Gordon.