He insisted that by being out to friends, family and colleagues, I had made myself an activist. Neither of us would budge, the paper's top editor finally made the call, and I wrote the story. Merely being gay is no longer enough to warrant much attention, and I'm not interested in easy provocation. For instance, there are gay issues in the presidential election, and suburban Atlanta teenagers coming out of the closet much earlier than people in previous generations. To many people, sexual orientation is a defining characteristic.
Double standards are often stronger than logic and empathy.
That's not the case, of course. And weary as I am of polarizing conflicts, I see them all the time. The City of Atlanta has to sue the state Insurance commissioner to offer domestic-partner benefits to its employees. George W. Bush finally meets with open homosexuals, and the religious right slaps him for it. These are important issues, and there's more to talk about.