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I wonder whether you actually know any gay people, or just believe what you see on TV. I've never been in a gay pride march or anything like that. I don't wear pink, I don't sing or dance, I'm not a hairdresser or a model, I don't have a camp voice, I don't do anything sterotypically gay. The only gay thing I do is have a boyfriend, and even then I don't flaunt him around everywhere or do inappropriate things in public. However, that doesn't mean I'm treated the same as a straight person. I should be able to kiss my boyfriend in public, just like a straight couple can, but I can't because at the very least I'd get funny looks and tuts, but I could realistically get beaten up or even killed for it. It happens. I should be able to marry my boyfriend, should we decide to do that, just like a straight couple can. But I can't. Nor can we adopt children, have the same rights, or have the same tax benefits that straight couples can. If I tell someone I'm gay, I quite often get told "please don't hit on me". That drives me INSANE! Do straight guys hit on every girl they see just because they like women? No. Just because I like guys (not girls) doesnt mean I like you. In fact, the chances are you're incredibly ugly to me and I can't wait to look somewhere else. And let's not forget the sterotypes of promiscuity, sexual deviancy and being disease ridden. Most gay people have LESS sex than straight people because they can't come out at school/college/work and they struggle to find someone else gay. In San Francisco I think sexually active gay people are fractionally more likely to have HIV/AIDS, but I don't, and I wish people wouldn't ask if I do. Although you seem to understand that it doesn't make a difference to our job, you seem to think we want to make everything pink and gay. That's not the case. Just in case you were wondering, I was in the military, and I am a police officer. I agree that there's no point in telling everyone you meet. I never told my colleagues at work, because it wasn't relevant. But I shouldn't have to lie about it. I shouldn't have to pretend to stare at breasts, and answer questions about which intern I'd like to bend over the photocopier. I should be able to tell people "well actually I like guys, not girl", just like "well actually I like blondes, not brunettes". If it is relevant, I should be able to tell people, and it shouldn't be a big deal. I shouldn't be forced to listen to people talking about fags and queers like we're all a bunch of rapists and pedophiles without being able to speak up. But thanks to people like you, I have to lie. Some people deal with this opression by going out on big parades. Some people flaunt their sexuality in their attire and demeanour. I just get on with it, and try to change peoples attitudes positively. So stop treating us as all the same, all one community, all fitting the stereotype, all working together to turn the world pink. Please don't assume that I'm going to rape your children or dance my way to the bar to buy a girly cocktail. We're not the same.