Queer people spend a lot of time thinking about labels. Picking one that fits, reclaiming offensive ones to alter their meaning, trying to avoid them entirely. Lately, I’ve started to worry about acquiring a label I never selected for myself: gay journalist.
I just finished an internship, and I’m returning to the freelancer’s constant search for work, so I’ve been looking back over my portfolio and wondering: when editors read through my clippings, do they see reviews, news pieces, and columns, or do they see reviews of gay books, gay news, and a column about queer politics? I didn’t set out to be a professional lesbian. I haven’t decided yet what sort of journalist I want to be when I grow up so I want to keep my options open, but I worry that the more queer-themed writing I do, the more the label starts to stick.
