Coming Out of the "Americloset"

That was the name of the event tonight. The Pride Alliance event.
It's funny, i didn't expect there to be a pride alliance here. but i'm realizing after tonight's event that i need it here more than i ever needed it in college. Drew, for all people may have said good and bad about the atmosphere, was incredibly accepting compared to the outside world. And especially for me, with the bubble i built for myself there, it was easy to be comfortable with being out.
Going to camp last year, I wasn't sure i wanted to be out... i just hadn't decided yet. But i did have a girlfriend that i was completely in love with, and the very idea that i wouldn't talk about her was pretty rediculous. So instead of not coming out to anyone, i came out within the first 5 minutes of conversation with the first person i had a conversation with. And Harriman 2006 wasn't 100% comfortable with my being gay, no one was ever mean to me about it. I hope that by my being just simply there and out, they became more comfortable with the world outside of heteronorms.
Pretty much the same thing happened last fall when i got to new york. the words "my girlfriend" just popped out of my mouth, and though i considered gender ambiguity for a second or two, i just didn't bother.
Back at camp this summer, i was so completely comfortable and in my zone that it was not even close to a question of being in or out.
So here I am, in yet another new situation. And I've been out to myself for years, to my friends for almost the same length of time. And now that i'm out to my parents, i guess i sort of feel invincible. They were the last frontier, and now that they know and are by and large ok, i don't even think about people being unaccepting. Generally i challenge people by dropping my sexuality like some sort of grenade, just to see how it'll hit them, whether they'll explode, implode, or just be cool with it. I don't care how it affects people. If someone i consider my friend doesn't accept me for who i am, then i pretty much think 'fuck them' and can't be asked to further pursue a friendship.
But my team... it's a completely different question. This is a group of people who have been thrown together. And despite our different beliefs and backgrounds, we are all going to be living and working together for the next 10 months. And for the first time in a long time, i feel that i need to approach the situation more gently, not just for my sake but for their sake. One by one, i'm feeling people out and getting to know them. I'm trying to figure out who would be able to handle knowing now and who needs some time. Basically, I want to know that the individuals on my team see me as a whole person, and not as a label. I really hate being pigeonholed into one label. I want them to see me first as a hardworking dedicated member of my team. Second as a compassionate individual invested in doing my part to improve the situations of people in this country who need my and our help. After that, i want them to see me as the opinionated, lighting obsessed, sociologically thinking, theatre loving, book loving, movie loving, music loving, quiet, intelligent, leadership qualityful, queer liberal feminist that i am. All of it.