This is the fourth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, and Part III before continuing.
“What if you talked more about what it was like to come out to your family?”
“But that has nothing to do with my work as a reporter.”
“But it’s part of who you are. Your readers want to get to know you as a person, not just a reporter. They want to know about your struggles growing up.”
At the moment Dana’s only struggle was trying not to roll her eyes. On the one hand, her editor was not entirely wrong. Being a lesbian was part of her identity. On the other hand, she very much doubted that straight people were encouraged to talk about being straight in their memoirs because it was “part of their identity.”
Instead, Dana said, “Being a reporter is part of my identity. I’ve always known it’s what I wanted to do. Ever since I was a kid.”
“Then talk about that. Talk about your first realization that you wanted to be a reporter. Maybe you can weave in when you first knew you wanted to be a gay reporter.”
Dana choked back a laugh and the result was that she sounded like she was being strangled.
“I’m sorry, was that not the right word? Should I have said, ‘lesbian reporter’ instead?”
A second laugh struggled to break through, but Dana was still trying to swallow the first one. She had to thump herself on the chest to try to clear her airwaves so she could attempt to breathe normally again. It took a moment, but she was eventually able to clear her throat enough to thank her editor for her time and excuse herself from the meeting.
Dana’s first words when she entered the apartment she and Kiara shared were, “Did you know that I’m a gay reporter?”
Kiara narrowed her eyes at her for a second before asking, “Is this a trick question?”
Dana hesitated, realizing as she took in the question that she wasn’t sure. “Maybe?”
“Because I know you’re gay. And I know you’re a reporter. So, technically, yes, you are a gay reporter. But calling you that sounds like it’s putting undue emphasis on your sexuality while simultaneously not putting enough emphasis on your brilliance as a reporter.”
“Thank you for calling me brilliant,” Dana said, rewarding her wife with a kiss. “And thank you for confirming my icky feelings about getting called a gay reporter from someone who is neither gay, nor a reporter.”
“Was this your editor?”
“Yep. Guess what they want me to focus on in my memoir?”
“Your sexuality.”
“That’s the one.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
Dana huffed a sigh as she plopped onto the couch. “I’m not sure. I could write about the conversation I just had for the magazine, but there’s nothing concrete enough to accuse her with. At best she sounds like a homophobe who’s trying not to sound homophobic, so she’ll still get sympathy just for trying. Or at least, making it appear as though she’s trying, even if she’s not trying very hard.”
Kiara gazed at Dana for a moment before concluding. “This calls for cheese puffs.”
“Yes, please!”
“I’ll fetch. You start up Netflix.”
To be continued…