Sorry, one more point. You said: "Does not the concept of dressing and behaving in a way that openly makes the statement of your sexual preference, make it easy for those that would not accept you to identify and harm you?"

If this were the case, would hetero men who whistle at women, leer at women, make suggestive remarks or gestures at women, be "openly making a statement about their sexual preference"? And, would that mean it should be open season on them by anyone who did not want to accept their sexual preference? There are examples of this all over the media and in life, all of the time.

I don't think that it's so much the gay community wanting to be exclusive, as safe. Also, the gay community, in general, willingly works within the general community, when accepted, esp. for a common cause. In our organisation here, the Wyoming Grassroots Project, an org. for human rights, we have made sure all minority communities feel welcome, heard, and included: gay, African American, Hispanic, hetero, etc.

kat