I am a real American.

I am a bisexual, atheist feminist. I am a mother to two children, and the wife of a bisexual enlisted Army man, who is currently deployed to Iraq. (For that reason, I am anonymous; even though we are monogamous, the very fact that my husband has told me he is bisexual is enough to earn him a dishonorable discharge. Don't Ask, Don't Tell applies even to the husband-wife relationship.)

I am a survivor of three years of constant sexual abuse, I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I am a walkaway from the neo-Pentecostal movement--they would call me a backslider and reprobate. When I was still with their church, I was called demon-possessed. My extended family has disowned me, because I turned my abuser, my father, into the police.

I do my best to shop both organic and local. Every day I try to live more "green." We have a vehicle, but I often use The Bus (and I'm proud that O'ahu has such a wonderful public transit system). I go to a small yoga studio that is owned and operated by a woman. I am a huge fan of FreeCycle.

I have an auto-immune disease called fibromyalgia. I lost custody of my children because of my diagnosis, and because I walked with a cane. I am fighting to regain custody. I hate that people assume I am a bad mother.

I am a housewife who does temp work. I love to cook, bake, and make candy. I sew, crochet, and embroider for fun. I would love to learn how to spin and weave. I have brewed beer, and I make cordials. I redact old recipes. I am proud of these skills. They do not make me any less of a feminist.

I read voraciously. The classics, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, biographies, even dictionaries and encyclopedias. Web comics, blogs, and list serves are also part of my diet.

I have never voted before, because I was deeply conflicted. This is the first year that I've registered, and I will vote, although neither candidate really stands for everything that I believe in. I believe in the separation of church and state; clergy should not be performing legal marriages. Any consenting adults, regardless of gender or orientation, should be able to be legally married. I believe that anyone who volunteers for the military should be allowed to serve in any position that they are qualified for, again regardless of gender or orientation. I believe that everyone has the right to health care. I wish that the government could be smaller, and that anyone who is proved to be corrupt would be kicked out of office and barred from ever running again.

I am tired of being invisible. I am a real American.