Hello, AE People! Lovely neighborhood you have here, I'm hoping to get to know everyone. I've been lurking for a while, but it's time for me to join the party!

Well, I'm 23, Female, 5'10", I work full-time in the Psychology/Sociology field, working on my Masters part-time, 'smallish' city in MD (ie: Not the Baltimore or DC Metro areas).

I was unsure whether I was "Bi but Primarily Female-Oriented" or "Lesbian who kind of enjoys driving 'Stick-Shift' now and then", but I've recently accepted that I'm Lesbian - My GF of 2 years was thrilled! =)

Honestly, I prefer just identifying myself as a "Female Human Being" - I'm not really a fan of 'Labels'. I'm not exactly 'Out' or 'In' - Who I sleep with is personal to me - Just as most straight people don't say "Hi, I'm ****, and I'm straight", I don't say "Hi, I'm Ali, and I'm lesbian"; When guys ask me out, I just say "Sorry, I'm in a relationship, but Thanks anyway" (with girls...it depends...). ...maybe between my conservative upbringing and living in a fairly conservative area, I'm avoiding confrontation? My family and straight friends do know, and are supportive, but I think they'd mostly still prefer me to be 'more traditional' (sound familiar?)

I am in a relationship, but for many reasons (and by mutual agreement) we're both 'Open'.  Also, we each maintain seperate identities - I don't discuss my GF in any detail - misunderstandings are just too easy, and not all damage can be fixed. I know 99.9% of you are wonderful people, but this is an open site, and we've learned to be careful from experience. You may already realize that some bad things have happened to us in the past, but Hey, we're here to have fun right now!

I don't offend easily, and if I do or say something that bothers you, Please tell me, but also Please try to be polite and respectful. THANKS!

...and Yes, my name really is Alice (Thanks, Mom), but my friends call me Ali!