"Active Voice" started as a column written by P. Kristen Enos in the LGBT Orange County & Long Beach Blade Newsmagazine in 1994. It was an opportunity for her to share random serious and humorous stories as an Asian-American, Lesbian, Feminist Activist in ultra-conservative Orange County, California (nestled between Los Angeles and San Diego.) The stories in this collection are primarily from Enos's days in the UC Irvine Gay & Lesbian Student Union and her corporate world. Key events covered are the first LGBT pride event in Santa Ana in 1989 and the debut of the NAMES Project's AIDS Memorial Quilt in Irvine in 1990. Several of the anecdotes are from moments in the spirit of standing up for yourself and others.