I'm really glad the anime kept this in. I was worried they might not. This is the turning point for I'm in Love with the Villainess, where it becomes clear it's not just a silly isekai comedy, but a story that also earnestly discusses queer issues.
It's still fairly unusual for the kind of yuri that gets adapted to anime to outright have characters say "I'm gay", so the fact Rae frankly discusses her sexuality here is refreshing-- but on top of that, the show goes on to directly challenge homophobia.
Rae's behavior with Claire before this has been inappropriate (and they really should have toned it down in adaptations to make this convo work better, but alas) and that is acknowledged here. However, Claire moving away from Rae specifically because Rae states that she's gay is what's pointed out wrong, and the stereotype of "lesbians just can't control themselves and will creep on every woman they meet" is pointed out as wrong. This is a common stereotype that persists pretty much everywhere--the idea that it isn't "safe" for women to be around lesbians--and it is valuable that it's called out here. Gay people aren't more likely to be predatory that straight people, and that's something everyone should get through their heads.
What's more, the idea of "oh she's not gay or bi she just happened to fall in love with a woman" or "it's just a love that transcends gender" isn't a super common stereotype in the US and a lot of other countries, but it is one that pops up constantly in anime and manga, because it's seen as somehow "more okay" for a character to kiss girls if she goes out of her way to say it doesn't make her a lesbian or bi/pan. (In the novel Rae does internally mention that bisexual people exist, btw, but she's just not one of them).
So Rae bluntly saying "no gender does matter to me. I'm a lesbian. I'm only attracted to women" is refreshing. "Oh she just fell in love with that one special girl, no reflection on her sexuality whatsoever" being called out as it's own form of prejudice is a pretty big deal.
JK Rowling has used her billionaire legal team to silence a Jewish woman for telling the truth about her contempt for trans victims of the Holocaust.
Scotland’s network of “freedom of speech” organisations, as per usual, have nothing to say about the use of wealth to gag critics of the wealthy.
However fast they race to condemn the LGBT+ community for saying the names of those who harm us. Statements at the ready to insist that transphobes no one wants to work with anymore must be given every possible opportunity to gain from their bigotry.
But it's not the billionaires who are being silenced, as our media breathlessly echo their every hateful proclamation.
It's journalists and activists forced to publicly humiliate themselves under the weight and the threat of billionaire legal teams or be driven into destitution.
We deserve better. Freedom of speech needs to mean something
Y'all make fun of the outfits from Kingdom Hearts (2002), but fail to realize that they were PULLED FROM THEIR HOMES on a day that they were playing at the beach.
They HAVE normal clothes. They were wearing beach attire. Imagine being pulled through a dimensional portal while you're swimming and building sandcastles. Congrats! Your only clothes are these now: