Labels

[RaineOnYourParade]

I know a lot of people don't like labels, and they can be harmful, but I don't think they're all bad personally

 

If there's a name for something, you know you're not the only one experiencing it, and that can make things a little less scary

 

If I didn't ever hear the label "transgender man", I'd still be wondering why I felt the way I did, and what was wrong with me

 

If I didn't know labels like "pansexual", I would still be beating myself up for having feelings for people of all different genders

 

So, while this doesn't apply to everyone, labels did help me some -- the problem isn't labels in themselves, but rather when labels are used against people or as a stereotype 

 

...does this count as a hot take?  💀

[Carolyn Marie]

I think your view makes perfect sense, Raine.  Labels and categories can help us make sense out of something confusing, bring order to chaos, set priorities, establish groups of similar things, and many other uses.  Labels are often essential in hard science and the social sciences, too.  But they can certainly be misused and become destructive.

 

Carolyn Marie

[Betty K]

I love that trans and gender-diverse folk have a bunch of labels for gender. To me, it shows that we’re making sense of it, really taking a close look at it, breaking it down. Of course as you explore something you have an urge to categorise it, that makes perfect sense to me. And, as you say, knowing what label applies to you helps you feel less alone. Coming from a time and place where there wasn’t even a word for trans, I can vouch for the importance of that.

[April Marie]

I agree with you, Raine. Having a label - a word with a definition - can be so very helpful in understanding yourself and others.

 

To me, the danger isn't in the label but, rather, in how much of society ascribes rigid norms of behavior, of dress, and of actions to them. The majority of us in the greater LGBTQ+ communities see a fluidity, perhaps, not a hard label but a sense of recognition that helps us understand ourselves better and to garner that feeling that we are not alone (although, there are even some communities of people within the greater LGBTQ+ that see more rigidity than most of us). And, as we all know, that can lead to a belief that anything that doesn't fit into the box that carries the label is wrong, or bad.

 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if, instead of labels, life had bar codes that offered a wider description instead of a word or phrase? Scan and see the possibilities and not just one internalized definition.

 

Well, this is way too deep for having just had one cup of coffee.

 

Thanks for opening the topic, Raine! So thought-provoking.

[Charlize]

    I am also glad we have more ways to express who we are.  I must admit that i;m sometimes a bit confused, but as a 75 year old,  that is hopefully forgivable.  Heck, i'm still wrestling with my cell phone.

    Life has certainly changed for the better.  I can't help but think that being able to better define our gender or sexuality has something to do with that.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

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