LGBTQIA+ And Other Confusing Acronyms: Do Labels Really Matter?

Human identity and sexuality are complex, and at the same time, also oh, so, very, simple. That is, we’d all like to be accepted by others, we’d all like to be free from discrimination, we’d all like the freedom to be who we are without nasty consequences. Then, many of us would like engage in romantic and sexual relationships and/or activities.

So, where do these labels come in, and do they really matter? Can’t you just be who you are, without committing to a label?

Humans have, since the dawn of our existence, formed relationships, engaged in sexual activity, reproduced, and loved. Throughout human history in different parts of the world, various forms of gender expression and sexual expression were deemed either acceptable or unacceptable by different societies.

There has been and continues to be an awful lot of discrimination, an awful lot of human rights violations, against those who happened to fall on a part of the spectrum of being human that was deemed and is deemed unacceptable by far too many people. Despite recent strides, discrimination against non-straight people is still very much an issue, to say the least.

Do labels matter, then? Of course they do. Being able to proudly shout “I’m gay”, “I’m trans”, “I’m bisexual”, “I’m me”, without repercussions, matters. In a world where your very identity is denied, spat on, or even both at the same time, being able to proudly claim that identity, to name it, matters. Being able to establish contacts, whether for social purposes or to fight for your rights, matters.

Labels: There For You (Or Not)

At the same time, labels to describe human gender identity and sexuality, even as many as there are today, can also be limiting to any one individual. We’re all different, after all, and we don’t all remain the same throughout our lives either.

READ Is Binary Transgender Acceptance Another Trap For Non-Binary Trans People?

There are those who feel pressured to “pick a label”, those for whom the current forest of labels feels confusing and intimidating rather than empowering. Being a “pansexual, not a girl but not a boy”, is a fine self-made label, if you feel this honestly describes you, and you’re happy. Your gender identity and your sexual identity may well be fluid as well, and that, too, is absolutely fine: you owe it to nobody to pick a label and stick with it for life.

Humans are complex, after all, and yet so simple: you just want to be you, and to be accepted.