Well I felt like making this thread due to the gay marriage thread in the cafe specifically a post by Comatose about doing away with the label.
I attended a convention type thing in Wisconsin this last weekend with my bf which was for gay student groups across the midwest. One of the lecture I went to was about labels and the upside and downside of them.
Labels such as anything in the GLBTQ most importantly tells people an important but personal part of yourself. Yes there are some negative stereotypes and depending on the person using the word other negative meanings meant by it. But there will always be a label, whether wanted or not, so using that label as a positive thing is often more comforting if in fact you end up identifying as any of these things. I am gay but to me it doesn't mean I'm flamboyant, or crazy into sex, or have anything wrong with me. To me it means I just like guys while being a guy, it means I am a part of a community that will support me when people try to hurt me for not being "normal". Above all to me it means I am no longer afraid to stand up for what I feel is right.
The hardest thing I dealt with when I first came out was with my own personal beliefs, because I had two different things inside me that just outright conflicted. In the end though I realized it was a natural feeling I felt, but more importantly I realized it would be horrendously wrong to pretend to love someone in a way I never could. Breaking someones heart to that degree would never be worth it. I soon realized that perhaps what I thought as absolute contradiction within me, really was compatible, after all many people were fine with homosexuality regardless of creed.
The label did hurt a bit because I did not want to be what it often implies stereotypically, but I realized most of those people were just using it wrong, adding on extra meanings to its intended meaning that I really don't think should work.
Labels can hurt when meant to, but they can also be empowering. A weird balance. If any of you have any questions about anything to do with this please ask me either here or via PM if you don't feel comfortable.
I attended a convention type thing in Wisconsin this last weekend with my bf which was for gay student groups across the midwest. One of the lecture I went to was about labels and the upside and downside of them.
Labels such as anything in the GLBTQ most importantly tells people an important but personal part of yourself. Yes there are some negative stereotypes and depending on the person using the word other negative meanings meant by it. But there will always be a label, whether wanted or not, so using that label as a positive thing is often more comforting if in fact you end up identifying as any of these things. I am gay but to me it doesn't mean I'm flamboyant, or crazy into sex, or have anything wrong with me. To me it means I just like guys while being a guy, it means I am a part of a community that will support me when people try to hurt me for not being "normal". Above all to me it means I am no longer afraid to stand up for what I feel is right.
The hardest thing I dealt with when I first came out was with my own personal beliefs, because I had two different things inside me that just outright conflicted. In the end though I realized it was a natural feeling I felt, but more importantly I realized it would be horrendously wrong to pretend to love someone in a way I never could. Breaking someones heart to that degree would never be worth it. I soon realized that perhaps what I thought as absolute contradiction within me, really was compatible, after all many people were fine with homosexuality regardless of creed.
The label did hurt a bit because I did not want to be what it often implies stereotypically, but I realized most of those people were just using it wrong, adding on extra meanings to its intended meaning that I really don't think should work.
Labels can hurt when meant to, but they can also be empowering. A weird balance. If any of you have any questions about anything to do with this please ask me either here or via PM if you don't feel comfortable.
