Labels

Hrmmm... I suppose it just depends on the person, I can't give a yes or no to this because honestly I think it's a very individualistic thing...

 

mostly, yeah.
for example: you could meet a transgender person (whom you didn't know was) who hasn't fully transitioned yet and you'd naturally mistake their gender for their biological one, so that sort of labeling could prevent offensive stereotyping or using inappropriate pronouns.
or, erm, if you were interested in someone, whose sexual orientation doesn't allow them to like your gender (am I making any sense? English is tricky...), then you could avoid some awkwardness by knowing it straight away.

I don't know if I explained myself well...

I guess labeling is okay as along as people label themselves.

 

I think it does because most of us grow up with the overwhelming feeling of not belonging, so having a specific group of people that you identify with can be a huge relief.

 

I voted "not sure".

I think it really depends from the person. About me, it seems that only one word isn't enough to describe my gender identity. "Androgyne" is the nearest one but I feel it's still too vague. The same about the word "genderqueer".
I don't like to say only "I'm a woman" either, because I feel like I'm hiding something important (that is my manly temper).
So, "androgynous woman with a manly brain" is the right combination of words.

 

They work for some people and not for others. For me, they're great but I can understand why others don't use them.

 

They work to the extent that other people can understand what you're talking about...

 

As scientist and kinda OCD person, I must say yes. I love labels, well-defined terms, no waste of time in unsure explanations, a word and everyone understands what are you saying.
The problem is that we haven't enough labels, or we gave them too soon and someone thinks that they are permanent.

 

I think they do, but honestly, I'm having a lot of trouble labeling my sexuality at the moment. I've already changed my label on this site a couple times. I just try not to worry about it too much.

 

Yes. You are not obliged to use them. It doesn't matter that you don't know all labels, but there are at least some that can describe you a bit. =) So in my opinion, it always seems to be an improvement. =]

 

I voted yes. The way my personality is set, I love labels. As Mith said, it makes things so much clearer and more understandable. It's very human to categorize and label things.

But it also limits yourself, the more specific and clearer you get. Thus, I can understand why individuals who don't like labels feel the way they do.

 

I think they do. Do they work for everyone? Not always, but it's always good to find something to lessen the explanations. Maybe you have to add extra bits here and there, but it does cut off a lot of explanation if the label is too vague.

 

Some people obsess over labeling themselves (which is obvious by the multitude of new sexual orientation and gender labels that pop up constantly that nobody really understands except a small group of people...) and I feel it must be unhealthy. I think it is best not to worry.

 

Labels make things easier for people who are educated about them.

Labels make things harder for people who:

1) Aren't educated about the labels
2) Don't care to be educated about the labels
3) Don't have any compassion for people aren't straight and whose lived experience is not described by "lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender." These are the people who take to EC, Tumblr, and elsewhere to complain about people "making shit up" and about "why can't we all just be people?"

 

Second.

 

No one is obliged to use labels or like them at all, but I personally think that labels make things a lot easier. Though, I believe it's better for a person to label themselves rather than let others do so.

 

Some people want a nice little package, that they can use to explain themselves to others. This is fine... until the individual becomes so determined to find a label, it just eats away at them.

It is irony at it's finest, that despite the intent of labels to clarify and compress, they tend to, still, remain too vague for many.

 

I think it depends on the person and if you feel better with a label. I have been called trans and tomboy before and I dont take it hard. I feel like what I am which is a boyish girl. I think I would feel better if i was trans but not sure.

 

If your toothpaste tube resembles a tube of Preperation H then yes labels make things much easier

As for the human side I really dont care. No matter what I call myself I am me and thats all I could ever ask for.

 

This is about how I would have said it. I think trying to define something as complex as a person is a very hard thing to do, and can result in pressure and issues to completely fit. I used to get really bad anxiety because I felt the need to choose a label to define who I was.