Reply To: The need for a label

[DeeAnn Hopings]

I don’t think you said anything that is offensive as far as I can tell.

Many people get hung up on labels, but I would suggest thinking of them as descriptions and shorthand. If I wanted to tell someone how things sat for me I could say:

• I identify as Transgender, Non-Binary, Lesbian (6 words)

Or:

• I identify as Transgender because I realized that I have always been an amalgam of male and female thoughts, energies and perspectives. I am Non-Binary because I am neither completely male nor completely female in my thinking. I am primarily attracted to women. (43 words)

Which is easier?

In terms of the various descriptive words, here are a couple of sets of definitions. There are many others, but I knew where to find these 2 quickly. Note that there will be a bit of variance in how the terms are defined.

https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender
https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms