I’ve recently seen many labels being debated in the LGBT+ community.
Some claiming one is more valid than another. Is this really true? I say no!
To explain my position let’s go grocery shopping for someone else. Here is the abbreviated list of items you are tasked with buying:
- Apples
- Milk
- Bread
You decide to go to your favorite store because you are familiar with it and you feel confident you can buy the items needed there.
As you walk into the produce section a dilemma, unbeknown to you, begins to form. There are 4 bins of apples. Red Delicious, Fuji, Gala, and Granny Smith.
Which apple do you choose for the person you are shopping for? You choose the classic Red Delicious without even really thinking. This process continues and you choose your favorite varieties of the items on the list.
When you drop the items off to your friend you can easily see the disappointment on their face. What did you do wrong? You purchased everything on the list.
I’ll explain using only the apples as the example.
Sure you purchased apples but not ones usually used when baking a pie. The label you chose did not fit the purpose.
This is an over simplification of how and why labels have so many variations. Each label has a specific purpose. Does choosing one label over another matter? Yes! It matters a great deal. Does your choice or belief in how a label fits you invalidate how another person chooses their label? Absolutely not.
A label someone chooses is as unique as that person. Some people change labels based on how they feel at the moment they are asked to provide one. Others rarely choose multiple labels.
All labels are equally descriptive and valid.