Labels and Identity

An issue we have discussed in class was the growing focus towards pathologizing sexuality in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Specifically, when we talked about important figures like Freud, Ellis, and Krafft-Ebing, we mentioned whether labels should be considered progressive or constricting. While this was mostly centered around labeling different types of sexualities for the first time, I think that a similar issue is brought up throughout the LGBTQ+ community today.

         Within the LGBTQ+ community, there are people who love their label and love the sense of identity it provides. For many people who struggled with their sexual orientation or gender identity, putting a name to their feelings was an important step towards self-acceptance and finding a community of people with similar experiences. However, on the other hand, there are people who find that labeling their sexuality is too restrictive and conformist, and often prefer umbrella terms such as “queer”, describing themselves as “fluid”, or not having any association with a label at all. I think there are valid arguments to both sides, and that this conflict relates well to our discussion of how the medicalization of sexuality was both a liberal and conservative development.

         Everyone’s experiences of coming to terms with their sexuality is unique, and this often creates very strong opinions from people on different sides of this issue. For people who do support labels, they point to it as an important tool for visibility and acceptance. I would say this is especially true for people who identify as bisexual, because media representations of people who are romantically or sexually involved with different genders are almost never characterized as “bisexual”. Television shows like Orange is the New Black, The 100, and The Good Wife provide examples of sexually fluid characters who never explicitly identify themselves as bisexual. While many show creators and opponents of labels argue that this is a positive thing that allows for people to move beyond the need for a label, bisexual people often view it as a missed opportunity for long-needed representation.

         People who do not prefer labels argue that it allows their sexuality to fluctuate without receiving criticism from those who would call them out if they didn’t exactly fit the bill of a certain identity. This is because queer people are often accused of their sexual orientation being a “phase”. For example, if a sexually fluid person identifies as a lesbian but then has a relationship with a man, people would not see this as her discovering her sexual fluidity, but rather as her “phase” being over. Queer people who prefer not to identify with a label do so because they believe it is better to allow their sexuality to be expressed without the need for limitations.

         Whether or not someone identifies with a label, one can see how it both positively and negatively affects their life. As we have seen in the development of sexuality as a scientific discipline, it will be interesting to see how our attitudes towards labels transform in the future.

Related:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/to-label-or-not-to-label-your-sexuality-that-is-the-question?utm_term=.edqz5jwdDy#.jxeoqRGv46

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a39306/why-im-not-labeling-my-sexuality/