Quote:
Originally Posted by Patagonia
When I was much younger (teens) I was “labeled” mentally ill. I guess this came as a comfort bec I didn’t fit anywhere.
In hindsight it’s the worst label I ever had & have carried it for over 40 yrs. along with many other labels from my youth when I I was still figuring things out.
Maybe I just hate the word “label.”
Is there a sexual label called, “Exploring?”.....Or TBA?” Can you find a welcoming community just based on other people’s friendship or personalities & not based on their sexual identity? I would hope a community would accept anyone, but maybe this is where my age comes into play & I don’t understand.
Maybe it reminds me of the stigma of going to college as “undeclared” when others knew their majors. Then not realizing that close to 80% of freshmen change their majors.
I just do not like labels bec they lead to stereotypes which are usually wrong about a person.
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I think there are a lot of communities where your sexual orientation doesn't matter. We have a small "queer" community here and I don't know if or what labels the others have (don't care either), they somehow feel that they belong and that's all that matters.
But sometimes you might want to reach out to others with similar experiences specific in this context. I mean, this whole forums existance is because of this.
And if you want a label to look into specific topics or have good access to ressources, I don't see the harm. This doesn't mean you need a label, but if it helps - why not?
I'm all against stereotyping, but I have a problem if I'm not allowed to self identify myself because others can't deal with it.
I'm sorry to hear about the stigma you faced! Don't know if it's an age thing or a local thing. At least when I was in school, most didn't knew what to do after graduation.
But I was a cast out because I didn't fit with neither the girls, nor the boys and labeling myself genderqueer gave me access for understanding myself and reaching out to a loving community with a sense of belonging that I never felt before.