What’s The Point Of Labels?

What’s the point of labels?

I see this question all the time.

“Whats the point of labels? Microlabels just make things more complicated.”

“There’s no need for more then a few labels. Just use one or two labels.”

And there are a few big reasons why people use microlabels, or may use many labels. I can speak from personal experience, as I use 24 labels for my orientation!

1. Microlabels let people be specific. 

Not all people care about being specific, or a simple labels like gay or bi is specific enough for them. But sometimes hetero, bi, gay, pan or omni are not specific enough. 

Someone may have also have split attraction. They may be heterosexual, panromantic and andro-aesthetic. They may be conformable with just being called panromantic, but some people may not feel comfortable with that label, or don’t feel represented in just that one label. 

Labels are a type of expression and representation. Someone may not feel like the word “bisexual” represents their full attraction. They may feel like their sexuality is fluid, flux, free, spiritual, etc. and that is not “traditionally represented in the word bisexual. They may feel like the word bisexual is restricting, may give people a false idea about them if they use bisexual. 

Some people feel comfort in having one label and like not being specific (or feel like one label is specific enough), but some people fine comfort in microlabels. 

This is the same for gender labels. “Transman” may not feel personal enough, or may lead people to make ideas about them, disregarding the spiritual, fluid, flux, free, feminine, etc. part of their identity as a man. That’s why some may use labels like boyflux, deaboy, magiboy, etc. When one says, “I’m a man” people are usually lead to believe that they are masculine, binary, stable (not fluid/flux/fluix), and that cuts out the deep, personal, etc. part of their identity that doesn’t naturally come with the idea of being a man. 

2. Someone may fit multiple labels. 

Many people find a few labels they fit and are comfortable with that one label. 

But some people may feel like they fit both pansexual and bisexual. Or they may be genderfluid, but don’t feel comfortable with genderfluid, and would rather describe themselves as female, demigender, novigender and agender all at the same time. 

Someone may also still be questioning themselves. They may be questioning between agender, demigender and dryagender, and feel comfortable with using  all of those terms. 

3. It makes people more comfortable.

The soul purpose of labels is to make people more comfortable with themselves and to represent themselves. 

Whether its “I’m a lesbian transwoman” or “I’m a gynosexual idemromantic pangender boyflux person.”

You should use whatever labels you fit, and however many you want. 

If anyone tries to stop you from using “micro Tumblr labels”, ignore them and just remember that those labels are for you, and you use them for you. 

They do not effect anyone else. 

They are tools for you to feel more at home in your body and mind.