“I like showing our community to the outside world. Show them that we might look a bit weird, but we’re just people with wants and needs. People who want to live our lives and be happy like everyone else.”

“I very much like to embrace some of the stereotypes, in good parts, because some of them simply fit me, I am, in fact, a power tool lesbian*(not actually lesbian, but I like the term) who will fix stuff in and around the house.”

“We are so much more than what society portrays us as.”

“On the one hand, I like it so you have a way of placing yourself in the world and meeting other people, but at the end of the day, everyone is just human. So, in the end, you don’t need all those labels either. A label shouldn’t define you on its own. But it’s nice to have those labels now and then just for empowerment or to look for like-minded people, so it’s a bit of a balance.”

“Used to be: ‘Don’t give me any, I don’t need to be pigeonholed’
Now more so: Labels can be nice for some to find like-minded people, for example, or to find out more about yourself or another person. But I think we are made up of so many organic facets and should feel free to switch or adapt to how you feel in the moment.
Of course, if someone is comfortable with a label, that’s okay. But you are not just your label right?”

“I don’t like to be put in a box. I am very versatile in who I am as a gay person. I think labels and stereotypes could be helpful for some people to identify who they are, but for me, I like to live life without boundaries, behind all the labels that exist within the community. It makes me feel free and allows me to be genuine and different in my own way.”

“I think labels can either evoke positive or negative thoughts and feelings. It’s not so nice to be labelled as something you feel you are not, for example, but often it can help you cement your sense of self. I have had various labels applied to me my whole life (sometimes by choice, sometimes not), so a couple more don’t hurt.”

“I always feel like an outsider in the community because I’ve never really met anyone like me that is gay. I’m getting closer the more I search. Part of my gay identity has become not fitting the stereotypes. I think it depends on each person’s experience though and which stereotypes specifically. Personally, I am very feminine, prissy, and I love shopping and all things feminine. I’ve been referred to as a “straight girl” lesbian many times over the years as most people do not presume I’m gay. I’ve had to essentially adopt some of the stereotypes in order to be seen or be visible. It’s working though it shouldn’t be necessary for visibility.”

““I see labels as a vehicle to communicate to others. When I introduce myself I don’t tell everyone all of my labels. It depends on the setting and the person I’m interacting with. Online it is a way to find community and know right away who are my people. I have many intersecting labels that sometimes work against each other. I’m trying to be vocal about my labels for this reason, to find my people and/ or let people know that these intersections exist and need space within the queer community. Labels are not set in stone and can change over time it can evolve or be dropped, it is your own descriptor so change it when necessary for you.””

“There is much ado about labels, not least from those who are very ‘anti’ everything close to LGBTQ+ (after all, pronouns presented publicly are a kind of label). Personally, they feel both helpful and constricting. Labels have a way of helping someone define themselves and explain what and who they are to the outside world, and in that sense can be helpful and even liberating. The power of language only goes as far as the reach of the vocabulary used, and by eliminating labels we are restricting that vocabulary and thus its power.

But there is also an argument to be made for the way labels, and the stereotypes paired with them, can be constrictive. As someone explains who and what they are to the outside world, such identification with a label will inevitably bring other associations with it that do not fit the individual. This is in part because no label fits any one person fully, but also because these labels come paired with stereotypes, which are generally not helpful when trying to explain yourself.

I do still use them myself, because they are a tool for expressing who I am to others. But I think we should be careful to keep defining ourselves not merely by labels, but as persons too.”

“I’m just as completely whole and layered as any other person, with my own unique experience of being queer in this world and my own context.”

“I go on to have trans and rainbow decorations everywhere, I don’t care what others think! And I am going to fight on to get married to my girlfriend and then we will get a dog and or a child.”

“The pigeonholing and wanting to push me into that pigeonhole of people is so narrow-minded. A waste of their time and energy. Rather enjoy all the colours and facets of humanity, it makes your life so much more relaxing and the world so much more peaceful.”

“Queer is no a fase.
Queer is not a whim.
Queer is beautiful.
Queer is what I am.”

“I am not proud to be gay. I am proud to be Peter, who is gay.”