Wednesday, February 9, 2011

A Movement Without a Name

It's a movement without a name. Some call it the "Gay Rights Movement". Some call it the "LGBT Equality Movement". Some call it the "Civil Rights Movement of our Generation". But whatever you call it, someone is bound to get upset. Someone is bound to feel left out.

from memegenerator.net
The longest I've ever heard is LGBTQQIAA - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Allied. I'm sure someone could tell me a few that I am missing.

I've had many conversations about the inclusivity, or lack their of, of the word "gay", "queer", "LGBT", including "Intersex", and of course the more general affliction of the public not having any idea what you're talking about. I've argued the arguments for radical inclusivity for the sincere forward progression of the Movement-Who-Knows-No-Name and on the other hand I've sometimes felt that it silly to try and be so PC.

For the most part, and in my little mind, I find the conversation fascinating. All of these dutifully thoughtful communicators frantically trying to appease emotionally charged opinions by using the most politically correct term. But if using the most politically correct term is the solution, then what is the problem?

I'm far from the first to say that we're are obsessed with labels. As the fear of the unknown is so inherent, the ability to define gives great comfort... and sometimes it's terribly useful. Labels, en masse, give us the ability to communicate. For example, the ability to communicate idea of a fleshy red fruit about the size of your fist, known to everyone who speaks the English language as the word "apple", is quite useful.

But what about the need to define ourselves, our sexuality, our identity, and each other? Despite their initial comfort, is there a detriment to labels? Are we limiting ourselves and our potential experience because of our need to label?

from gayfamilyvalues.com
I often wonder how many "gay" men are actually "bisexual", but since society approves of "bisexual" men even less than they approve of "gay" men, the "bisexual" men, and their sensitive libidos, are socially swayed to believe they must be "gay". Did you catch all of that? Look, I don't like the idea that my penis has been brainwashed anymore than you do... but it's something to think about, Riff Raff.

A better alternative to sexual identity labels is, of course, the Kinsey Scale. But Kinsey's ideas have been around since 1948 and yet we don't, in general society, put people on a scale of 1 - 6, let alone give people the ability to change (heaven forbid) their sexual preference from day to day. This is only one example of how we are limiting our potential experience.

Out of the sexual identity sphere we have the label of "God" and "Love" and "Family" which open up entirely different cans of worms.

So what I am trying to say, and perhaps rather poorly, is this: When it comes to labeling our sexual identity, maybe we should just chillax a little bit.

And it seems that some pockets of the younger generation are starting to do just that. Since being LGBTQQIAA isn't as tabboo as it once was, there is - certainly not everywhere - less pressure to hide homosexual or bisexual tendencies. Today, people are more able to openly talk and experience a more sexually liberated agenda and therefore their sexual identity and preferences, whatever they may be, are able to mature more organically.

The world is changing so rapidly right now, Riff Raff.

Scatterdly Today [Hey, I'm aloud],
Everyman

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