Gay Labels

I'm amazed at how labels have remained with gay culture. Gay New York intoduces many labels, including queer, fairy, and fag. They each had their own connotation, and even within the community they caused their own fair share of strife. No one wanted to be called a fag, the fairies were extremely proud of their sexual orientation and strongly identified with their femininity. The queers tried to distance themselves from both of those sub labels. They realized that being homosexual didn't mean displaying a feminine persona.

Now let's rush forward to the present. Outside of the community, any of those labels would have been considered offensive, along with other words like dyke, or butch for lesbians. These labels still persist, but they've been re-owned. The gay community has reinvented them to have different connotations. In an exhibit at the Chicago historical society I was surprised to see lesbians proudly displaying the word dyke in their titles. Queer no longer has the negative connotations it did either. Their are even more labels used among gays now; otters, twinks, bears, etc. Of course, to say all gay people accept and tolerate these terms is a bit beyond what I can attest to. But there is definitely a redfiing occuring.

This brings me back to my previous blog post. In order to succeed, I asserted, one must abandon one's label for a more positive one. But now I would like to amend my statement. Succeeding is linked to abandoning one's label or taking the most positive aspects of said label and using them for the best. But who decides what the positive side of a label is? The more I try to make this definition work the less it does. So you know what; forget labels. To define oneself is to limit oneself. There is no way to succeed if you only live by others' definitions. That, is the real access to the American dream. To live freely and truly, choosing your own path.

Hey, that's the thesis to my first semester amcon final.