Disclaimer: Can’t talk about microlabels without talking about xeno/neopronouns!
This post is my opinion and observation. We all have the right to make comments on whatever we please but it is important to remember that just because you disagree doesn’t mean you get to harass someone. Comments and DM’s are open for proper discussion or debate.
ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛᴇʀᴍꜱ:
ᴍɪᴄʀᴏʟᴀʙᴇʟᴇꜱ:
A microlabel is a label for some form of gender identity or sexual orientation that falls under, or otherwise overlaps with, a broader term. Microlabels tend to be described as "hyperspecific", meaning that they describe a very specific experience of a gender/sexuality/etc.
ᴜᴍʙʀᴇʟʟᴀ ᴛᴇʀᴍ:
An umbrella term is a word or a phrase that covers a broad range of related things instead of just one. The terms covered by the umbrella are distinct but related.
ɴᴇᴏᴘʀᴏɴᴜɴꜱ:
Neopronouns are personal pronouns coined as an alternative to existing third-person singular pronouns, such as "they/them". Neopronouns tend to be gender neutral. They can be used by anyone of any gender, but some people use neopronouns specifically to express that they are non-binary or transgender.
ɢᴇɴᴜꜱ:
A taxonomic rank used to group closely related species.
ꜱᴛɪɢᴍᴀ:
A set of negative and unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something.
ᴘʀᴇᴊᴜᴅɪᴄᴇ:
An irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics
Despite the previous version of this post, which was well intentioned yet held many incorrect ideas, umbrella terms are not as easy to understand as you may imagine. In fact, most umbrella terms are likely words you have not heard of if you aren’t deep into online discussion over similar topics. Umbrella terms are things like multisexual or monosexual, broad defining terms that help classify everything under them. The problem in the discussion is people's lack of understanding that all their sexualities or gender identities are indeed microlabels of something else. To give an outside example, think of a genus. In biology, an oddly related topic to these discussions, a genus functions as the broad label for a new species. Take the genus Panthera, it is the larger term for animals like lions, tigers, and jaguars just as multisexual is the larger term for gay, lesbain; and straight. Just as a genus, an umbrella term is broad, large, and can be all encapsulating..
Now, when I wrote the original version of this post I neglected to acknowledge my own lack of indepth knowledge on this topic. At the time, I believed that microlabels were the labels that were able to fit under more widely accepted and known identities. Like how I had the incorrect idea of bisexual not being a microlabel because labels like omnisexual or pansexual could fit under it when in truth, bisexual is a microlabel as well. It seems as though many members of the LGBTQ+ community hold this idea even though it is untrue. Trusted creators are the ones who taught me this but within 5 minutes of my own reading, I came to understand it wasn’t as simple.
The problem isn’t microlabels or umbrella terms, it's the spread of short form content and a reliance on AI overviews over proper research. Since people want the short version instead of the long version, they miss out on the nuances that exist in the discussion. Like how despite being misled in the basis idea of my last post, I still believe bisexual is still an umbrella term for omnisexual and pansexual despite it also being a microlabel. The one true misconception of this entire debate is that an umbrella term can have a microlabel that is also an umbrella term.
ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛɪɢᴍᴀ ɪɴ ᴍɪᴄʀᴏʟᴀʙᴇʟꜱ
Microlabels come with a stigma, in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if someone only skimmed the first half of this post and got offended over being equated to a microlabel. Perhaps this theoretical person would leave a nasty comment or DM but you have to ask yourself why? Well the, ‘Why’ is both simple and difficult to answer depending on the aspect of the stigma you are having to acknowledge.
There are two stigmas that, in this post, I will be acknowledging. The first of the two is the blatant negative feelings of people who use xeno or neopronouns which are the two mainly acknowledge microlabels. Now, let’s begin with a major clarification! Xeno and neopronouns are not new, in fact those in the 19th century found issue with the he/she binary of the time. They wanted another pronoun to use but found that they/them was too unspecific and tended to cause issues in understanding between people. People like Francis August Brewster invented a third kind of pronouns, originally intended for the third biological sex aka intersex people. He proposed the use of the pronoun set E/Es/Em. This provable fact shows that pronouns outside of he/she/they/it are not new nor something invented during covid like some malinformed individuals, terfs usually, seem to propose. So why, if not new, do people always feel the need to drag xeno and neopronouns? Well, firstly it comes down to my original sentiment that people don't understand what microlabels actually are. They just think that microlabels are the smaller communities and therefore who cares about them. A second idea could be that the LGBTQ is normalizing terf behavior.
Sadly, the second idea is the one that holds the most weight in a vast majority of discussions. People naturally follow the leader and once a creator gets tired of being bullied by terfs they can turn on the trans community as a whole. To excuse their blatant transphobia they pretend like it's only xenos and neos that they have an issue with. The people watching the creators tend to be sheeple and instead of realizing that their favorite creator is transphobic they choose to normalize it by repeating the same ideas. In truth, those who hate xeno and neopronouns are terfs and abelsit. The first reason for the stigma of microlabels is simply people lacking the ability to think freely and refusing to do their own research.
The secondary stigma that haunts microlabels is that blatant elitism of the community. The best, most talked about, example is how bisexual people tend to be treated. Not everyone who is bisexual just claims to be bisexual because it's ‘trendy’ and yet the stigma against bisexual people is that they are not truly attracted to the same sex or that they must choose to either be a homosexual or straight. As I have said before, specifically in the first section, all sexualities and gender identities are microlabels, yet the bigger identities do not want to be even acknowledged as the microlabels that they factually are. This could come from a mixture of two things. That they believe that because the word ‘micro’ is in ‘microlabels’ that it must be about smaller communities/groups or the excusing transphobia that I mentioned above.
For some reason, a smaller minority of the already small groups have asserted themselves as the ‘correct’ way to be into the same sex. Elitism is a constant issue within the community because it comes from a place of fear. The president is a baby eating racist nazi who would rather have us dead than to allow our differences. I believe the elitism against microlabels comes from a place of, “Who can we throw under the bus to save ourselves?”. Maybe I’m reaching a conclusion that is nonexistent but this fear has embedded itself in the way we act with each other. We are no longer a community but instead groups of very scared people
pretending to be confident.
ᴡʜʏ ᴅᴏ ᴍɪᴄʀᴏʟᴀʙᴇʟꜱ ᴇxɪꜱᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇɢɪɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ?
Humans crave belonging, understanding, and support from others within the species. The LGBTQ has the support but not everyone feels as they belong or are understood because of their differences. Sometimes we need to have a smaller cozy community to be able to be seen in and to have like minded individuals around us.
Another reason for microlabels are neurodivergent people, who notoriously experience life differently from neurotypical individuals. This applies to both sexuality and gender identity, I am an example of this. I have ADHD and I choose to use microlabels because using a broader label doesn’t mean people will understand me. If I used aromantic, people may not understand that I do feel attraction but I can’t identify it but those who are also nubelaromantic would understand that I can't tell the difference between platonic or romantic attraction. Many people choose these hyperspecific sexualities because it feels nice to for once in our lives be looked at as something other than a freak.
Microlables aren’t just for neurodivergent people! I’m sure neurotypical people also use them. These labels help create specification within such a large community where people who use them can become lost in the sea of people. Sometimes, when they try to use bigger labels, they can be bullied out of it. It’s hard to explain being omnisexual with a preference for one gender to the extent of being repulsed, most of the time, to the one of those genders but berrisexual or almondesexual people would understand. Microlabes create a sense of belonging to those considered nonvalid because of tiny differences.
ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴠᴀʟɪᴅ?
Yes, if you somehow read all of this and couldn’t figure that out then I am mainly concerned for your reading comprehension or how far in propagandized prejudice you may have fallen.
ᴇɴᴅ ᴅʀᴀʙʙʟᴇ
Microlabes are nice, right? We all are microlabels after all. The real focus to this is how we can come together more as a community without feeling as afraid of being seen as different. Firstly, we can research into different sexualities or gender identities by ourselves and not rely on short form content that gets paid to keep your attention. Next, we could establish a basis of behaviors to look out for when we are trying to avoid terf redirect. Third we could all uplift the voices of the smaller labels and let them be heard just as much as the much bigger groups. And my final idea would be to stop engaging with those who go out of their way to use issues like this to distract us from the dangers and legislation that may be coming for us all one day. Feel welcome to add ways that as a community we could grow together in the comments. Reach out to each other and band together because us banding together is how we got our rights today.
So, gonna say this now? I do not personally give a shit about what you identify as. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, aromantic, asexual. Trans MTF, trans FTM, transfem, transmasc, nonbinary, intersex, etc etc. I do not care. And I do not care, even if its smaller labels (like he/him lesbian, she/her gay, or any label that you for some reason feel 'contradicts' itself because YOU dont understand it and think they're being transphobic or homophobic or whatever the hell etc etc just because you dont personally get their label).
The only way I AM going to care is if you take harmful shit like harmful paraphilias and try to make it out to be some a-okay sexuality (and by harmful, I mean 'MAPS'/pedophiles, zoophiles, incestuous people, necrophiles, and anything else that ACTUALLY harms people). I will block you if you're like that. No question.
But if its just some small, complicated label like transmasc lesbian or transfem gay or anything more—then I will not care. I basically care about nothing, except for any of the paraphilias as supposed 'identities' I just mentioned.
Also, this is a sign to not involve me in any meaningless LGBT discourse. I am not going to act like a little pissbaby over someone's identity, and I sure as hell wont engage with little pissbabies who think its cool to invalidate someone because dont get their identity. If you actively try and tear other people down for how they identify (like, identifying in a way without harm), then I do not think you are worth engaging with.
Made this pfp 4 myself, using every label I currently identify with
And I just wanna say shout out to ALL my queers who use a thousand and more labels and are PROUD and OPEN ABOUT IT!!! Shout out to yall complex mogai microlabel ppl, I love yall so so much. Be prideful of who you are even if there is absolutely no rep for ur experience, you are very much apart of the LGBTQIA+ community, there's a + for a reason not to mention umbrella terms
I fucking hate Omnisexual, Polysexual, and Pansexual Discourse like just say you're biphobic to microlabels and move tf on
"but its just bisexual with extra steps" Close ITS CALLED A MICROLABEL FOR A FUCKING REASON BUT MICROLABELS AREN'T HARMING BISEXUALS PLUS NOT TO MENTION MOST BISEXUALS ACTUALLY SUPPORT THOSE MICROLABELS AND MICROLABELS CAN HELP A PERSON TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH.
ANTIOMNISEXUAL (OMNIPHOBIC) /ANTIPANSEXUAL (PANPHOBIC) DNI YA'LL ARE ALSO BIPHOBIC (THAT DNI GOES TO BIPHOBICS AS WELL BC YALL ARE ALSO STUPID)
So what if it’s a phase. Do the phase. Be happy in the phase. Learn and grow from the phase. Then move on to the next phase (or stay in the current phase, I can’t tell you what to do).
Why is being queer always treated like some trend or fad that will pass and then you’ll regret it? Like no? Even most detransitioners (obviously there’s the shit ones who help transphobes but that’s not who I’m talking about) are happy with the way they lived in that period and don’t want to undo what happened or the experiences it gave them.
You’re allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to be fluid, inconstant, ever-changing, and multifaceted. You can be cis but gay one day and trans but straight the next. Next month you could be agender. You could swing wildly back and forth on the aro spectrum for a while and then just go unlabeled if you felt like it. Use the microlabels if it makes you happy. And don’t ever let anyone invalidate you and your experience just because they think it’s a phase.
Because guess what - most of the time it isn’t. And even when it is, that is not a bad thing. Phases are there for a reason; they exist for you to be in and then move on from when you’re ready. Nobody is telling cells they aren’t really reproducing just because they went through phases to become two instead of one (don’t ask me the names of the phases I hated that unit).
