Unlabeled, also known as "no label" or "non-labeled", is a term used by individuals who do not wish to label their identity with more specific terms, such as lesbian, bisexual, agender, and so on. People can have many personal reasons for wanting to forego labeling themselves, such as feeling that current labels do not fit how they feel, or just not wanting to label themselves for the time being. Note that some people who could be 'labeled' as unlabeled may not necessarily use the actual term itself.[1][2][3][4][5]
Etymology[]
The prefix "un-" is defined as "not".[6]
In general, a label is a word or phrase that is used to describe someone, such as what categories a person belongs to.[7] In the context of the LGBTQIA+ community, this would generally mean describing a person's gender or sexuality. Thus, an unlabeled person in this context chooses to not label their gender or sexuality.[8]
Community[]
History[]
The term unlabeled was originally used specifically by lesbians who did not want to label themselves with terms such as femme or butch.[2][9] From there, its use has been expanded to be used for sexuality in general,[1][4] and then also gender in more recent usage.[5][10][11]
Flag[]
The flag design most commonly associated with the term unlabeled has four horizontal stripes. They are, from top to bottom: pale green, white, pale blue, and pale orange.[12][13][14] The meanings for these colors are usually cited as follows: pale green for freedom, white for understanding, pale blue for acceptance, and pale orange for flexibility.[13][14][15] This flag design has been used for unlabeled with these color meanings since at least December 11, 2020.[15]
Distinction[]
Genderqueer[]
- Main article: Genderqueer
Genderqueer is a gender identity that can have various definitions. Some people may define it as a gender other than male or female, a combination of the two binary genders, a gender that is on a spectrum between the binary genders, or an identity that queers gender in some way.[16] It is similar to unlabeled in that it can be seen as not a specific gender, but instead a general umbrella term or concept.[17] However, it is a label meant specifically for gender identity, while unlabeled can also be used for a person's sexuality.[5][8]
Graygender[]
- Main article: Graygender
Graygender is a term used by individuals who do not care about their own gender, or otherwise that they feel a weak connection to gender in general.[18][19][20] It is similar to unlabeled in its first definition, though used only for gender.
Non-binary[]
- Main article: Non-binary
Non-binary is a term used to describe genders which do not exclusively fall into one of the two binary genders, similar to genderqueer.[21][22] It can also be used as an umbrella term to refer to many specific gender identities.[23] Hence, the difference is that non-binary is a non-specific term for gender in particular, instead of being used also for orientation like with unlabeled.[8]
Pomosexual[]
- Main article: Pomosexual
Pomosexuality is a label used by those who refuse, avoid, or otherwise see themselves as not fitting any sexual orientation label in terms of conventional labels or classifications.[24][25][26] This has similar usage to unlabeled, although the major different between the two is that pomosexual is a label specifically meant for sexual orientation. Meanwhile, unlabeled in more recent usage can be used for sexual orientation as well as gender.[5][8]
Questioning[]
- Main article: Questioning
The term questioning is used by individuals who are exploring, learning, or experimenting with their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.[27] In contrast, an unlabeled person may not be actively exploring or experimenting with their identity, or at least may not be publicly doing so.[1]
Controversy[]
There have been some controversies related to people using "unlabeled" for themselves. In particular, some people may claim that it is queerbaiting for certain people to refuse to label their sexuality or gender. In essence, an unlabeled person may or may not be straight, and some people may interpret this as that person being "definitely" not straight. In some cases, this may be seen as a straight person "hiding" their identity in order to have a better reputation with the LGBTQIA+ community.[3] Such discussions may lead to people coming out just to stop speculation and accusations of being not queer.[28]
An example of this was with the actor Kit Connor, who starred as Nick Nelson in the Netflix show Heartstopper. He had originally chosen to not use specific labels for himself while working on the show. However, this resulted in speculation about his sexuality at the time, as well as viewers accusing the show of queerbaiting by letting presumably non-queer actors play in queer roles. After a certain point of these discussions, Connor felt forced to come out, and did so via social media.[28]
There is also controversy in forcibly labeling people, especially celebrities, as "unlabeled", which ironically forces a label of sorts onto them.[3]
Media[]
Television[]
- Alec Cataldi from Miraculous:_Tales_of_Ladybug_%26_Cat_Noir Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir[29]
- Wilhelm from Young Royals[source?]
- Simon Snow from Carry On[source?]
References[]
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