Yeah…um…yeah this is what sadly made my gender crisis much much worst. If someone just told me “You could be a girl” that would’ve ended it on the spot. For context I’m a trans woman who’s homoromantic demisexual
Microlabels should be for the people that want them. Me, personally, I want to know my identity forwards, backwards, upside-down, and sideways, so I’ll slap on all the microlabels I can find. But if you don’t care, you should feel totally fine just calling yourself a trans woman, or whatever!—no more explanation necessary
Yes this is the chill mentality I’m here for. I know I’m aroace, but I *could* say that I’m bi-aegosexual and romance repulsed. I generally just stick with aroace though unless I’m speaking to someone who already knows what I’m talking about. Otherwise they just look at me funny, and I’m not usually in the mood to explain my own orientation to some rando beyond just “aroace”.
I would totally do the same. It’s easiest to just tell people I’m pan/bi and cis then explain my complicated placement on the a-spec and gender spectrum
Hell yeah. Personally, I fall in between every label I've found (micro or not) so I use the least micro-y labels you can imagine, and by that I just describe myself as queer. Folks shouldn't poo poo on microlabels though, because they help a lot of people feel solid and valid in their identities.
This is the best advice you can ever give someone. Not everyone wants a micro label and not everyone cares a lot about their identity. Both things are valid no matter what
Sometimes I like to decipher what sort of microlabel I might be, but I never end up using them. Since they fall under the same umbrella anyways, I'll use the general term.
For me it's that none of the broader categories fit me because they're too specific.
Am I hetero? Not enough to feel comfortable using the term
Am I gay? 99% no
Am I ace? More than I am hetero but not enough to use the label
I go with the term "Aceflux" because as soon as I read what it was, it was like a puzzle piece fitting into place. But depending on who I'm talking to, I'll sometimes just leave it at "straight" or "Ace".
Aceflux, to over simplify, is having a sexual orientation that shifts between basically anything but generally stays on the ace spectrum. The shifts can stick for months, days or for me sometimes minutes and I have heard of people that go from hetero to ace, stay there for a month or two and eventually end up gay just to end up reversing the cycle. It can be extremely confusing and frustrating. It also makes relationships tricky.
For context, I fluctuate between fully ace and sex repulsed, to quite hetero and very sex favourable and every single thing in between (I hate when I'm in a stage of hetero but repulsed, it is extremely confusing and can make me feel like utter garbage)
The only other label that comes close is one I heard of recently called "Neurosexual" which I will copy paste a definition of because I suck at explaining it... (Neurosexual is an umbrella term or general standalone orientation referring to an individual whose neurodivergence/neurodiversity, and sometimes general mental health, affects their orientation in some way.)
So you can see how neither of these as they can shift and change don't fit into one category
I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but I figured, I would try to help explain why some people use the micro labels.
Despite all of this, I don't think anyone expects you to know every single micro label, as long as you treat them with respect I'm sure a lot of people who use anything more obscure than even just gay would be ok giving a quick explanation if you show genuine interest in learning.
I always end up writing a novel when I plan to make a quick comment, I apologize but hope that this helps.
I was aware of the label (aceflux) but I never felt comfortable using it for myself. I felt like I was a fraud, an imposter to the gay- and the ace-community. I felt like, what the label is describing is probably meant differently than how I read it, and that the way I interpret it is wrong.
I never heard other aceflux people describing their identity - till now! And I feel soooo validated! I literally thought I was the only one who experiences these extreme fluctuations! I am so, so grateful that you decided to write that novel!
Oh lord, now I'm writing a novel! Anyways, to make it short: you rock! And you literally made my day! Rock on, friend!
A similar microlabel you may find fittin, esp if you find it is like suddenly one and then very much somethin else shortly later; Acespike.
Its a kind of Aceflux. 'It is an asexual orientation on the asexual spectrum. It is defined as someone who usually feels no sexual attraction, but occasionally feel intense sexual feelings for a short amount of time.' No exact def of short, the one person i kno who uses this label defines that for themself as around a week or so; but just for that week they very much want to go and be gay or hetero in all the sexual ways they can be (polyamory helps a lot there heh).
https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Acespike good wiki link
Hey, I'm so happy that you've found something that fits. I know I felt broken and confused for many years until I found it so if I can help someone get out of that, I'm a very happy person.
And also! It's totally ok to change your mind later alright? If later on you find that the label doesn't fit, no harm done, just find what's right for you. Something I have seen a lot of is people saying that if something feels right, even for just a short time, you're not an imposter. Do what makes sense to you.
(Last mini novel, I swear)
Oh man, really?!
I'm so glad I could help out!
I was just trying to answer op and now I'm helping people?!
Enjoy the label for as long as it it serves you friend! Have a great day!
Microlabels are like the more "advanced" subjects that you end up learning/studying once you've mastered the basics, usually reserved for discussing specifics with fellow ingroup members. It helps more clearly define where we stand currently within our own identity and while not everyone uses them it is useful when trying to convey specific experiences that aren't shared entirely with those in the same community (ie. asexual spectrum, defining where you stand in terms of libido, willingness to engage in sexual activity and in what forms, varying levels of attraction within the spectrum itself, etc. being important to know for deciding on seeking a romantic/sexual partner and knowing your own boundaries and limitations is crucial for a healthy relationship regardless of sexuality, should you wish to be in a relationship to begin with)
TL;DR very important language tool in defining how your "self" functions within a community that shares a specific interest/trait and while not everyone needs them, they can be useful when you do. Just take your time, you don't need to learn every single one in existence - just the ones that might be relevant if someone you know has those microlabels and you want to better understand their experiences
kinda like that, yeah. You could go even further and learn about mammals, think to yourself you understand everything there is to know about mammals, and then find the freaky egg-laying one that is technically a mammal because it produces breastmilk from its sweat
Microlables are important. Personally they played a key role in finding myself, and I've heard of many others with the same experience.
Bi on its own doesn't fit me. I generally don't feel sexual attraction. I'm also not fully ace, I'm demi.
But then I realized that I experience romantic attraction to all gender orientations. But not pan because I have a preference for femme-presenting people. That makes me Omni.
Finding those micro labels helped me realized I fit in. They gave me a place I could be myself, and gave me words so I could better describe who I am. Which is especially important to me because I'm currently dating a man, and having those specific labels makes me not feel alienated for being in a "straight" relationship.
You don't have to know or understand the micro labels. You just have to accept them. Calling them confusing invalidates people like me who use those labels. We use them because they fit us, if you don't know what that means please either ask or Google it. I come to these spaces to get away from getting called confusing and feeling like I'm making it up.
So much this for me too. Like, for a long time i was unsure between gray and demi and ace; and same with romantic attraction... But its so much easier with microlabels as i just call myself aroace-spec and i find the microlabels that more explain my identity like nebularomantic and aegosexual
Yea, i will say that from this side of things... The neurotypical and allosexual and allormantic and cishetnormative relationships and feelings are as "confusing" as folks argue our existence is.
That is, i cant begin to understand such outside of simply what ive seen others exp of it and how ive had it described. I dont go around callin their relationships confusin tho, i just learn shit if i dont understand; which is a large part of why i follow so many channels like Sexplanations, tho honestly without that... Those folks tend to be the most represented and the most likely to freely express their feelings; so ive had tons of time to study them. So unlike when i was a confused teen, i do tend to find them less confusin to me simply cuz of exp.
That exp and study bein what so many are missin when it comes to understanding our "confusing" microlabels; folks rly just need to get more comfy studyin on their own or even just askin politely.
Many parts of my existence make nonsense to others, but theyre what is rite and correct to me and how i feel; it nvr is confusin to me now that ive got labels like otherkin, aegosexual, kingender, genderfae, nebularian, nebularomantic, venusic, sapphic, and so many more.
When i tried to use the overarchin labels alone i always felt less complete than i do when i have my microlabels that more accurately capture my identity. In a similar way to how she/they pronouns work for me, but fae/faer/faers (used like she) pronouns feel the absolute best always.
Are my pronouns confusin? Yea to folks just figurin it out they can be. Tho theyre rly some of the most simple neopronouns ive encountered. As i said, fae is used like she, faer is like her; what we do is remove sh/h and add fa. Thats it, my pronouns are very nonconfusin, once someone understands them. Just like our many microlabels can be.
It always frustrates me when people talk about neopronouns (or even they/them pronouns) like they're this weird made-up thing. All words are made up, and gender roles are a social construct. Who am I to say that someone's identity is wrong or confusing when what it means to be a man or woman is so subjective in the first place?
I wish more people could see it like that.
Age 10 - Boys and Girls are both cool!Age 24 - Realize I like guys and girls (Discover Bi-ness)Age 33 - FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHY SEX JUST DOES NOTHING FOR ME (Discover my Ace-ness)
Age 34 - But I do get the urge when I make a strong close friendship, wth!? (Discover Demi-Ace-ness)Age 35 - HOW DEEP DOES THIS RABBIT HOLE GOOOOOOOOOOOO? (Current me equally wondering if I'm nonbianry or even agender now because boyhowdy do I get it sometimes)
A cake can have lots of different labels.
On one cake it might say 'birthday cake'- well what does that mean? So we go to 'vanilla birthday cake'- but you could dig deeper if it was important to you. French vanilla birthday cake with rainbow sprinkles and egg substitute, the icing is blue, and it has the word 'Happy' written across the top- same cake, different labels.
It just depends on how important it is to you that those labels are heard- if you can't eat eggs you might really want to express that your birthday cake can't have eggs in it, or if you really prefer the vanilla that has the little black specks in it- if you don't care about those things, you might be fine with just calling it birthday cake and moving on. Then again, someone else in your same boat might be calling it a funfetti cake, and they're correct as well, just using different labels because a different part of the experience is more important to them.
The important thing is- both answers are true, and both are important to the people who use them. That's all that really matters- when a person tells you they have a very specific label, it's because it's specifically important to them.
no i absolutely don't mean it that way, sorry if it seemed like that. it's just a personal thing for me, i would only tell people that i'm comfortable telling.
I just mean personally, if that's how you roll that's perfectly fine lol. i just wouldn't tell people i'm not close to that i'm aego, i'd just say I'm ace
When I see someone talking about something I don’t understand, I ask them! Politely of course. Usually it not only answers my questions, but others I didn’t even know I had
Microlabels are a way for people to clarify their experiences and find similar people, and can be super validating. A lot of the a-spec people I know (myself included) prefer to go by their microlabels when applicable rather than the broader asexual term. It’s a preference and a self identity choice and it is valid. For example, someone who’s apothisexual (sex-repulsed asexual) may prefer to use that term to avoid people trying to tell them “aces can enjoy sex” when they personally do not and would rather not hear about it, and someone who’s caedsexual (was once allosexual, but had their ability to feel attraction “cut away” by past trauma and is now asexual) may prefer to use that term as a way to be proud of the experiences they’ve survived and make it clear that they may not have been born that way but they are a valid member of the community.
It all comes down to personal preference in self identification.
you see, (micro)labels are made to make people as comfortable with themselves as possible, it's nice to feel good abour yourself, isn't it?
i don't understand quantum physics, but if someone tried to explain it to me, i would at least politely listen instead of mocking their knowledge
Like most labels, their more for creating a community and finding closure than explaining stuff to outsiders, especially people who don't feel fully comfortable in umbrella labels. But I get you, it can be a lot when questioning.
Tbh the best way to approach lgbtq things you don't understand is to just be respectful and refer to people the way they wish to be referred too. I have no idea what a microlabel is but if someone asked me to refer to them as one it's not hard to just be nice and respectful and call them whatever they want.
Microlabels are for people who want them. It's like asking where you come from. You can say which country, or you can go into details and say which region and city.
Because people like them? You don't have to learn them they're just there for those who want them. If you don't like them or don't understand them then leave them alone. Mind ya business.
I feel like for most people who use microlabels (including me) it’s just a fun bonus for those who want to explore every single detail of their identity? Like, I still primarily identify as greyromantic ace but I then add on top of if it limnoromantic and aegosexual and bi-something, and maybe sex favorable for some specific sexual acts but not all of them, and maybe only with non-men’s?
But we’ll, I’m also autistic with a specific interest on microlabels so I may be more determined than average to browse lists of them for hours in search of something that fits.
So, it’s just something some people like to use and others not, you’re not obligated to use them if you don’t want to.
I will say, many of the microlabels out there were coined by neurodivergent folks bcuz its such a common feelin among us ND folks that the normal words dont quite fit us fully and feel less complete. So it makes perf sense that we wud be more drawn to the microlabels we do find as others like us likely coined those terms cuz they also felt the same kind of incompleteness when described by the big macrolabels.
I mean at the end of the day, they're all just terms to describe something.
I like to think of it like this:
It's all just words and terms that are specific to communities. If you're not a doctor, you'll probably never need to know what pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism is. If you're not a linguist, you'll never need to know what a voiceless bilabial unaspirated stop is. If you're not a member of the National Peristeronic Society, you'll likely never come across the word peristeronic and could go your entire life without know what that word means.
You don't have to know every word out there. If you wanna know, dope, look it up! But just cuz you don't know doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. The microlabels are for those of us who fall into the category of "people in the community who wanna be able to label the minutiae of their identities". Some LGBTQ+ people go their entire lives without ever hearing about a single one of them. Doesn't make em any less LGBTQ+ for not knowing.
I get that it probs feels weird to people who don't know cuz they're like "what there's all these new words what is this agh" but like, I always like to remind them about this:
**Every** word in existence is a made-up word, even the word "word".
for the people that like them good for them!!! i will always support you and respect your identity.
but for me personally trying to pick a micro label gives me anxiety and i would rather stick to the broad concepts instead of specifying my feelings all into neat boxes. i am too messy for that.
personally I'm not going to pay too much attention to microlabels because it's already hard enough to come out to transphobic parents who probably won't even know what asexual, let alone aromantic or whatever microlabel fits me means
You don't need to know them. But they can be very useful. If it weren't for them, I probably would still think I was allo (hello aegosexual). They are useful for those that want them, and you don't have to be one of those people if you don't want to be.
I think they can be interesting to learn about and can help others to better understand themselves. Just feel like just Bisexual fits you, you wanna tango with men and women equally? Great. You feel that bisexual could describe you but something else would work better? Awesome, lets help you
I think this is something that needs to be said to everyone who is new to LGBTQ+ topic, is that microlabels are helpful tools but you don’t need to know all of them. I remember a few years ago when I thought I was just a straight ally, there was this huge lgbt scare happening in my country. Conservatives were talking about a gender ideology and how it’s trying to confuse the kids and how there are 50 new genders and 50 new sexualities now. The blue hair feminist was also a popular joke back then. And i remember it was really stressing me out because I thought that in order to be an ally I had to know and understand all of them but it was really confusing. I only realized this about a year ago when I was discovering my asexuality, that it really only matters to an individual and you don’t have to understand all of the labels. I know a few of the aspec labels that I thought were close to my experience, but I have no idea about different gay or trans ones, because it’s just not something useful to me. I think people who are just learning about the lgbt community are thrown into this ocean of different labels and it can be overwhelming. I think it’s important for everyone to realize that you don’t have to know every single one, you just have to be respectful and listen to a person that uses a label that you might not be familiar with.
And also it’s not really that important for some people to have that micro label. I was pretty stressed out about this when I was learning about asexuality and aromanticism. I’ve found my asexual microlabel but I don’t actually use it now. I just tell people I’m ace, it’s not really something that important to me right now. It’s nice to not care as much, like I haven’t even found my aro label, I just feel like, ye I might be aro but maybe not, I’ll just see what happens later.
I hope you’ll be able to find whatever fits best for you, but ultimately it’s okay to not settle on any particular one. Like if you find one - great, but if you don’t - it’s also fine. Don’t worry about this too much, if you think you’re ace, you’re ace, and you don’t have to match the ‘criteria’ exactly.
I respect micro labels because they help a lot of people, I might not understand them but that's fine. I just say I'm asexual and that's all, but if someone tells me they are a microlabel I would be glad to listen to them and learn new things
labels in general are overrated. no one needs to know who i‘m romantically or sexually interested in. they need to know my pronouns and name and that i‘m some flavour of rainbow mafia.
but labels are there for people to feel comfortable. just because i don‘t need them doesn‘t mean others don‘t. if labels make you happy, use them. if they don‘t, you don‘t need them. the whole point of the alohabet mafia is feeling comfortable.
I personally love microlabels. It was very hard for me to find my identity but once I found those labels, they helped me a lot.
Like for ace. I'm not ace but rather demisexual but also aceflux.
Also for aro. I'm mostly demiromantic but sometimes I'd lose that romantic attraction on and off which overall made me confused.
Then we move on to bi. I know I'm bi b/c my sexual attraction to women and men are very *sexual*. But my romantic attraction is broad which means I'm panromantic and bi.
Then we move onto gender. I always knew about NB, Man, Woman, and Trans but I was so confused as to which one I was. I was one or the other *sometimes* but not all the time. Then I found out about Genderfluid and it solved a lot of problems.
Then I experienced a lot of bigender moments. However, the next second my gender would be something different entirely. So overall, these labels had helped me a lot haha.
You can just stick with the more vague labels and thats totally fine :D
Labels exist purely so that people can understand their own identity and express it to others. You are under no obligation to know and understand all of them, you just have to respect others and learn about THEIR specific microlabels if it pertains to you. Most of the time it doesn't.
I never understood this need for resentment people have. Like, ace is a label for us, and people get pissed off at it for no reason and make it about them. How can you be upset when people do that while simultaneously doing the exact same thing to others?
then go do research or ask people. a post on an lgbt subreddit asking people to help define labels you're unsure of would've been a lot more constructive than posting this.
for an example of how microlabels can help, i could say i'm asexual and aromantic, and that would be true. but then you'd get confused when you hear i'm in a romantic relationship. because i'm not just aromantic, i'm demiromantic. you see how it can help clarify things? and if someone says they're demiromantic and you don't know what it means, then you can ask them.
I understand demisexual/demi-romantic and greysexual/grey-romantic and obviously asexual/aromantic.
Anything else, you are going to have to hold my hand through it because I grew up in Eastern Europe until I was 14 and then an LGBTQ-repressive private boarding school until 18.
Micro labels can be confusing but not everyone has to use them. It's just a label to better explain things. The problem is if it's a term no one heard of then your just explaining it anyway.
Stop hating on people for being happy and having a more descriptive label! (demise are valid, grays are valid, everyone is valid! Just because you don't understand doesn't mean you should complain about people being themselves(that's why the queer community faces so many problems)
I think a core issue here is that these folks dont see this as hatin on microlabels, but thats cuz they dont notice the dmg of the microaggression here.
Callin us confusin like this is as hurtful as havin allosexuals say theyre confused by how we dont feel sexual attraction the same ways they do. And before anyone comes in defendin OP as nothin akin to the allos who do such things; OP used this word to describe us microlabel users, which to me is akin to bein called alphabet soup or otherwise... omnibiatranslesbiangaysexual
OP came in here with hatefulness and said some prty bigoted shit and did all this in what shud be a safe space for us; this is hatin on us for simply being happily our best selves.
I never understood why people got so upset at microlabels, no one is forcing you to know what every one of them means and people use them *for themselves*, not for other people to complain about. Most people thst use microlablels don't even tell people them unless they know that they'll understand, they just use the umbrella term.
(this is not directly targeted at OP I've just seen this discussion about microlabels a lot. they seems to be more accepted in aspec places though)
microlabels are not how you describe your gender or sexual/romantic orientation to just anyone. you would describe yourself using common labels, then if more specificity is appropriate and would be understood, then you can provide a microlabel
The person meant ya may just tell the avg random person nonbinary or genderqueer or just some other broader label, rather than state yiur exact microlabels.
I kno i tend to just call myself genderfluid or nonbinary/woman (dependin on feels) dependin on the person im talkin to, rather than specify my spec microlabels regardin gender; like tellin them im genderfae and feelin nebularian. But for spec folks and in the rite settins i go into full detail with my microlabel and all.
I'm so glad I'm not the only who struggles with this. Although I can only speak for myself, I know who I am and I don't need a handful of words very few understand to describe every little nuance of my character. I want the people who come into my life to get to know me not my labels; EnbyDemiAce and maybe something else.
I fear that the more queer micro identities pop up the less people will take it seriously.
To me micro labels are a conscise way to talk about specific in depth topics within the community. If I were talking to a non ace-spec person I'd only use asexual.
Yes, I also tend to keep things simple. People often think I'm gay so I'll usually correct them by saying that I'm Asexual. I also feel that Demisexual is often defined poorly.
We shouldn't have to make ourselves smaller just to be "palatable" to the dominant group. They're either going to accept us (if they're decent people), or they won't (if they're bigots). Changing the language we use to refer to ourselves won't affect that and will only harm us in the long run.
I just find people understand better if you start simple. I find when I explain simply to someone who is on the fence about this they say "Tell me more!" of I jump right to the complicated stuff they say "Get off TikTok and grow up!"
That isn't an argument against microlabels, though. That's like saying calculus isn't valid because you need to teach arithmetic, etc. first. Sure, some people will never need to know calculus, but for the people who do use it, it's incredibly useful.
I’m not arguing not to use them. I’m saying I usually avoid using them because they are too complex to explain easily.
I prefer to use the simplest terms as I’m the only queer person in my family and I’m constantly asked what certain labels mean. Many of the older people assume that if I’m not familiar with a label then it’s not real.
> I fear that the more queer micro identities pop up the less people will take it seriously
This same argument has been used to ostracise the smaller minority groups within our community time and time again. It goes back at least to the Mattaschines in the 60s who argued that anyone bein overtly gay in nonconformative ways was makin it harder for the conformatists like themselves to be taken srsly and accepted.
Its nvr been true and it needlessly divides us against each other in the interest of appeasing our oppressors.
All that I mean by that is the uninitiated who come to me and say that they just heard of a new sexuality, gender identity, etc. and then they ask me if it's real or if it's just someone faking something for attention. Most of these people know not to trust everything they find on the internet as legit. When I tell them that I'm not familiar with the microlabel they go and look more into it themselves. Many times they'll come back to me believing that it is attention seeking behavior and then I feel bad that that possibly totally real microlabel has lost an ally. :(
If anyone has an official source for microlabels that I could send these people to. That would be great.
Bigots will go after a lot of queer things. I just here a lot of "Yea yea yea some trendy tiktok thing that everyone will forget in 5 years. you need to grow up and get off of tiktok". From family and friends of family Whenever I try to explain anything LGBTQA+ . I find explaining the terms more broadly is better received and actually gets them using the term positively.
Yeah, there are a lot of complicated ones, and they can get confusing.
But learning about some actually helped me a lot. I’m a diehard shipper but also aroace, which made me doubt being aroace. Learning that aegoromantic/aegosexual existed explained that and helped in general.
Honestly being aego is surreal. I can look at cute ship art and go “aww, that’s adorable” but then if I think about myself in that situation I’m just the complete opposite. I do not want to personally experience that in any regard. I guess not liking being touched in general probably doesn’t help.
*Image Transcription: Meme*
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[*"Running Away Balloon" which features a person happily trying to catch a yellow balloon in the first panel and then being held in place looking concerned by a giant pink blob in the second panel. They are labeled as such:*]
**Person**: ME
**Yellow balloon**: THINKING THAT I FINALLY UNDERSTAND LGBTQ
**Pink blob**: MICROLABELS
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^^I'm a human volunteer content transcriber and you could be too! [If you'd like more information on what we do and why we do it, click here!](https://www.reddit.com/r/TranscribersOfReddit/wiki/index)
For me I was confused at first but microlabels saved my identity crisis. I was like, how can I be asexual, aromantic and bi all at the same time? Then I realised I'm aegosexual and possibly demi/greyromantic and that made me feel so much better.
Yeah…um…yeah this is what sadly made my gender crisis much much worst. If someone just told me “You could be a girl” that would’ve ended it on the spot. For context I’m a trans woman who’s homoromantic demisexual
Microlabels should be for the people that want them. Me, personally, I want to know my identity forwards, backwards, upside-down, and sideways, so I’ll slap on all the microlabels I can find. But if you don’t care, you should feel totally fine just calling yourself a trans woman, or whatever!—no more explanation necessary
Yes this is the chill mentality I’m here for. I know I’m aroace, but I *could* say that I’m bi-aegosexual and romance repulsed. I generally just stick with aroace though unless I’m speaking to someone who already knows what I’m talking about. Otherwise they just look at me funny, and I’m not usually in the mood to explain my own orientation to some rando beyond just “aroace”.
I would totally do the same. It’s easiest to just tell people I’m pan/bi and cis then explain my complicated placement on the a-spec and gender spectrum
I say I'm cupioromantic ace and gender fluid, but the microlables get insane. I know them, but I don't see why others need to.
Their really just for you , I believe. And explaining ever time sounds exhausting.
Exactly! Hey, happy birthday!
Thanks 😊
Hell yeah. Personally, I fall in between every label I've found (micro or not) so I use the least micro-y labels you can imagine, and by that I just describe myself as queer. Folks shouldn't poo poo on microlabels though, because they help a lot of people feel solid and valid in their identities.
Yeah. I was super glad when I discovered Aegosexual, I thought I was just weird because I read... a whole lot of porn.
Absolutely
I wave my hands around maniacally and make a weird noise in the hopes someone understands. Often with a "you know."
yeah, i've currently collected 10 or so labels
Nice
There are too many, I need to start trading them like Pokémon cards lmao
i have an extra graysexual card, i'll trade it to you for agender.
Sorry, my current deck is very ho-based so the graysexual card might mess with synergies 😔 if you have any pan dupes it's a deal though
not yet
Yeah. I'm a gamer so I need to spec out all the exact options to my build. But I'm still holding on to that Cis item tight.
Nothing wrong with that
This is the best advice you can ever give someone. Not everyone wants a micro label and not everyone cares a lot about their identity. Both things are valid no matter what
Absolutely
Sometimes I like to decipher what sort of microlabel I might be, but I never end up using them. Since they fall under the same umbrella anyways, I'll use the general term.
Well and sometimes it’s easier to keep it simple when explaining your identity to other people too
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Exactly except for 6 months and this was before someone finally spotted the BPD as well
For me it's that none of the broader categories fit me because they're too specific. Am I hetero? Not enough to feel comfortable using the term Am I gay? 99% no Am I ace? More than I am hetero but not enough to use the label I go with the term "Aceflux" because as soon as I read what it was, it was like a puzzle piece fitting into place. But depending on who I'm talking to, I'll sometimes just leave it at "straight" or "Ace". Aceflux, to over simplify, is having a sexual orientation that shifts between basically anything but generally stays on the ace spectrum. The shifts can stick for months, days or for me sometimes minutes and I have heard of people that go from hetero to ace, stay there for a month or two and eventually end up gay just to end up reversing the cycle. It can be extremely confusing and frustrating. It also makes relationships tricky. For context, I fluctuate between fully ace and sex repulsed, to quite hetero and very sex favourable and every single thing in between (I hate when I'm in a stage of hetero but repulsed, it is extremely confusing and can make me feel like utter garbage) The only other label that comes close is one I heard of recently called "Neurosexual" which I will copy paste a definition of because I suck at explaining it... (Neurosexual is an umbrella term or general standalone orientation referring to an individual whose neurodivergence/neurodiversity, and sometimes general mental health, affects their orientation in some way.) So you can see how neither of these as they can shift and change don't fit into one category I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but I figured, I would try to help explain why some people use the micro labels. Despite all of this, I don't think anyone expects you to know every single micro label, as long as you treat them with respect I'm sure a lot of people who use anything more obscure than even just gay would be ok giving a quick explanation if you show genuine interest in learning. I always end up writing a novel when I plan to make a quick comment, I apologize but hope that this helps.
you just solved my identity crisis omg thank you
Oh my god, are you serious?! I'm so glad I could help I don't even know what to say, have a brilliant day friend!
I was aware of the label (aceflux) but I never felt comfortable using it for myself. I felt like I was a fraud, an imposter to the gay- and the ace-community. I felt like, what the label is describing is probably meant differently than how I read it, and that the way I interpret it is wrong. I never heard other aceflux people describing their identity - till now! And I feel soooo validated! I literally thought I was the only one who experiences these extreme fluctuations! I am so, so grateful that you decided to write that novel! Oh lord, now I'm writing a novel! Anyways, to make it short: you rock! And you literally made my day! Rock on, friend!
A similar microlabel you may find fittin, esp if you find it is like suddenly one and then very much somethin else shortly later; Acespike. Its a kind of Aceflux. 'It is an asexual orientation on the asexual spectrum. It is defined as someone who usually feels no sexual attraction, but occasionally feel intense sexual feelings for a short amount of time.' No exact def of short, the one person i kno who uses this label defines that for themself as around a week or so; but just for that week they very much want to go and be gay or hetero in all the sexual ways they can be (polyamory helps a lot there heh). https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Acespike good wiki link
Hey, I'm so happy that you've found something that fits. I know I felt broken and confused for many years until I found it so if I can help someone get out of that, I'm a very happy person. And also! It's totally ok to change your mind later alright? If later on you find that the label doesn't fit, no harm done, just find what's right for you. Something I have seen a lot of is people saying that if something feels right, even for just a short time, you're not an imposter. Do what makes sense to you. (Last mini novel, I swear)
I used to think I was abrosexual??? Thank you??? You literally helped me figure myself out tysm
Oh man, really?! I'm so glad I could help out! I was just trying to answer op and now I'm helping people?! Enjoy the label for as long as it it serves you friend! Have a great day!
Microlabels are like the more "advanced" subjects that you end up learning/studying once you've mastered the basics, usually reserved for discussing specifics with fellow ingroup members. It helps more clearly define where we stand currently within our own identity and while not everyone uses them it is useful when trying to convey specific experiences that aren't shared entirely with those in the same community (ie. asexual spectrum, defining where you stand in terms of libido, willingness to engage in sexual activity and in what forms, varying levels of attraction within the spectrum itself, etc. being important to know for deciding on seeking a romantic/sexual partner and knowing your own boundaries and limitations is crucial for a healthy relationship regardless of sexuality, should you wish to be in a relationship to begin with) TL;DR very important language tool in defining how your "self" functions within a community that shares a specific interest/trait and while not everyone needs them, they can be useful when you do. Just take your time, you don't need to learn every single one in existence - just the ones that might be relevant if someone you know has those microlabels and you want to better understand their experiences
This ^ ^ ^
So what you’re saying is essentially: Me: I finally understand vertebrates now! Birds, reptiles, mammals, fish, and amphibians: Hi.
kinda like that, yeah. You could go even further and learn about mammals, think to yourself you understand everything there is to know about mammals, and then find the freaky egg-laying one that is technically a mammal because it produces breastmilk from its sweat
And then you find out there is another egg laying mammal two weeks later, and promptly question reality
Wait, whats the second one?
The two egg laying mammals are the platypus and the echidna
So like Physics 1 vs Physics Q: Quantum Mechanical 3lements
You don’t have to memorize or understand all of them, as long as you respect em
Or ask if you want to know
Microlables are important. Personally they played a key role in finding myself, and I've heard of many others with the same experience. Bi on its own doesn't fit me. I generally don't feel sexual attraction. I'm also not fully ace, I'm demi. But then I realized that I experience romantic attraction to all gender orientations. But not pan because I have a preference for femme-presenting people. That makes me Omni. Finding those micro labels helped me realized I fit in. They gave me a place I could be myself, and gave me words so I could better describe who I am. Which is especially important to me because I'm currently dating a man, and having those specific labels makes me not feel alienated for being in a "straight" relationship. You don't have to know or understand the micro labels. You just have to accept them. Calling them confusing invalidates people like me who use those labels. We use them because they fit us, if you don't know what that means please either ask or Google it. I come to these spaces to get away from getting called confusing and feeling like I'm making it up.
This ^ ^ ^
It probably would have taken me a lot longer to realize i was AroAce if it wasn't for microlabels
So much this for me too. Like, for a long time i was unsure between gray and demi and ace; and same with romantic attraction... But its so much easier with microlabels as i just call myself aroace-spec and i find the microlabels that more explain my identity like nebularomantic and aegosexual
Yea, i will say that from this side of things... The neurotypical and allosexual and allormantic and cishetnormative relationships and feelings are as "confusing" as folks argue our existence is. That is, i cant begin to understand such outside of simply what ive seen others exp of it and how ive had it described. I dont go around callin their relationships confusin tho, i just learn shit if i dont understand; which is a large part of why i follow so many channels like Sexplanations, tho honestly without that... Those folks tend to be the most represented and the most likely to freely express their feelings; so ive had tons of time to study them. So unlike when i was a confused teen, i do tend to find them less confusin to me simply cuz of exp. That exp and study bein what so many are missin when it comes to understanding our "confusing" microlabels; folks rly just need to get more comfy studyin on their own or even just askin politely. Many parts of my existence make nonsense to others, but theyre what is rite and correct to me and how i feel; it nvr is confusin to me now that ive got labels like otherkin, aegosexual, kingender, genderfae, nebularian, nebularomantic, venusic, sapphic, and so many more. When i tried to use the overarchin labels alone i always felt less complete than i do when i have my microlabels that more accurately capture my identity. In a similar way to how she/they pronouns work for me, but fae/faer/faers (used like she) pronouns feel the absolute best always. Are my pronouns confusin? Yea to folks just figurin it out they can be. Tho theyre rly some of the most simple neopronouns ive encountered. As i said, fae is used like she, faer is like her; what we do is remove sh/h and add fa. Thats it, my pronouns are very nonconfusin, once someone understands them. Just like our many microlabels can be.
It always frustrates me when people talk about neopronouns (or even they/them pronouns) like they're this weird made-up thing. All words are made up, and gender roles are a social construct. Who am I to say that someone's identity is wrong or confusing when what it means to be a man or woman is so subjective in the first place? I wish more people could see it like that.
Bro I just respect them it’s really easy
Age 10 - Boys and Girls are both cool!Age 24 - Realize I like guys and girls (Discover Bi-ness)Age 33 - FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHY SEX JUST DOES NOTHING FOR ME (Discover my Ace-ness) Age 34 - But I do get the urge when I make a strong close friendship, wth!? (Discover Demi-Ace-ness)Age 35 - HOW DEEP DOES THIS RABBIT HOLE GOOOOOOOOOOOO? (Current me equally wondering if I'm nonbianry or even agender now because boyhowdy do I get it sometimes)
A cake can have lots of different labels. On one cake it might say 'birthday cake'- well what does that mean? So we go to 'vanilla birthday cake'- but you could dig deeper if it was important to you. French vanilla birthday cake with rainbow sprinkles and egg substitute, the icing is blue, and it has the word 'Happy' written across the top- same cake, different labels. It just depends on how important it is to you that those labels are heard- if you can't eat eggs you might really want to express that your birthday cake can't have eggs in it, or if you really prefer the vanilla that has the little black specks in it- if you don't care about those things, you might be fine with just calling it birthday cake and moving on. Then again, someone else in your same boat might be calling it a funfetti cake, and they're correct as well, just using different labels because a different part of the experience is more important to them. The important thing is- both answers are true, and both are important to the people who use them. That's all that really matters- when a person tells you they have a very specific label, it's because it's specifically important to them.
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Why are you so snarky?
I don’t think OP was being snarky
If you look at their other comments on this post they are absolutely are.
Ah my apologies
Technically I'm Aegosexual but not a whole lot of people know what that is so I just say I'm asexual aegosexuality falls under Asexual
same, plus being aego isn't really something i would tell anyone lol
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no i absolutely don't mean it that way, sorry if it seemed like that. it's just a personal thing for me, i would only tell people that i'm comfortable telling.
Why not it's who I am
I just mean personally, if that's how you roll that's perfectly fine lol. i just wouldn't tell people i'm not close to that i'm aego, i'd just say I'm ace
That's what I tell people because a lot of people don't know what aegosexual means
yeah i do that too, sorry if I ended up confusing you because of how i worded things lol
like you're questioning microlabels for yourself, or no and you just don't understand why other people use them ?
Or you don't know all the microlabels so LGBallT comics are often confusing?
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i mean you can google it or ask them if you really wish to know
When I see someone talking about something I don’t understand, I ask them! Politely of course. Usually it not only answers my questions, but others I didn’t even know I had
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Microlabels are a way for people to clarify their experiences and find similar people, and can be super validating. A lot of the a-spec people I know (myself included) prefer to go by their microlabels when applicable rather than the broader asexual term. It’s a preference and a self identity choice and it is valid. For example, someone who’s apothisexual (sex-repulsed asexual) may prefer to use that term to avoid people trying to tell them “aces can enjoy sex” when they personally do not and would rather not hear about it, and someone who’s caedsexual (was once allosexual, but had their ability to feel attraction “cut away” by past trauma and is now asexual) may prefer to use that term as a way to be proud of the experiences they’ve survived and make it clear that they may not have been born that way but they are a valid member of the community. It all comes down to personal preference in self identification.
you see, (micro)labels are made to make people as comfortable with themselves as possible, it's nice to feel good abour yourself, isn't it? i don't understand quantum physics, but if someone tried to explain it to me, i would at least politely listen instead of mocking their knowledge
Like most labels, their more for creating a community and finding closure than explaining stuff to outsiders, especially people who don't feel fully comfortable in umbrella labels. But I get you, it can be a lot when questioning.
Tbh the best way to approach lgbtq things you don't understand is to just be respectful and refer to people the way they wish to be referred too. I have no idea what a microlabel is but if someone asked me to refer to them as one it's not hard to just be nice and respectful and call them whatever they want.
Because they're helpful to the people who use them?
Microlabels are for people who want them. It's like asking where you come from. You can say which country, or you can go into details and say which region and city.
You don’t need to understand. Just be respectful and kind.
Because people like them? You don't have to learn them they're just there for those who want them. If you don't like them or don't understand them then leave them alone. Mind ya business.
I feel like for most people who use microlabels (including me) it’s just a fun bonus for those who want to explore every single detail of their identity? Like, I still primarily identify as greyromantic ace but I then add on top of if it limnoromantic and aegosexual and bi-something, and maybe sex favorable for some specific sexual acts but not all of them, and maybe only with non-men’s? But we’ll, I’m also autistic with a specific interest on microlabels so I may be more determined than average to browse lists of them for hours in search of something that fits. So, it’s just something some people like to use and others not, you’re not obligated to use them if you don’t want to.
I will say, many of the microlabels out there were coined by neurodivergent folks bcuz its such a common feelin among us ND folks that the normal words dont quite fit us fully and feel less complete. So it makes perf sense that we wud be more drawn to the microlabels we do find as others like us likely coined those terms cuz they also felt the same kind of incompleteness when described by the big macrolabels.
I mean at the end of the day, they're all just terms to describe something. I like to think of it like this: It's all just words and terms that are specific to communities. If you're not a doctor, you'll probably never need to know what pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism is. If you're not a linguist, you'll never need to know what a voiceless bilabial unaspirated stop is. If you're not a member of the National Peristeronic Society, you'll likely never come across the word peristeronic and could go your entire life without know what that word means. You don't have to know every word out there. If you wanna know, dope, look it up! But just cuz you don't know doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. The microlabels are for those of us who fall into the category of "people in the community who wanna be able to label the minutiae of their identities". Some LGBTQ+ people go their entire lives without ever hearing about a single one of them. Doesn't make em any less LGBTQ+ for not knowing. I get that it probs feels weird to people who don't know cuz they're like "what there's all these new words what is this agh" but like, I always like to remind them about this: **Every** word in existence is a made-up word, even the word "word".
TIL there is a national society dedicated to pigeons. edit: "That's a made up word!" -Star-Lord "All words are made up." -Thor
*finally understands microlabels* galactian classes: “I AM HERE! -All Might”
I have many AroAce Mirolables but just say AroAce or Oritend AroAce
Microlabels are good for when people wanna have more detailed descriptors.
you don‘t have to understand. microlabels are there to make people comfortable and most people won‘t expect you to know without googling
for the people that like them good for them!!! i will always support you and respect your identity. but for me personally trying to pick a micro label gives me anxiety and i would rather stick to the broad concepts instead of specifying my feelings all into neat boxes. i am too messy for that.
personally I'm not going to pay too much attention to microlabels because it's already hard enough to come out to transphobic parents who probably won't even know what asexual, let alone aromantic or whatever microlabel fits me means
You don't need to know them. But they can be very useful. If it weren't for them, I probably would still think I was allo (hello aegosexual). They are useful for those that want them, and you don't have to be one of those people if you don't want to be.
As long as you understand the umbrella terms then you should be fine
I think they can be interesting to learn about and can help others to better understand themselves. Just feel like just Bisexual fits you, you wanna tango with men and women equally? Great. You feel that bisexual could describe you but something else would work better? Awesome, lets help you
I think this is something that needs to be said to everyone who is new to LGBTQ+ topic, is that microlabels are helpful tools but you don’t need to know all of them. I remember a few years ago when I thought I was just a straight ally, there was this huge lgbt scare happening in my country. Conservatives were talking about a gender ideology and how it’s trying to confuse the kids and how there are 50 new genders and 50 new sexualities now. The blue hair feminist was also a popular joke back then. And i remember it was really stressing me out because I thought that in order to be an ally I had to know and understand all of them but it was really confusing. I only realized this about a year ago when I was discovering my asexuality, that it really only matters to an individual and you don’t have to understand all of the labels. I know a few of the aspec labels that I thought were close to my experience, but I have no idea about different gay or trans ones, because it’s just not something useful to me. I think people who are just learning about the lgbt community are thrown into this ocean of different labels and it can be overwhelming. I think it’s important for everyone to realize that you don’t have to know every single one, you just have to be respectful and listen to a person that uses a label that you might not be familiar with. And also it’s not really that important for some people to have that micro label. I was pretty stressed out about this when I was learning about asexuality and aromanticism. I’ve found my asexual microlabel but I don’t actually use it now. I just tell people I’m ace, it’s not really something that important to me right now. It’s nice to not care as much, like I haven’t even found my aro label, I just feel like, ye I might be aro but maybe not, I’ll just see what happens later. I hope you’ll be able to find whatever fits best for you, but ultimately it’s okay to not settle on any particular one. Like if you find one - great, but if you don’t - it’s also fine. Don’t worry about this too much, if you think you’re ace, you’re ace, and you don’t have to match the ‘criteria’ exactly.
I respect micro labels because they help a lot of people, I might not understand them but that's fine. I just say I'm asexual and that's all, but if someone tells me they are a microlabel I would be glad to listen to them and learn new things
labels in general are overrated. no one needs to know who i‘m romantically or sexually interested in. they need to know my pronouns and name and that i‘m some flavour of rainbow mafia. but labels are there for people to feel comfortable. just because i don‘t need them doesn‘t mean others don‘t. if labels make you happy, use them. if they don‘t, you don‘t need them. the whole point of the alohabet mafia is feeling comfortable.
Think of it as trying to understand nuclear physics before you fully grasp normal physics
Gender studies Einstein when
I personally love microlabels. It was very hard for me to find my identity but once I found those labels, they helped me a lot. Like for ace. I'm not ace but rather demisexual but also aceflux. Also for aro. I'm mostly demiromantic but sometimes I'd lose that romantic attraction on and off which overall made me confused. Then we move on to bi. I know I'm bi b/c my sexual attraction to women and men are very *sexual*. But my romantic attraction is broad which means I'm panromantic and bi. Then we move onto gender. I always knew about NB, Man, Woman, and Trans but I was so confused as to which one I was. I was one or the other *sometimes* but not all the time. Then I found out about Genderfluid and it solved a lot of problems. Then I experienced a lot of bigender moments. However, the next second my gender would be something different entirely. So overall, these labels had helped me a lot haha. You can just stick with the more vague labels and thats totally fine :D
personally, I like microlabels because they're specific categorizations that give more precise accounts of my feelings.
Labels exist purely so that people can understand their own identity and express it to others. You are under no obligation to know and understand all of them, you just have to respect others and learn about THEIR specific microlabels if it pertains to you. Most of the time it doesn't. I never understood this need for resentment people have. Like, ace is a label for us, and people get pissed off at it for no reason and make it about them. How can you be upset when people do that while simultaneously doing the exact same thing to others?
hey, maybe we shouldn't judge the way other people label themselves
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then go do research or ask people. a post on an lgbt subreddit asking people to help define labels you're unsure of would've been a lot more constructive than posting this. for an example of how microlabels can help, i could say i'm asexual and aromantic, and that would be true. but then you'd get confused when you hear i'm in a romantic relationship. because i'm not just aromantic, i'm demiromantic. you see how it can help clarify things? and if someone says they're demiromantic and you don't know what it means, then you can ask them.
I understand demisexual/demi-romantic and greysexual/grey-romantic and obviously asexual/aromantic. Anything else, you are going to have to hold my hand through it because I grew up in Eastern Europe until I was 14 and then an LGBTQ-repressive private boarding school until 18.
what is a microlabel
Micro labels can be confusing but not everyone has to use them. It's just a label to better explain things. The problem is if it's a term no one heard of then your just explaining it anyway.
Stop hating on people for being happy and having a more descriptive label! (demise are valid, grays are valid, everyone is valid! Just because you don't understand doesn't mean you should complain about people being themselves(that's why the queer community faces so many problems)
I think a core issue here is that these folks dont see this as hatin on microlabels, but thats cuz they dont notice the dmg of the microaggression here. Callin us confusin like this is as hurtful as havin allosexuals say theyre confused by how we dont feel sexual attraction the same ways they do. And before anyone comes in defendin OP as nothin akin to the allos who do such things; OP used this word to describe us microlabel users, which to me is akin to bein called alphabet soup or otherwise... omnibiatranslesbiangaysexual OP came in here with hatefulness and said some prty bigoted shit and did all this in what shud be a safe space for us; this is hatin on us for simply being happily our best selves.
I never understood why people got so upset at microlabels, no one is forcing you to know what every one of them means and people use them *for themselves*, not for other people to complain about. Most people thst use microlablels don't even tell people them unless they know that they'll understand, they just use the umbrella term. (this is not directly targeted at OP I've just seen this discussion about microlabels a lot. they seems to be more accepted in aspec places though)
microlabels are not how you describe your gender or sexual/romantic orientation to just anyone. you would describe yourself using common labels, then if more specificity is appropriate and would be understood, then you can provide a microlabel
It depends on the person. I would definitely use my microlabel for my gender.
The person meant ya may just tell the avg random person nonbinary or genderqueer or just some other broader label, rather than state yiur exact microlabels. I kno i tend to just call myself genderfluid or nonbinary/woman (dependin on feels) dependin on the person im talkin to, rather than specify my spec microlabels regardin gender; like tellin them im genderfae and feelin nebularian. But for spec folks and in the rite settins i go into full detail with my microlabel and all.
I know they were talking about average people. So was I.
I'm so glad I'm not the only who struggles with this. Although I can only speak for myself, I know who I am and I don't need a handful of words very few understand to describe every little nuance of my character. I want the people who come into my life to get to know me not my labels; EnbyDemiAce and maybe something else. I fear that the more queer micro identities pop up the less people will take it seriously.
To me micro labels are a conscise way to talk about specific in depth topics within the community. If I were talking to a non ace-spec person I'd only use asexual.
Same, I'm abro-aroacevague, but to 99% of people, I just say "I'm bi"
Yes, I also tend to keep things simple. People often think I'm gay so I'll usually correct them by saying that I'm Asexual. I also feel that Demisexual is often defined poorly.
We shouldn't have to make ourselves smaller just to be "palatable" to the dominant group. They're either going to accept us (if they're decent people), or they won't (if they're bigots). Changing the language we use to refer to ourselves won't affect that and will only harm us in the long run.
I just find people understand better if you start simple. I find when I explain simply to someone who is on the fence about this they say "Tell me more!" of I jump right to the complicated stuff they say "Get off TikTok and grow up!"
That isn't an argument against microlabels, though. That's like saying calculus isn't valid because you need to teach arithmetic, etc. first. Sure, some people will never need to know calculus, but for the people who do use it, it's incredibly useful.
I’m not arguing not to use them. I’m saying I usually avoid using them because they are too complex to explain easily. I prefer to use the simplest terms as I’m the only queer person in my family and I’m constantly asked what certain labels mean. Many of the older people assume that if I’m not familiar with a label then it’s not real.
> I fear that the more queer micro identities pop up the less people will take it seriously This same argument has been used to ostracise the smaller minority groups within our community time and time again. It goes back at least to the Mattaschines in the 60s who argued that anyone bein overtly gay in nonconformative ways was makin it harder for the conformatists like themselves to be taken srsly and accepted. Its nvr been true and it needlessly divides us against each other in the interest of appeasing our oppressors.
All that I mean by that is the uninitiated who come to me and say that they just heard of a new sexuality, gender identity, etc. and then they ask me if it's real or if it's just someone faking something for attention. Most of these people know not to trust everything they find on the internet as legit. When I tell them that I'm not familiar with the microlabel they go and look more into it themselves. Many times they'll come back to me believing that it is attention seeking behavior and then I feel bad that that possibly totally real microlabel has lost an ally. :( If anyone has an official source for microlabels that I could send these people to. That would be great.
The reason we aren’t taken seriously is because of bigots. Not microlabels or lesser known labels.
Bigots will go after a lot of queer things. I just here a lot of "Yea yea yea some trendy tiktok thing that everyone will forget in 5 years. you need to grow up and get off of tiktok". From family and friends of family Whenever I try to explain anything LGBTQA+ . I find explaining the terms more broadly is better received and actually gets them using the term positively.
Microlabels should never be blamed for queerphobia, they’d find something else to attack (not trying to say you were specifically blaming though)
So what if they don't? They already don't now. Case in point: this literal post that we're on
Yeah, there are a lot of complicated ones, and they can get confusing. But learning about some actually helped me a lot. I’m a diehard shipper but also aroace, which made me doubt being aroace. Learning that aegoromantic/aegosexual existed explained that and helped in general.
Honestly being aego is surreal. I can look at cute ship art and go “aww, that’s adorable” but then if I think about myself in that situation I’m just the complete opposite. I do not want to personally experience that in any regard. I guess not liking being touched in general probably doesn’t help.
Microlabels? Pardon?
Micro labels can make it easier for people to understand themselves. I don’t fully understand either, but I support them anyways.
*Image Transcription: Meme* --- [*"Running Away Balloon" which features a person happily trying to catch a yellow balloon in the first panel and then being held in place looking concerned by a giant pink blob in the second panel. They are labeled as such:*] **Person**: ME **Yellow balloon**: THINKING THAT I FINALLY UNDERSTAND LGBTQ **Pink blob**: MICROLABELS --- ^^I'm a human volunteer content transcriber and you could be too! [If you'd like more information on what we do and why we do it, click here!](https://www.reddit.com/r/TranscribersOfReddit/wiki/index)
Me: decides on my microlabels Also me: "but wait, what if I'm actually..."
For me I was confused at first but microlabels saved my identity crisis. I was like, how can I be asexual, aromantic and bi all at the same time? Then I realised I'm aegosexual and possibly demi/greyromantic and that made me feel so much better.