General Discussion

[quote name="bulrush" date="2023-01-19 12:44:27" ] i left a messy as hell post in the vista thread and im like 90% sure im overreacting to nothing but like, is it weird to not want to use a label to describe myself? autism puts a major wrench into identity as a whole and the fact that disability plays an essential role in both my (lack of) gender and sexuality makes me worried because of things i've seen said about people relating mental illness to their experiences. i had a very stable identity for years and i had to toss that out because it wasn't the right fit for me and i just want to be able to say who i am with total confidence for once, even if that means i never identify as anything more than "briar is briar" [/quote] @bulrush Don't worry about it, you're definitely not alone with those feelings. I still swerve between wanting to use labels for myself and being more comfy using none, on top of the never-ending questioning of "am I [i]really[/i] what I think I am?". The important thing to remember is that it's okay to not be sure. It's okay to change, to try out different things to see how they feel, to explore yourself, to question yourself, and it's okay not to label yourself at all. And no matter how you feel, you're always welcome in the LGBT+ community.

[quote name="bulrush" date="2023-01-19 12:44:27" ] i left a messy as hell post in the vista thread and im like 90% sure im overreacting to nothing but like, is it weird to not want to use a label to describe myself? autism puts a major wrench into identity as a whole and the fact that disability plays an essential role in both my (lack of) gender and sexuality makes me worried because of things i've seen said about people relating mental illness to their experiences. i had a very stable identity for years and i had to toss that out because it wasn't the right fit for me and i just want to be able to say who i am with total confidence for once, even if that means i never identify as anything more than "briar is briar" [/quote] @bulrush Definitely not weird! You're not alone in this, as several people already seem to be saying, but I thought I'd add in my own experience as another autistic person with a weird relationship with their gender. Certainly doesn't help that I'm pretty certain in my aceness, even so far as to find a microlabel that fits me perfectly, but then turning around and being confused as heck about my gender identity. Not having a precise way to describe yourself can be stressful sometimes, but vagueness is totally valid! And don't let anyone tell you you don't belong in the community, just because there are connections between certain disabilities, neurodivergencies and experiences and certain queer identities doesn't make having that identity any less valid. Edit: [size=2](Also imagine being on this site for 6 years and only just finding out about this forum now. Oops)[/size]