This guest poster, who wishes to remain anonymous, enlightens us on how we use labels to define others. Labels can feel judgmental and can dehumanize. Labels create “us and them.” Labels isolate. What labels have been used on you?

My alarm goes off, time to start another day

As I exit my bed, I grab my binder from the nightstand along with a baggy sweatshirt and loose pants

I head to the bathroom where I avoid the mirror and shower at all costs.

These parts are not mine

This is not fair

As I head to school I wonder how many times I might be stung by the verbal bee today

A substitute in math and inevitably role call

My dead name

This name is not mine

This is not fair

It’s time for therapy and upon arrival my dead name is said aloud for the waiting room to hear

A clipboard with assessments where I am asked to put my name and gender 

The gender binary is everywhere in here

This gender is not mine

This is not fair

At the stroke of 3 o’clock, the therapist enters the waiting room

We walk down these winding halls…

To my surprise a safe space sticker and an ALLY button accompanies this stranger

Can this name be mine?

These pronouns feel right

“What name do you like to be called”

This stranger identifies their pronouns and preferred name

“Tell me about what makes you, you”

This name is mine

These pronouns feel right

This stranger does not realize that for the first time today

I am more than transgender

I am an artist, an avid reader, hopeless romantic, and enjoy color coordinating my shoes.

This name is mine

These pronouns feel right

I am me and that is perfectly okay

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