[The_Lady_Snow]

Originally Posted by Nat

I want to talk about identity. I've been wanting to talk about it for a while now. I suppose for some time now, I've had an internal debate going about what identity is and what its role is in a human life.

I chose the above quote to start this discussion because it contains within it a small definition of identity which I had not heard: *

identity: a way to avoid having to become an authentic person

I identify as a lot of different stuff. This definition interests me, because I hadn't heard it put that way before, though I did feel a great deal of pressure to identify when I first came out.

So I have some questions floating around and I'd love to hear other people's takes on these:

Do you feel the identity or identities you carry are barriers to authenticity or do you think of them as means of expressing your authenticity?

Each branch (label) that is chosen by myself and others is a chosen or placed definition of who I am. They are small branches of what makes me Snow.

Or, to put it another way, what do you feel the relationship is between identity and authenticity? *

As I grow older my identities (labels) and authenticity go hand in hand, I'm more mature and have accepted who and what I am evolving too so therefore it carries how true I am to myself.

Do you feel like identity unites or divides or both or neither?

Depends if we let it divide us, it can be a choice I choose to not let it and let them co exist happily with one another

What does identity offer you?

Expression, room to grow

What does it take from you?

Identity does not take from me, what others choose to placed on me as an identity does

Do you see your identity as flexible? Yes, I don't tend to sit still and go stale, so like with anything else in me its fluid and runs with my course

Have you felt pressure to identify?

Not at 40 I sure don't, as a younger queer yes after 30 *I* chose to not let those pressures disturb my life's course.

I have so many mixed feelings at the moment, but do feel some division between my identity and my most authentic self - but I feel like my most authentic self is the person in charge of my identity if that makes sense. I feel like here in this community, I bring both my identity and my authenticity, but then if I hung out with you, you might get a different and equally authentic experience.

For an identity-positive quote, I'll cite the Dead Poets chop-up of Walt Whitman:

.

If a label feels constricting or it's something that I have not chosen to use I will fight it. I'm not built to fit into lil boxes I always tend to ooze out of them so with that and maturity I feel we all will either continue to evolve or stay stagnant and when we do stay that way there can be no authenticity.