Projects
Stepping Away from Stereotypes: The Person Behind the Label
Since January of 2023, I have been working on a portrait project about everyday people in the LGBTQ+ community. It is a passion project focusing on the people behind the labels and stepping away from stereotypes.
I want to show those not in the community that we are just as human as everyone else and more than our labels. I, like many others, have been stereotyped and put into boxes that don’t represent me.
As queer people, wherever we fall on this beautiful rainbow spectrum, we’re often put into different areas—boxed into categories that don’t capture the fullness of who we are. That’s part of why I wanted to do this project.
As I’ve spoken to more people, it’s been incredible to see that we’re not just one thing. We’re not defined by a single aspect of ourselves. We’re a vibrant mix of experiences, identities, talents, and dreams.
This project is about queer people, but in a way, it’s not really about queer people. It’s about people who just happen to be queer. We’re not stereotypes, and we’re not our labels. We’re people—human beings with unique stories, passions, and lives.
Our queerness may shape our perspectives, but it doesn’t define our entirety. We’re artists and scientists, introverts and extroverts, dreamers and doers. We’re all of these things and more, not confined by the assumptions others make about us.
Through this project, I want to show that we are more than any label or category. We’re just people, complex and beautiful, who happen to be queer.
“I like showing our community to the outside world. Show them that we might look a bit weird, but we’re just people with wants and needs. People who want to live our lives and be happy like everyone else.”
“I very much like to embrace some of the stereotypes, in good parts, because some of them simply fit me, I am, in fact, a power tool lesbian*(not actually lesbian, but I like the term) who will fix stuff in and around the house.”
“We are so much more than what society portrays us as.”
“On the one hand, I like it so you have a way of placing yourself in the world and meeting other people, but at the end of the day, everyone is just human. So, in the end, you don’t need all those labels either. A label shouldn’t define you on its own. But it’s nice to have those labels now and then just for empowerment or to look for like-minded people, so it’s a bit of a balance.”
“Used to be: ‘Don’t give me any, I don’t need to be pigeonholed’
Now more so: Labels can be nice for some to find like-minded people, for example, or to find out more about yourself or another person. But I think we are made up of so many organic facets and should feel free to switch or adapt to how you feel in the moment.
Of course, if someone is comfortable with a label, that’s okay. But you are not just your label right?”
“In my bubble, like my friends and the people I know of my age and also a little older and younger, there is much more room to play with self-expression.”
“I think labels can either evoke positive or negative thoughts and feelings. It’s not so nice to be labelled as something you feel you are not, for example, but often it can help you cement your sense of self. I have had various labels applied to me my whole life (sometimes by choice, sometimes not), so a couple more don’t hurt.”
“I see myself as a lesbian, but no one else does. Everyone just assumes I’m heterosexual, and it just bothers me so much that just because I don’t look like a typical gay woman, they treat me differently. I want the world to know that there aren’t stereotypical boxes, that everyone can be who they want to be, look how they want to look, and don’t have to be stereotypical.”
““I see labels as a vehicle to communicate to others. When I introduce myself I don’t tell everyone all of my labels. It depends on the setting and the person I’m interacting with. Online it is a way to find community and know right away who are my people. I have many intersecting labels that sometimes work against each other. I’m trying to be vocal about my labels for this reason, to find my people and/ or let people know that these intersections exist and need space within the queer community. Labels are not set in stone and can change over time it can evolve or be dropped, it is your own descriptor so change it when necessary for you.””
“I am human instead of a picture.”
“I’m just as completely whole and layered as any other person, with my own unique experience of being queer in this world and my own context.”
“It’s not a game to win or something to prove to see who is “gay enough” or “a true bisexual/lesbian or secretly straight/curious. (it’s so weird to me how people sometimes feel like you have to prove yourself or think that you could be “not gay enough”...).”
“I might have explored my identity much sooner if most label stereotypes weren’t so offensive.”
“People are not one-dimensional. They’re multidimensional.”
