How have you been labeled? Label others? What are the advantages/disadvantages to labels? What are they for? Who uses them? Why?

Everyone has been labeled from the day they were born. We are assigned a gender at birth. The assignment is a label. As we age, we are labeled based on our looks: skinny, athletic, overweight, curvy. Individuals are labeled based on their sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, etc. Women who either physically cannot or choose not to have children are labeled for not having children by a certain age. After a while, women are also labeled as having baggage if they are not married.

People like me who are mixed-race might be labeled as "too much of one race". We might also be called bi-racial. I don't have a preference and use both of these terms interchangeably. As a Mexican-American woman, I do use certain terms to identify myself. Hispanic and Latina are the two terms that I use most. I do not identify with the word Chicana. It is not a term that my family/extended family ever used. The word Latinx is a generational term that I choose not to use. I understand the meaning behind it, and that it was coined in an effort to be more inclusive. I also understand why it might be a controversial term to use.

Children with disabilities need to be identified and labeled so that they can receive special education services. These services might include targeted instruction, individualized education programming or extra learning support. IDEA gives states federal funds to help make special education services available for students with disabilities. It also provides very specific requirements to ensure a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities. Students who are gifted are often labeled as such, in an effort to place them in the appropriate courses or grade levels. Students who are athletic are labeled as such and with that is a possibility of being scouted for colleges and universities in high school.

Individuals who are part of the LGBTQ+ community may or may not prefer labels depending on the support they receive at home or at school. It could also be a personal preference. 

Labeling can open the doors for social concern and aid advocacy efforts. When persons are labeled, advocacy groups have an opportunity to identify the problem and lobby for it on behalf of the individuals. Labeling creates cohesive communication for advocacy groups. It opens the door when someone needs to connect with others in a social setting or new environment. Labeling can also lead to discrimination or harassment. Depending on what is said, a label can sometimes be harmful and/or have lasting effects.