Today's MOZEN: Go For It!

F LoBuono

In an effort to create a more inclusive world, we now have a dizzying array of terms to describe the incredible range of human gender and sexual identity. There is hetero, homo, bi, cis, non-binary, trans, fluid, queer, neutral, inter, variant, and, I'm sure, others that I haven't learned of yet.

For many of us, they are coming at a rate that can be confusing and, yes, frustrating, to keep up with.

My way of coping, as it usually is with such complicated issues, is to simply things to their essential essence. And, for me, in this case, that means -

I don't give a shit what you identify yourself as!!!

And, I mean that it in a good way.

Why would anyone care how anyone else chooses to call themselves? It does YOU no harm. Furthermore, you don't need MY permission, or anyone else's for that matter, to be who you FEEL you are! And, if someone judges you for that choice, there is an appropriate response. It might go something like this: I'm sorry that you feel that way. But, if you can't accept that, the problem is yours, not mine. Then politely add, if that's not good enough, you can go fuck yourself.

I understand that the labeling is done in a sincere effort to establish more, not less, understanding among people. However, because creating labels can also produce a mindset that people are too different and, therefore, weird, it needs to be addressed. Well, in my world, different and weird are GOOD things - especially if they do no harm to themselves or others. It kinda' makes the world go 'round.

To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, I yearn for the day when people will be judged by the content of their character rather than the identity of their gender/sexual preferences.

LIVE your life how you imagine it without fear or hesitation. It is YOURS to have and keep. It is the only one we have. So, in the final analysis, what the rest of the world thinks about you is irrelevant.

GO FOR IT!