Unlabeled
Definiton
Disclaimer: People can experience identities in different ways. As such, people can identify with a label without exactly matching the definition because identities are fluid.
Unlabeled (also called no label or non-labeled, also spelled unlabelled) is a term used by people who do not want to label their sexuality, gender, and/or other identity (or identities) with a more specific label. As such, unlabeled people can be any sexuality, romantic orientation, or gender, can present in any way they like, and can use any pronouns they like or no pronouns, since pronouns don't equate gender.
There are many possible reasons why a person might identify as unlabeled, including feeling as though their identity is similar to a pre-existing one but not wanting to use that label, not feeling like any labels fit their experiences, not wanting to use the term(s) questioning and/or queer to describe themself, and not wanting to restrict their identity with a certain label.
Flag History and Meaning
The unlabeled flag was created by Twitter user lwtroses. It has been in use since around December 11, 2020.
Each color of the unlabeled flag has its own meaning:
- Pale green: freedom
- White: understanding
- Pale blue: acceptance
- Pale orange: flexibility
Related Identities
Unlabeled is related to labels such as:
- Genderqueer
- Pomogender
- Pomoromantic
- Pomosexual
- Queer
- Questioning
Additional Resources
- Ello Felicia's "Understanding 'Unlabeled'" does a good job of explaining why having a label for not wanting to label oneself past a certain point is necessary and good for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
- Unfortunately, there aren't very many other good resources for unlabeled people. However, 2SLGBTQIA+ support resources also include unlabeled people, so you can visit the Resources page for those.
