Too Much Pressure to Identify?

[Agarntrop]

I have recently discovered that a 15 year old aqqueantance of mine - who has openly dated both males and females - has decided she is "60/40" in terms of who she is attracted to. This also reminded me of a time when I had been pushed to identify as bisexual for a brief period - as an adolescent - because of some bullying I had encountered. This is no longer a position I hold.

Overall, I think that the LGBT rights movement (despite lifting a lot of pressure and anxiety from adolescents who think they might be attracted to the same sex) have unintentionally put pressure on adolescents to "find their identity" despite the fact that adolescence is a time of only just discovering yourself and not knowing what to identify as. As a result, adolescents have changed their sexualities and been accused of lying about themselves and whatnot. So, NSG, is their too much pressure on teenagers to sexually identify nowadays?

[The Krogan]

Probably depends on where you live, where I'm from its better off to at least appear straight until you either grow up or leave.

[Agarntrop]

Probably depends on where you live, where I'm from its better off to at least appear straight until you either grow up or leave.

I live in a fairly liberal area of a fairly liberal country, it's completely normal to see homosexual PDAs and gay marriage is legal.

[Agarntrop]

/bomp

[Madonna Queendom]

The "Yes" vote has been cast.

Friendly reminders:

• Never force people to come out of the closet, no matter how much you know about their sexuality.
• Refrain from judging people by their sex, gender, and sexual orientation.
• I honestly won't give a damn on what you think about how gender minorities should be condemned or chastised or whatever.

Some people are forgetful or awfully ignorant with this subject.

[Nakena]

Yes theres way too much pressure to identify for either one tendency. Instead of being more open towards queerness and bisexuality. Which is somewhat not really liked either.

[Rojava Free State]

Where I'm from you gotta be straight or else people decide they have a fair reason to get violent or nasty with you. It's only cool here if you're a bisexual woman. If you're a lesbian or gay dude, people act like animals.

[Slavakino]

Identity Politics are stupid and defy all laws of biology.

[Heloin]

Pressure exists if people are told they have to fit into a nice little slot even if they may not. When finding yourself there should be no strict categorisation to what yourself should be. Someone's finds they are exactly something and are happy with that, good on them. Someone doesn't really know where they place, good for them. At the end of the day there shouldn't be any pressure with something that should only be about what you want.

Identity Politics are stupid and defy all laws of biology.

If you have literally no idea what your talking about and just making up crap you'd be absolutely right. Reality on the other hand seems to disagree with your idea of biology.

[Slavakino]

Pressure exists if people are told they have to fit into a nice little slot even if they may not. When finding yourself there should be no strict categorisation to what yourself should be. Someone's finds they are exactly something and are happy with that, good on them. Someone doesn't really know where they place, good for them. At the end of the day there shouldn't be any pressure with something that should only be about what you want.

Identity Politics are stupid and defy all laws of biology.

If you have literally no idea what your talking about and just making up crap you'd be absolutely right. Reality on the other hand seems to disagree with your idea of biology.

Your reality of biology seems to come from another planet

[Cappuccina]

Adolescents should probably be focusing on more important things than "sexual identity", like school perhaps. There's plenty of time later in life for that "finding yourself" nonsense.

[Slavakino]

Adolescents should probably be focusing on more important things than "sexual identity", like school perhaps. There's plenty of time later in life for that "finding yourself" nonsense.

Although we may not see eye to eye for this politics but I completely agree. They should be productive first then worry about other crap later.

[New haven america]

Adolescents should probably be focusing on more important things than "sexual identity", like school perhaps. There's plenty of time later in life for that "finding yourself" nonsense.

School doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, tbh.

[Valehart]

Speaking as a high schooler myself I'd say yeah, there's a certain pressure that's being put on my generation to "self-identify," and at times it can be pretty overbearing

[Alien Overlord]

Adolescents should probably be focusing on more important things than "sexual identity", like school perhaps. There's plenty of time later in life for that "finding yourself" nonsense.

^ I would generally agree with this.

[Cappuccina]

Adolescents should probably be focusing on more important things than "sexual identity", like school perhaps. There's plenty of time later in life for that "finding yourself" nonsense.

School doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, tbh.

Education is definitely important in one's life.

[Pacomia]

Adolescents should probably be focusing on more important things than "sexual identity", like school perhaps. There's plenty of time later in life for that "finding yourself" nonsense.

^ I would generally agree with this.

Same here. It’s good to know who you are, but really it’s less important than some other things, especially things like a good education.

[East Gondwana]

I think part of the problem is that society often views these identities as immutable and final, so the pressure is created through the implication that you're not "allowed" to change once you decide.

Identity labels are just that, labels, and you can change them whenever you want. Labels are tools invented by people to help us communicate aspects about ourselves, and oftentimes we don't fully understand those aspects as young people, and those aspects may themselves change over time.

So my message to other young queer people is to use whichever label or identity feels most comfortable to you in the present (or none, if that's what makes you feel most comfortable). It's not set in stone, use whatever language and tools work best for you in the moment. You're not "fake" if you change your mind or your identity evolves. Even if you turn out to be cishet in the long term and this is just a phase, you'll have gained valuable experience and insight into yourself and those around you through questioning and exploring.

[Neanderthaland]

In the sense that there used to be no pressure, because the answer was just assumed. And now it is not.

[Kowani]

Adolescents should probably be focusing on more important things than "sexual identity", like school perhaps. There's plenty of time later in life for that "finding yourself" nonsense.

As an actual adolescent: Fuck that noise.

[Scherzinger]

In My Honest Opinion: I think that instead of focusing on who you love, yoou should focus on your future. School is far more important than a date. Eventually youll figure it out, but you should figure it out at your own pace. the liberal left, as well as the LGB community, are trying to get kids to figure things out before their young minds can even comprehend what this kind of stuff is and how complicated it can be. To all the adolescents out there, you take things at your own pace, and you prioritize what YOU want, not what society wants.

[SD_Film Artists]

Identity Politics are stupid and defy all laws of biology.

Even if the subject has little or nothing to do with biology?

[Rojava Free State]

I'm 99/1. 99% for women but 1% for Ainsley Harriot cause we all love a man that can cook

[SD_Film Artists]

I think that Facebook groups and other centres of identity politics tend to sell it (whether they know it or not) as a crutch, a club to be a part of for its own sake rather than exploring if they're actually of said group. For example, in recent years there's been an increased drive to self-diagnose oneself as autistic regardless of how much they actually know about autism. In fairness, gaining a professional diagnosis is becoming an increasingly long and difficult process despite overall numbers going up, so they may be self-diagnosing as there's no other option.

Some sectors of the autistic community see any form of scientific diagnosis as...
" "gatekeeping" " (quadruple quotation marks, as double isn't enough)

[Dejanic]

I'm more concerned that a 15 year old child already has an extensive dating history; perhaps they should concentrate on their school work?