“…Gender and sexuality? Two different things, combined in many different ways. If you mismatch your socks, you understand.” –Denice Frohman, “Dear Straight People”

I learned in my third grade science class that water comes in three different forms: solid, liquid, and gas. Solids have a definite shape, while liquids and gases take the shape of their container. It intrigued me because no matter what form it took, it was still always considered water. It was not punished for changing. It was still always valued.

I learned in fifth grade that the average human adult is 60 percent water. In seventh grade I thought, “Hey how cool would it be to be 100 percent water," so I drank ten bottles a day, until I learned that your body needs room for blood. In ninth grade, I learned that I was different because I liked girls. In tenth grade, I lost a lot of blood trying to make room for more water. In eleventh grade, I learned I was bisexual because I liked both girls and boys. In twelfth grade, I learned I wasn’t allowed to change states anymore because unlike water, I was subjected to one label.

Since when did society deem it acceptable to label human beings? We label jars and objects. We label things that do not change. Your socks go in the sock drawer. Your coat goes on the coat rack. Everything in this world has a place. But, where do you go? You. The human being. Not the inanimate object that came from a box or a perfectly wrapped care package. We are not gift wrapped and labeled with to’s and from’s. We do not come with a ribbon tied over top our head in the form of bunny ears. The only ears we have are the ears meant for hearing and for balance. Did you know that ears serve as equilibrium for mammals? They actually keep us balanced.

But lately, I’m not so balanced. I’m swaying. And I’m hearing, but I’m trying not to listen to society’s comments and judgements, to their label makers printing out signs like name tags that brand my very being. Label makers mark me as bisexual, because I like both boys and girls. I tried to explain to them, I am not. I am fluid, like water. I am constantly changing, like water. And at the end of the day, I am still 60 percent water just like you. I should not be punished for changing. I should still be valued.

Labels are used in our world for convenience. It is our way of separating one thing from the other. And while I understand the importance of labeling our water bottles or our cookie jars, I will not label myself for your convenience. I do not want to be separated and constricted from changing states whenever I feel like it. It’s like washing your darks with your lights, and not worrying about the blending that’s going to occur. I will proudly wear those purple socks that were once pink. I wear socks that go in the sock drawer. I wear a coat that goes on the coat rack. But, I am not one of those objects you can label and put on a shelf for display. Do not label me as anything other than human.