#dontlabelme: A psa on Anti-queer rhetoric

Labels are a means of partially defining people. Their adverse effects harm groups of people to which they are directed; they’re a negative means to box people in, and usually, to assert some power over a marginalized community. In 2025, a world occupied with culture surrounding identity, labels have been left out of activism; they’re as poignant and powerful as ever. It’s our job to relegate the confines of labels and reinstitute the meaning of a label. In this PSA, I conversed with two of my queer friends and asked them to detail their experiences, both negative and often harmful, with labels regarding their queer identity. The result: an impactful message about the uselessness of labels that compels the audience to speak out against them and share their own experiences.