"What do you identify as"

[User09678]

I hope this is allowed as it was inspired by another thread. Asking people what they "identify as" (in this case class) has always made me curious because it seems so often to me that if someone is having to identify as something, then it's because they're often not that thing. Identifying as having a good sense of humour, lol. Let us be the judge of that. But my point is that you can't pick and choose identities, they're really ascribed by wider society and circumstance and reality. Am I being unreasonable? Probably

I don't identify as anything. I just am.

Most of what you're referring to is not identifying though. You just are a woman. You were born female and grew up to be a woman. You also just are a non-Brit living in Britain. You can't change that. Someone with a hidden disability is disabled rather than identifying as disabled and while nobody can be expected to just know, they are entitled to certain accommodations in certain circumstances.

Obviously, if you were a transwoman, you would be identifying as a woman because you would not be female. If you told me you identified as disabled, I would assume you didn't actually have a disability.

"Identify as" is merely another less polite way of saying "would like to be treated as".

Having a identity is not the same as identifying as something.

Well of course.

An "identity" is what other people may (or may not) assign you. Whether or not it chimes with what you actually "identify as" is where the magic and Netflix series exists.

That's the one.....
I'm sick and tired of all this nonsense.

I think you mean you identify as someone who is sick and tired of all this nonsense.

Be your true self !

I am Spartacus!

It’s actively useful in disability, imo. I have a chronic illness. I don’t qualify for a disabled badge though sometimes I need one.
I don’t know whether I identify as being disabled.

My friend with autism has been angry when it was classed as a disability, as he doesn’t identify as disabled. It cropped up indirectly in a training scenario.

So identifying as disabled can be a useful concept, as some people don’t feel disabled despite a diagnosis or condition while others do.

Ditto when your heritage is more important to you than your birthplace.

Monday to Friday I identify as a 67 year old so I can get my pension.

Saturday & Sunday I identify as a gorgeous 6 foot 25 year old.

It reminds me of the Victoria Wood sketch with Roger Moore. He said when I loom at you I wish I were 20 years younger. Then again I’d like to identify as 15 years older so I could get into the flocks for 3 quid on a Tuesday.

All these people saying they don't identify as anything...that means you're saying you're non-binary btw.

It's interesting that a lot of people yelling about women's rights seem to back away from proudly declaring they are "she" "her" "a woman" etc. You're deliberately making yourself invisible again.

Luckily the younger generations don't back away from it with their "I am she" and "your girl" and "sis" trends.

Women don't identify as women, they are women. They aren't building a portfolio of womanly traits and aesthetics to pass.

That's complete nonsense. I am a woman because I have XX chromosomes. I can dress or behave in any way I like but it doesn't change the fact that I am a woman.

Believe me, I am not in any way invisible.

All these people saying they don't identify as anything...that means you're saying you're non-binary btw.

I identify as someone who thinks that is a load of cobblers.

A permanently exhausted pigeon 🐦

😂😂😂

No it doesn't.

It just means you don't feel the need to label yourself.

It also means you feel you are more than just your sexual organs to society.

Oh sweetie. We're all non binary, in that the binary doesn't exist in the terms used. And we're all utterly binary, in that humans are binary sexed and it's not possible to identify out of that.

When it comes down to it what someone ‘identifies as’ is irrelevant. Power, power dynamics, and relationships between people are much more important.

For example I’m Jewish by descent, but not religious in the slightest. But if I lived in 1940s Germany the Gestapo wouldn’t give a shit whether I ‘identified as Jewish’ or not. Their power, and the definitions they used, would take precedence.

Similarly, in my previous workplace there was an issue with a man who acted creepily towards women, verging of sexual harassment. Would it have made any different if the (biologically female) victims ‘identified as’ non-binary or had he/him in their email signature? Of course it wouldn’t. Identifying as something or someone can mean very little with systems of power and power dynamics.

Right. Which is why “trans identified people” is used by gender critical people.

A strong empowered female 💪

I agree OP. I also think people who assign themselves as being a kind person is very odd.

Surely kindness by it's very nature, is a trait that only others can say about you. Just because you perceive yourself as kind and funny, it doesn't mean that you are. These are things people can say about you and not something you can identify in yourself.

I don't need to 'identify' as anything. It's not necessary.

I am a British woman, and that description does what it says on the tin.

An elephant.

This answer is illustrative of: my annoyance whenever I see that question; a childish sense of humour; a wish to mention my favourite animal as often as possible.

I think of the word identify as no different to a belief about yourself.
It doesn't necessarily correlate with the perceptions others have about you, therefore it isn't real