Spectrum Book

This book contains a series of terms and definitions used to label members of and groups within the LGBTQ+ community. After reviewing a list of these and other terms that I had compiled from various resources, participants each selected a term to which they felt a personal connection. Then, with this term in mind, they were asked to consider the following questions: How does this word make you feel? What reactions does this word spark? What distinct experiences have you had with this word? Does this word empower you or rather just limit you to a confined, formal definition? I have compiled these narratives and created this book to highlight the dual impacts of labels—labels can help us pinpoint our identities and can encourage us by serving as a reminder that we are not alone in our human experiences, yet labels can confine us too by reflecting only one singular facet of our complex, intersectional identities.