14 Quotes by Ashley Mardell

Diferrent people can self-identify with these words in different ways. A label doesn't define a person's identity. While some people might "fit the definition", they still may not use that label because it may not resonate with them. That is totally valid!

In the end, everybody gets to decide what is and isn't sexual to them as well as what they find sexually attractive. And that, in a nutshell, is a person's sexual orientation.

To me, flexibility means that I truly understand the dynamics of sexuality including my own. I acknowledge my attractions but stay open to their movement. It's not black or white. It's not said and done. It's flexible.

As we've established, "Man" and "woman" are identities that have many unnecessary, anatomical and cultural expectations tied to them. In the end though, all it takes to be one of these genders, is to identify as such. It's time we start respecting and believing each other's individual experiences. If a person says they are a certain gender, we need to honor that. After all, these labels are subjective. Who is to say one person's definition is more valid than another?

I can still choose to be a person who is kind and full of love, a person who extends compassion to her fellow humans and even if I feel like our country is regressing a little, even if I'm embarrassed of our leader I still have control over the kind of person I am.