Yes and yes! I grew up in the 70s with a truly terrible inner conflict about who I was a gay human being, about how valuable I was (or wasn't) as a human in general. Claiming a label and and celebrating it helped me reject the religious bigots who preached at me most weeks about how vile and disgusting I was. The label was (in a way) like a shield I could use to deflect the slings and arrows of the haters. It wasn't a shield because I HELD it, I don't think. It was a shield because so many of us hed it at the same time - and I mostly mean people I'd never met and never would meet.

The very identity that saw conservative people despise me was a critical tool that helped me learn not to despise myself.

Thanks for your insight!