I don't hate labels; in fact, I find them quite useful... I think people forget what labels really are: a description of some attribute we have that can be conveniently summarize. "Size 9 feet" is a label, too... and it helps people look for the right shoes, rather than simply saying "I have FEET!"

I'm sorry you've been subjected to shitty treatment; I kinda know how that goes. I've been laughed at and ridiculed for being a guy and being both Demi-Sexual and a Highly Sensitive Person.

I'm not sure, but it seems to me that when people are offended by labels, they are actually fearful that their sense of (attachment to) uniqueness can be "stolen" from them by a generalization. Or something like that.