I Know You Say It's Red But My Crayon Is Blue: The Human Right to Self-Identification In a World That Keeps Labeling People

I Know You Say It’s Red, But My Crayon Is Blue is a groundbreaking exploration of one of the most overlooked human rights: the right to define yourself before the world defines you.

Drawing from decades of leadership in behavioral health, lived experience, and thousands of conversations with people navigating addiction, mental health challenges, trauma, homelessness, disability, and recovery, Jeffrey L. McQueen invites readers into a deeper, more courageous practice of listening.

This book challenges the systems, professionals, and helping fields that rely on labels—and reveals how those labels often shape identity, limit possibility, and silence the very people they are meant to support. McQueen offers a compelling alternative: dignity-centered care rooted in curiosity, humility, and the belief that every person has the right to choose their own language, meaning, and identity.

Whether you are a clinician, peer, educator, leader, policymaker, parent, or someone seeking a more human way to understand others, this book provides a practical and compassionate framework for replacing assumptions with understanding and labels with authentic connection.

A powerful reminder: Systems may need language. People need dignity.