On Medium, no, we can’t forget about these labels. They are very much within our mission to deepen people’s understanding of the world. If you’re reading a story here, now you have more context about the person who is writing it. Obviously, if they chose to show these labels on Medium then they think it is important for your understanding. There are many specific examples of why in the comments. To turn a blind eye to people's identity would be to deny understanding them and thus against our mission. I get that this is politically divisive for some people, but Medium is a values organization, not a political organization. And so this value of deepening understanding trumps (NO PUN INTENDED) whatever might be happening within political fads.