self-identifyverb [ I ]
uk/ˌself.aɪˈden.tɪ.faɪ//ˌself.aɪˈden.t̬ə.faɪ/to believe that you are a particular kind of person, especially when other people do not think that you are that kind of person:
"If you self-identify as Navajo, then you're Navajo," he said.
There is still a huge proportion of the gay population who will not self-identify.