Good to see an explanation. I don't care much, as my sexuality is strictly Heterosexual. But the flip side is, it is good to know
that there are people different than me, and this helps me. I printed a copy and put it in my wallet. As for myself,
I don't care what people do as long as it is no threat to me. A person that identifies as LGBTQ+ is no threat to me.
Are there LGBTQ+'rs on this site?
Q: As a heterosexual Male, am I a threat to you?
LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (and more). Now, let's get into the specifics.
The word âlesbianâ has obviously evolved in its usage. Still, the modern use of the term started in the 1890s and continued to be the go-to label for queer women who dated other women (even if they were bisexual since that label wasn't used in its modern way yet. More on that later). Now, âlesbianâ is the label women or non-men use if they are attracted to other women and non-men. Lesbianism does not exclude transgender women or non-binary individuals, even if a louder minority claims it does.
Of course, gay did and still does refer to men who are attracted to other men. By the 1970s, gay was used as a sort of umbrella term for all members of the community, especially during the Gay Rights movement. And because of this, âgayâ was also used to describe the community.
Once we got to modern-day usages of âlesbianâ and âgay,â a lot of people just used those terms while also acknowledging that they liked more than one gender. But bisexuality, as we know it today, took off during the Gay Rights movement, with bi groups popping up by the 1980s. And as the 1990 Bisexual Manifestoâwhich appeared in bisexual lit and art magazine Anything That Movesâstated, bisexuality wasnât binary and was fluid. So since its origin, bisexuality has never been about âtwoâ genders and hasnât been trans-exclusionary (which is, unfortunately, a common misconception).
By the â90s, transgender people within the gay community wanted to be seen and respected (especially since the acronym LGB was being used, excluding other queer people). So, by the late â90s, the T was added to LGBT and "transgender" was more widely accepted by the 2000s. However, there is still a lot of misunderstanding and hate toward transgender people today.
Maybe youâve been reading this piece and have been thinking about the use of the term âqueer.â Itâs a slur, right? Well, yes, if spoken by non-queer people in a derogatory manner (donât let Hilary Duff catch you saying this one either!).
But the word has been reclaimed by the community and, as a label, is growing in popularity. Some people in the LGBTQ+ community use it in conjunction with their other labels and identities, and others use only the label âqueer.â The "Q" was added to the acronym as the community grew to be more inclusive of all, and since queer is such a big umbrella term, it covers a lot of identities.
Pride Monthâand respect within the queer communityâisnât contingent on how you identify, who youâve slept with (or not slept with) or if youâre out. Itâs all about personal discovery and defining who you are for yourself, so people who aren't sure what label they want to use are, of course, still a part of the community.
For example, there is one acronym, LGBTQQIP2SAA, which includes intersex, pansexual, two-spirit, asexual and ally. That isnât an acronym that most people know nor can decipher easily (and includes allies which is highly contested and usually not accepted as part of the LGBTQ+ acronym and definitely not a part of the gay community). A more common acronym is LGBTQIA+, which includes two identities weâll talk about next. Again, the plus in LGBTQ+ has a big job and makes it one of the most inclusive acronyms for the queer population.
The âIâ was added in the 2010s, and is still used in the longer version of LGBTQ+, which is LGBTQIA+.
that there are people different than me, and this helps me. I printed a copy and put it in my wallet. As for myself,
I don't care what people do as long as it is no threat to me. A person that identifies as LGBTQ+ is no threat to me.
Are there LGBTQ+'rs on this site?
Q: As a heterosexual Male, am I a threat to you?
What does LGBTQ+ mean?
Below, we go into what each letter of LGBTQ+ means, but we'll give you a quick rundown. LGBTQ+ is an acronym that is a way to reference the entire community in an inclusive way without having to name every identity that exists within the queer population.LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (and more). Now, let's get into the specifics.
L: Lesbian
As National Geographic reported, the term âlesbianismâ or âlesbianâ is the oldest label out of the LGBTQ+ acronym. This is because of the Greek poet, Sappho, and her âsapphicâ poetry. She was from the island of Lesbos, so thatâs where âlesbianismâ gets its name; women-loving women were just falling into the sapphic tradition, which originated on the Isle of Lesbos. Get it?The word âlesbianâ has obviously evolved in its usage. Still, the modern use of the term started in the 1890s and continued to be the go-to label for queer women who dated other women (even if they were bisexual since that label wasn't used in its modern way yet. More on that later). Now, âlesbianâ is the label women or non-men use if they are attracted to other women and non-men. Lesbianism does not exclude transgender women or non-binary individuals, even if a louder minority claims it does.
G: Gay
The term âhomosexualâ came right before the modern use of the term âlesbian.â Austro-Hungarian journalist Karoly Maria Kertbeny coined the term in 1869 along with âheterosexual.â âGayâ (as in sexuality, not as in âhappyâ) came around later, and for decades, it was used as a slur. Unfortunately, thatâs still the case in some instances todayâHilary Duff would like to squash that practice, as we thank her for her workâbut by the 1960s, queer people started to reclaim the word.Of course, gay did and still does refer to men who are attracted to other men. By the 1970s, gay was used as a sort of umbrella term for all members of the community, especially during the Gay Rights movement. And because of this, âgayâ was also used to describe the community.
B: Bisexual
Kertbeny, who coined âhomosexualâ and âheterosexualâ also introduced the label âbisexualâ into the greater conversation. However, in 1859, the term âbisexualityâ was thought to refer to a person with both male and female physical characteristics (which is what we would now call intersexâmore on that later).Once we got to modern-day usages of âlesbianâ and âgay,â a lot of people just used those terms while also acknowledging that they liked more than one gender. But bisexuality, as we know it today, took off during the Gay Rights movement, with bi groups popping up by the 1980s. And as the 1990 Bisexual Manifestoâwhich appeared in bisexual lit and art magazine Anything That Movesâstated, bisexuality wasnât binary and was fluid. So since its origin, bisexuality has never been about âtwoâ genders and hasnât been trans-exclusionary (which is, unfortunately, a common misconception).
T: Transgender
In the beginning, there have been a lot of terms and names for transgender individuals that are outdated or offensive today. The label âtransgenderâ wasnât really used until 1965, according to National Geographic. Activists like Virginia Prince championed the use of âtransgenderâ since sexuality and gender are two separate things. Transgender people's gender identity is different than the one they were assigned at birth. They can take medicine or have surgeries that help them transition, physically, to their correct gender. But transgender people don't have to physically transition either. Some also use the term non-binary, but not all non-binary people identify as trans.By the â90s, transgender people within the gay community wanted to be seen and respected (especially since the acronym LGB was being used, excluding other queer people). So, by the late â90s, the T was added to LGBT and "transgender" was more widely accepted by the 2000s. However, there is still a lot of misunderstanding and hate toward transgender people today.
Q: Queer
Maybe youâve been reading this piece and have been thinking about the use of the term âqueer.â Itâs a slur, right? Well, yes, if spoken by non-queer people in a derogatory manner (donât let Hilary Duff catch you saying this one either!).
But the word has been reclaimed by the community and, as a label, is growing in popularity. Some people in the LGBTQ+ community use it in conjunction with their other labels and identities, and others use only the label âqueer.â The "Q" was added to the acronym as the community grew to be more inclusive of all, and since queer is such a big umbrella term, it covers a lot of identities.
Q: Questioning
Even though our common gay acronym is LGBTQ+, with just one âQ,â thereâs another label that the letter stands for as well. A lot of people recognize that the Q also stands for "questioning," which stands for people who arenât sure where they fit in within the gay community or donât have a name for how they identify yet.Pride Monthâand respect within the queer communityâisnât contingent on how you identify, who youâve slept with (or not slept with) or if youâre out. Itâs all about personal discovery and defining who you are for yourself, so people who aren't sure what label they want to use are, of course, still a part of the community.
+: Plus
To make things read easier and flow betterâalong with the fact that it is the common, most well-known acronym for the gay populationâwe at Parade just use LGBTQ+. This is the same with a lot of other organizations and sites. And that â+â is really important because it leaves the term open-ended to include as many identities as exist in the community. This includes people who are non-binary, gender non-conforming, genderqueer and so much more.For example, there is one acronym, LGBTQQIP2SAA, which includes intersex, pansexual, two-spirit, asexual and ally. That isnât an acronym that most people know nor can decipher easily (and includes allies which is highly contested and usually not accepted as part of the LGBTQ+ acronym and definitely not a part of the gay community). A more common acronym is LGBTQIA+, which includes two identities weâll talk about next. Again, the plus in LGBTQ+ has a big job and makes it one of the most inclusive acronyms for the queer population.
I: Intersex
Intersex isnât as common a label as the others, but itâs still a label that people have used for a while. As the Gay Center defines it, intersex describes someone who has one or more âinnate sex characteristics,â whether that be with reproductive organs, genitals or chromosomes. This would make them âoutside of traditional conceptsâ of the physical gender binary that we know today. This is different than transgender because intersex people are assigned a gender at birth despite not fitting quite into that criteria, physically, and doctors and parents make this decision even if itâs not accurate to what the child actually is.The âIâ was added in the 2010s, and is still used in the longer version of LGBTQ+, which is LGBTQIA+.
