LGBT.
That’s right – it’s those four letters. It’s the acronym that can spark a fire simply by being mentioned, especially online. Playing hand in hand with the Women’s Rights and Civil Rights movements, LGBT equality has been a prevalent issue since about the mid 1900’s, but the current day is the critical point of anti-discriminatory efforts. There are some who are making great strides forward with every passing day (such as the United States, though there are still major issues here at home), while others seem to be taking steps backwards. (Russia is a relevant example for recent laws put in place by Putin, and they’re catching a lot of flak worldwide for it.)
I’ll say this much before going any further: if you’re against the idea of marriage equality, and you have no intentions of ever changing your stance, then quite honestly, this article probably isn’t for you. But if you’re in complete support of the movement or are just simply interested in learning a little about the culture behind it, then hopefully my writing will be of some use to you. As is probably apparent, I fully support equality – marriage equality, gender equality, racial equality, just about any kind out there. I also believe that everyone should, and while I don’t believe this article is likely to radically change anyone’s beliefs on the topic, I’m dedicating it to the purpose of education.
That said, this article will come mostly in the form of a list of terms. I’ve noticed in my time at JHS that its students, at least what number of them I’ve been exposed to myself, have a fairly progressive overall mentality. It’s definitely not perfect, but it’s not the kind of place (as far as I’ve heard) where students are driven to negatively life-altering decisions based simply on their sexuality, gender identity, or such.
But it goes further than that. Beyond the people who gossip about, mock, or even outright oppose those who don’t hold themselves to “normal” standards, there are many within the pro-LGBT community who don’t understand, and even discriminate, against everything beyond the “LGB.” So I’d like to take this opportunity to list the various groups and terms associated with non-standard sexuality because in a world that’s quickly moving toward equal treatment for same-sex relationships, it’s important to make sure the less prominent groups get the acknowledgement they deserve as well.
List of major LGBT+ terminology:
LGBT+ – I’ll begin with the obvious one. Most people know that “LGBT” stands for “Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender” and represents the four biggest groups of the queer community. The “+” represents that these are only the largest four groupings, and the acronym can actually be expanded quite a bit. Frequently it is lengthened to LGBTQIA (the QIA standing for Queer, Intersex, and Asexual, respectively) but it could be written out even past LGBPTTQQIIAF+ (which adds Pansexual, Questioning, Fluid, and differentiation between Trans-/Intergender and Trans-/Intersexual). This is typically avoided, though, simply because it becomes a cumbersome thing to say and starts to involve some degree of repetition.
Bisexual – Just about everyone knows what “lesbian” and “gay” mean; they’re the respectively feminine and masculine terms for “homosexual.” A lot of people also know what it means to be bisexual, but it still tends to be forgotten quite a bit. Bisexuality simply means a person is attracted to people of their own gender, as well as those of a different gender. Generally this is taken to mean a person is attracted to both males and females but can draw from outside of the gender binary (explained later).
Pansexual – Often confused with bisexuals, a pansexual person is someone who is attracted to all genders. This includes male, female, transgender, genderless, and just about anything under the sun. No, pansexual does not mean someone is attracted to animals. Nor does it mean they’re attracted to inanimate objects. (Those jokes are old, stop it.)
Transgender – Someone who is transgender identifies as a gender different from their biological identity. If a person is transgender, then regardless of what they are physically, you should always refer to them as the gender they tell you they are. For example a transwoman, though probably having male anatomy, is still a woman, and vice versa.
Queer – This is a more general term, used to represent anybody who does not fit “societal normalcy” without putting a specific term to what makes them different from the majority. Originally this was used as a derogatory term and still is by some today, but like other terms (some of which are still considered vulgar enough to warrant not being printed here) it has been reclaimed as a term of pride.
Questioning – Someone who is questioning is still in the process of exploring his/her own gender and sexuality. A person who is questioning may identify with specific groups, or they may not; they’re still in the process of determining just who they are.
Intersex – An intersexual person does not, biologically, match standard gender norms. This includes hermaphrodites, as well as anyone who may adhere to either a male or female body, but whose chromosomes do not match the typical XX/XY form.
Asexual – Asexuality refers to one who typically doesn’t experience sexual attraction to any specific group of individuals or who is uninterested in sexual activity. An asexual person can still be attracted to certain people and can even desire activity from time to time, but it’s not a regular thing for them or simply isn’t that big of a deal. Some people who identify as asexual still have sexual drive, but the idea of the action has been dulled for them.
Gender-fluid – A person whose gender identity is not constant, but instead alternates or flows between two or more different identities, is gender-fluid. People who are gender-fluid are sometimes associated with those who identify as agender (genderless) as both groups, though not identifying as one solid gender, tend to have one gender identity which they are okay with being referred to as. Still, as with any other person, it is important that they are identified using the gender they prefer.
Cisgender – A cisgender person is someone who, being opposite to a transgender person, identifies with their biological gender. With the cisgender, heterosexual community being the primary source of discrimination against LGBT+ groups, there are understandably some issues between the two sides. But what is important to remember is that discrimination does not stop discrimination. Everyone, regardless of their identity, sexuality, or gender, deserves to be identified how they want to be identified.
Ally – An ally is a person who identifies cisgender and heterosexual but supports LGBT+ individuals and does what they can to assist. They are rarely included in variants of LGBT+ (the A stands for Asexual, remember), but as with any cisgender and heterosexual individuals, allies deserve respect. Because, you know, everyone deserves respect until they prove otherwise through their own actions.