Most oppressed and minority communities have struggled with finding a descriptor that they feel embraces them and that they can embrace. That manages to be pretty inclusive, but it’s also pretty unwieldy.
Yes i am gay meme acronym full#
At full throttle, the letters wind up something like LGBTQQIP2SAA – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, The most common is Q, signifying “questioning” to recognize that many people are uncertain about their sexual orientation or gender identity (or both). Over time, a number of other additions have been suggested to the LGBT acronym. So what’s a diverse, inclusion-inclined community to do? For many, however, the scars from being called “queer” are too deep and too fresh to choose it as an identity. This is much like Bitch magazine co-opting a frequent slur as a way to raise feminist activists above their oppressors. Taking back the word from the bullies and foes is a way to regain power. Many activists have reclaimed the word “queer” as a preferred descriptor. In an America with a strong puritanical streak – even today – the word “sexual” still has too much power to stigmatize. Members of the LGBT community don’t want to be defined strictly by possible behavior, but as complex, fully realized human beings. Although this has broader meaning it also draws focus to the word “sexual,” avoidance of which resulted in the use of the word “gay” in the first place. Opponents of the community typically use “the homosexual community” which manages to be gender neutral but also leaves out significant populations (although those populations may be just as happy not to get attention from these groups.) The more academic term “sexual minorities” is also used. It also traditionally applies to men, resulting in sexist language, however unintentional. Many people opt simply for “gay.” Unfortunately, that leaves out any aspect of the community that doesn’t identify explicitly with same-sex attraction. Of course, it can’t please everyone, and like most compromises, leaves plenty of people feeling unheard.įour other forms of shorthand see frequent use in the media and on the Internet. As shorthand goes, it’s fairly effective, recognizing the spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identity in four simple letters.
This explicitly calls out key components of a diverse group: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. Generally speaking, most people default to LGBT (or GLBT, with a slight majority favoring the L-first version). Every few months another online debate flares up about exactly what the LGBT community should call itself.