You know the term "LGBT" or "LGBTQ"? I've been reading some discussions online about what to call the community and there doesn't seem to be any consensus about the name.
Some are saying maybe the word "queer" can be an "umbrella" term.
Then there's the acronym "QUILTBAG" (Queer/Questioning, Unidentified, Intersex, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual, Asexual, and Gay). Sorry, but this term makes me think of the term "dirtbag" and "douchebag."
Then there's "GSM," for gender sexual minority.
Then there's just "gay" to include everybody, but there are feelings that this has traditionally been used to refer only to men.
There's the term "homosexual" which makes me gag every time I hear it or see it in print. For some reason that word sounds so ugly. I think it's because I found out that word was the diagnostic term used to describe a mental illness until it was removed in 1973.
I honestly have no idea about which term or acronym to use. I know there are pros and cons to each one, but I'm clueless as to what my opinion is. I've always just used the acronym LGBT without giving it much thought. But I'm starting to realize that the Community is so extremely diverse and includes so many different orientations and gender identities that it seems to complicate an "umbrella" term.
What term do you use as an "umbrella" term for the Community? And if you're comfortable, how did you decide to use that term? No arguments, please. Just some honest discussion. Thanks!
I've always used the term GLBTQ without much thought. You've raised some excllent points here, Matt. I don't have the answers and don't know which term I feel is best (though there are ones I won't use). Can we even define a community that's so diverse with a few letters or a word? I'll tell you what, I look forward to the day when it's not necessary to use terms like straight or gay or trans or any of the others. Someday, sexuality won't even raise an eyebrow. Until then, I guess all we can do is keep growing and searching and expanding out minds. And keep contemplating life's mysteries, like how we define ourselves.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I tend to use "LGBT*" or "GSM" in writing and "gay" when speaking very generally to people that aren't known allies, but my preferred term is "queer". Short and all encompassing.
ReplyDeleteBut when it comes down to it, "GSM" is probably the most accurate term. Mostly because EVERYONE is "queer" (odd, different) in some way or another and what people are fighting for are equal rights for SEVERAL minority groups. People that are L,G,B,T,Q, A, A or ... don't really have all that much in common most of the time. The thing that pulls them all together is that they are different from what is considered universally "normal" and are having to band together to fight for full equality by law AND in the minds and hearts of the general population. So GSM includes ANYONE that's got a personal stake in that fight. "Queer" on the other hand, can be used derogatorily, where it would be pretty unheard of for someone to nastily call out "GSM" to a passing person on the street.
Sorry that was so long, I was kind of working out my own thoughts while answering :)
Already 2 comments more eloquent than my thoughts. In what context would this arise? We're not supposed to label but if we pick the wrong one, we've offended someone. I had to google QUILTBAG the first time I saw it! I'm not crazy about that term either. In my every day life only "gay" comes up because I read & review mostly m/m books. I would probably take my cue from the other person in a conversation. The tough part - if you're unidentifed then how can I identify you? I just wish the labels didn't exist except for the purpose of labelling book genres, but some are necessary for medical reasons etc. Very thought provoking for early morning Matty!
ReplyDeleteI actually like QUILTBAG because it's both one of the most explicitly inclusive terms and it's one of the few acronyms that is actually pronounceable. Plus, it makes me think of quilts, which are often beautiful bed coverings made up of hundreds of diverse and unique individual scraps of cloth, so it works for me on a metaphorical level.
ReplyDeleteI have also seen and liked "sexual minorities" is some academic and political writings.
I don't have any profound words of wisdom, just an observation. As many years as I have lived I have seen a lot of changes, but still cringe when media insists on defining people by race or lifestyle. A person is a person. I know I won't live long enough to see it, but maybe my great grandkids will see a world where people are only defined by their attitudes towards others. Rose colored glaases? Maybe so, but I can dream. Love reading you two. :o)
ReplyDeleteI struggle with a lot of the acronyms - they get all tangled up on my tongue when I'm having a bad day (chronic depression), so I do like QUILTBAG. I can pronounce it and it makes me think of crafting, sewing - and the wonderful mix of patterns & fabrics that are found in quilts.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the negative associations with it, but then I don't think I've heard dirtbag etc used outside of US TV & novels. (I'm in the UK).
It'd still be a lot nicer if we were all just 'people' though, irrespective of gender, colour or sexuality :)
Oh, Matt, you have no idea how much I struggle with this. For one thing, I run a website dedicated to promoting young adult LGBTQ fiction. In designing the site, we had to create graphics, write mission statements, and send out promotional emails, etc. We started out using the term "LGBT" but someone in the industry wrote to us and pointed out that it wasn't politically correct to leave out the "Q". So, we went back and changed everything. Of course we want to be inclusive, but we also want people to be able to find us, and when you consider what terms people will plug into search engines, it is most often "gay" or "LGBT".
ReplyDeleteThe term QUILTBAG, although it is inclusive and metaphorical, sounds weird to me. For some reason it reminds me of the big "to do" several years back when America was renamed from the "melting pot" to the "tossed salad". LOL
In conversation, I tend to use the word "gay" as an umbrella term, unless there's reason to be more specific. Maybe that's because I'm used to hearing terms like "gay rights" that are meant to be all-inclusive of individuals who do not identify as heterosexual.
At this point, there's no "right" answer. I just hope that no matter what term I use, people know that I mean no disrespect.
I have to admit I tend to think and say 'gay'.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen GSM used in this context before and I felt it had to do with telecommunications, though I wasn't sure what until I looked it up in Wikipedia:
"GSM, is a standard set developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to describe protocols for second generation digital cellular networks used by
mobile phones." So for me in the UK it has another meaning, in fact it also stands for 'grams per square metre' to us metric folk. :)
By the way, you sound very toppy at the end there when you say - "No arguments, please. Just some honest discussion." And the other day I noticed you called Brad a brat. Hmmm ;)
Alder said..."By the way, you sound very toppy at the end there when you say - "No arguments, please. Just some honest discussion." And the other day I noticed you called Brad a brat. Hmmm ;)"
DeleteLOL! Yeah... Sometimes I can be a Bratty Toppy! LOL!!! :)
I call myself a human being. It works for me, :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I just finished group facilitation training for working with LGBTQ youth. In the youth world (for this org, 11-13 and 14-20), the "Q" is "questioning" for good reason.
ReplyDeleteWe open group with asking for names and preferred pronouns. Why? Because for some of these young people, it changes weekly. At your age, maybe you've been through some of that recently, or maybe, like me, you knew when you first "realized" you were "different". But it's definitely not necessarily the way all youth are wired, so the Q is an important part of us recognizing that they are part of our community, too, even if at some point they decide - figure out - they are straight.
Therefore, LGBTQ or GLBTQ is the acronynm of choice for the G boy!
Peace <3
Jay
We are people.
ReplyDeleteThat's all. We fall along the entire spectrum, one side to the other, and as we make our way through life, our place on that spectrum can and usually does change. Sexuality is fluid.
We are people.
You're not alone in your confusion, Matty. I'd never thought of my gay, lesbian, and trans friends (okay, one trans friend) as anything but "my friends." Now there's an entire complex, politically-correct lexicon, complete with acronyms, and it seems to change by the week. I can't keep up with it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I kind of like queer as an umbrella term, because it implies "not part of the mainstream." GLBTQ seems sufficient too. More letters than that, especially when special symbols like asterisks are thrown into the mix, and my eyes start to spin.
I agree QUILTBAG sounds weird. It makes me think of some cranky old Amish woman. :)
I don't like labels. But if needed, I'd say LGBTQ or queer, which i kinda like.
ReplyDeleteQUILTBAG is aweful btw!!
oh or maybe non-heteros... but i don't like the negativity of the "non".
I don't use the terms very often, but I normally refer to myself as queer (if the setting feels friendly to it) and use LGBT(Q) otherwise, since that seems to be more socially acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a member of the 'society', and I don't mean to be flippant. But I have to agree with Ivan when he says he calls himself 'human'. Is it necessary to define a group? I can't help but wonder if it promotes divisiveness (LGBTQ vs STRAIGHTS?) instead of equality. Sorry, but maybe I'd see it differently if I were gay.
ReplyDeleteSomeone posted THIS ARTICLE on Facebook today and I thought of you guys. Not sure it really works for me either.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have an opinion, although I always waffle whether it's LGBT or GLBT. LOL Seems to be both acceptable. Oh and wait, there's a Q and I think here in my town they add a second Q which I believe stands for Two-Spritied with the native North American version of ... gay? See? :-)
I started to read and like your blog a while ago, but this is my first comment. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI saw this article and thought of your question: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/02/25/organisation-proposes-replacing-the-limiting-term-lgbt-with-more-inclusive-gsd/
Now I see that it is basically the same as Tam's article (*waves at Tam*).
For my part GLBT is ok, not because I want to discriminate someone, but because I wouldn't like to go on forever adding letters.
BTW as far as I know the Q's are for ''queer'' and ''questioning''.
Ciao
Antonella (depressed because of the Italian elections)
Hi Antonella. *waves back* You have a mess there. Ugh Good luck.
DeleteI like the idea of Queer, it takes back the word and gives us power over it.
ReplyDelete