LGBTQ
LGBTQ (also commonly seen as LGBT,[1] LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, and LGBTQIA+) is an initialism for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning.
It is an umbrella term, originating in the United States, broadly referring to all sexualities, romantic orientations, sex characteristics, and gender identities that are not heterosexual, heteroromantic, cisgender, or endosex.
Many further variants exist which add additional identities, such as LGBTQIA+ (for intersex, asexual, aromantic, and agender) and 2SLGBTQ+ (for two-spirit), LGBTQQ (for queer and questioning), or which order the letters differently, as in GLBT and GLBTQ.
[9] As equality was a priority for lesbian feminists, disparity of roles between men and women or butch and femme were viewed as patriarchal.
[7] In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, after the elation of change following group action in the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, some gays and lesbians became less accepting of bisexual or transgender people.
said that transgender people were acting out stereotypes, and bisexuals were simply gay men or lesbian women who were afraid to come out and be honest about their identity.
[18][19][20][21] In 2016, GLAAD's Media Reference Guide states that LGBTQ is the preferred initialism, being more inclusive of younger members of the communities who embrace queer as a self-descriptor.
[22] Some people consider queer to be a derogatory term originating in hate speech and reject it, especially among older members of the community.
[43][44] Variant terms do not typically represent political differences within the community, but arise simply from the preferences of individuals and groups.
[29][58][59] There is also the acronym QUILTBAG (queer and questioning, unsure, intersex, lesbian, transgender and two-spirit, bisexual, asexual and aromantic, and gay and genderqueer).
[79][80] Julius Kaggwa of SIPD Uganda has written that, while the gay community "offers us a place of relative safety, it is also oblivious to our specific needs".
[81] Numerous studies have shown higher rates of same-sex attraction in intersex people,[82][83] with a recent Australian study of people born with atypical sex characteristics finding that 52% of respondents were non-heterosexual;[84][85] thus, research on intersex subjects has been used to explore means of preventing homosexuality.
[92] This argument centers on the idea that being transgender or transsexual has to do more with gender identity, or a person's understanding of being or not being a man or a woman irrespective of their sexual orientation.
[93] While not always appearing in sufficient numbers or organization to be called a movement, separatists are a significant, vocal, and active element within many parts of the LGBT community.
[94][93][95] In some cases separatists will deny the existence or right to equality of bisexual orientations and of transsexuality,[94] sometimes leading to public biphobia and transphobia.
We don't conform to traditional heterosexist assumptions of male and female behaviour, in that we have sexual and emotional relationships with the same sex.
[97][98] Some do not subscribe to or approve of the political and social solidarity, and visibility and human rights campaigning that normally goes with it, including LGBT pride marches and events.
[100] Writing in the BBC News Magazine in 2014, Julie Bindel questions whether the various gender groupings now, "bracketed together[,] ... share the same issues, values and goals?"
Bindel refers to a number of possible new initialisms for differing combinations and concludes that it may be time for the alliances to either be reformed or go their "separate ways".
[107] The term remains controversial, particularly among older LGBT people, who perceive it as offensive due to its historical usage as a slur,[107][108] as well as those who wish to dissociate themselves from queer radicalism,[109] and those who see it as amorphous and trendy.
However, it is important to note that 'sexual and gender minorities' do not constitute a homogenous group, and experiences of social exclusion, marginalization, and discrimination, as well as specific health needs, vary considerably.
[122][123] An NIH paper recommends the term SGM because it is inclusive of "those who may not self-identify as LGBT ... or those who have a specific medical condition affecting reproductive development".
[124] A publication from the White House Office of Management and Budget states, "We believe that SGM is more inclusive, because it includes persons not specifically referenced by the identities listed in LGBT.
[134][135] SGL (same gender loving) is sometimes favored among gay male African Americans as a way of distinguishing themselves from what they regard as white-dominated LGBT communities.
