The community and the evolution of acronyms.
Hello everyone! Last week was the first week of classes, which means everything was a bit crazy. And now that things have settled I am home with a sick son (it only took a week and a half of day care before my child got sick!) so playing a bit of catch up this week. But I wanted to focus on a conversation I had with my students yesterday in my LGBTQ Politics Class: What is the acronym and how has it evolved? You may see me use LGBTQIA+ a lot, and some people use LGBTQ or LGBTQ+.
So what does the acronym(s) mean?
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (plus) is the term I have used for most of my academic career. In Canada, 2SLGBTQIA+ or LGBTQ2 is often used, representing the two-spirit. Used by native communities, two-spirit identifies someone who has both a masculine and feminine spirit. For many people, LGBTQ or LGBTQ+ is used, with Q used for either Queer or Questioning.
History of the acronym
There are many stories about the history of the acronym. Some will say that the original was GLB, without the T which represents some of the tensions within the community which existed in the earlier part of the movement, while others say that it was always either GLBT or LGBT. For the most part, the T was added to the acronym in the 1990s.
The placement of Lesbian as the first letter has two meanings. First, it is a way to fight misogyny, which is even prevalent in the LGBTQIA+ community. This can be seen not only in the relationship between lesbian and gay communities in the earlier part of the homophile movement, but even today in the attitudes towards flamboyant gay men (Chappell Roan discussed this in a recent interview). The other reason is that, during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s, it was the lesbian community who took care of the gay community. In honor of that, the āLā comes first in LGBTQIA+. Recently, Intersex and Asexual has been added into the acronym. This provides a larger umbrella and allows us to acknowledge the intersex and asexual community.
So what should I use?
You should use whatever you think is best. I like LGBTQIA+ because I feel like it is a bigger umbrella, but LGBTQ+ is certainly popular. I have been active with the community for about 25 years and have seen many changes in the way the LGBTQIA+ community identifies itself (queer has gone from an insult to being taken back and a way people describe their gender or sexual orientation). Look at what other organizations in your area use so you can get an idea of what is popular in your area.
For the most part, The Queer Friendly Nonprofit will continue to be weekly until the Jewish holidays. I look forward to talking with you all next week!