LGBT

LGBT (or GLBT) is an acronym used as a collective term to refer to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. It is considered less controversial than the terms queer or lesbigay.

Up until the sexual revolution of the 1960's there was no term for describing the people in these groups other than the derogatory terms used by the straight community. As people began organizing for their sexual rights they needed a term that would say who they were in a positive way.

The first term used, Homosexual, carried too much negative bagage and was replaced by "Gay". As Lesbians forged their own identity, the term "Gay and Lesbian" became more common.

Many variants exist, including permutations which merely change the order of the letters; but LGBT is the most common acronym and the one most accepted in current usage. When not inclusive of transgender people it is shortened to LGB. It may also include two additional Qs for queer and questioning (sometimes abbreviated with a question mark) (LGBTQ, LGBTQQ), an I for intersex (LGBTI), another T for transsexual (LGBTT), another T (or TS or the numeral 2) for two-spirited people, and an A for straight allies (LGBTA). At its fullest, then, it is some permutation of LGBTTTIQQA, though this is extremely rare. The magazine Anything That Moves coined the acronym FABGLITTER (from Fetish, Allies, Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Intersexed, Transgender, Transsexual Engendering Revolution). The term has not made its way into common usage.

The terms transsexual and intersex are regarded by some people as falling under the umbrella term transgender, though many transsexual and intersex people object to this (both for different reasons). Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) organizations often use LGBTQA for LGBT—questioning and allies.

As of 2004, LGBT has become so mainstream that it has been adopted by the majority of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community centers and the gay press in most English-speaking countries. In October 2004, media company PlanetOut Inc., which owns the PlanetOut.com and Gay.com domains, chose LGBT as its ticker symbol when it listed on the NASDAQ exchange after a successful IPO.

However, LGBT is not uncontroversial. For example, some transgender and transsexual people don't like the term because they do not believe their cause is the same as that of LGB people; they may also object when an organization adds a T to their acronym when the level of service they actually offer to trans people is questionable. There are also LGB people who don't like the T for the same or similar reasons.

Similarly, some intersex people want to be included into LGBT groups and would prefer LGBTI; others insist that they are not a part of the LGBT community and would rather not be included in the acronym.

Many transsexual, transgender, and intersex persons believe that a sharp distinction should be drawn between sexual orientation and gender identity. GLB concerns the former; TTI concerns the latter.

Many people have looked for a generic term to replace acronyms. Words like "queer" and "rainbow" have been tried but have not been widely adopted. "Queer" has many negative connotations to older people who remember the word as a taunt and insult. "Rainbow" has connotations that recall the hippies, New Age movements and politics (Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition.)

External links

Categories: LGBT

LGBT

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