Gay.l
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The LGTBQQIA* community has reclaimed this word in recent years, and it has become a word that can simply mean someone whose sexual or gender identity falls outside societal norms. Don’t worry if you aren’t sure which community you identify with most closely–or if you aren’t sure about the differences between them YET.
When it comes to how to be an ally, know that good faith questions and exploration of the differences within LGBTQIA+ – meaning you genuinely want to learn and understand – are always welcome!
L: Lesbian
Lesbians are women who are attracted to other women.
The gay community first embraced this term in the late 1960s. You are part of the community, even if you aren’t sure what to define yourself as just yet.
I: Intersex
Intersex individuals are born with both male and female chromosomes and/or sex characteristics. Being queer isn’t about your gender or sexual identity, it’s about both.
Union Theological Seminary Mourns
In loving memory of the Rev. Dr. Gay L. Byron.
The late Rev. Dr. Gay L. Byron, a distinguished Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, DC, left an indelible mark on the fields of biblical scholarship, liberation theology, and womanist interpretations.
No term will be perfectly inclusive, but our community wants to give everyone a voice.
As we learn more about gender and sexual expression, the LGBTQIA+ meaning and acronym will change and evolve, too. Other acronyms may include an asterisk (*) or a plus sign (+) next to it to symbolize any omitted letters. Being an ally means allowing the people in your life to be fully themselves, without fear of judgment, harassment, or danger.
And there’s no way to know someone’s gender or sexual identity by just looking at them, so ask!
You can use gender-neutral pronouns until you know for sure what they’re comfortable with.
When doctors assign sex at birth, they usually use male or female, but there are also intersex people who have physical characteristics of both male and female.
Gender is a part of a person’s identity and refers to the way the person views themselves and presents themselves.
Bisexual people sometimes have sexual histories that include both genders, sometimes just one, and sometimes neither.
No matter what it looks like for you, your bisexuality is valid!
T: Transgender
The term “transgender” was first coined in the 1960s, and refers to anyone whose gender identity does not match the gender they were assigned at birth.
Sweden recently added “hen,” a gender-neutral pronoun that can be used to represent neither he (han) nor she (hon), into their official encyclopedia. Asexuality is about your relationship to sex and sexuality, and it can be fluid or static, just like any other gender or sexual experience
+ Plus
Last, there’s a plus sign at the end of the LGBTQIA+ acronym, meaning anyone who is not listed in the acronym but still identifies as part of the community.
The LGBTQIA+ meaning has grown, but we continue to honor the history of those who came before us, including the bisexual people who marched at the first gay rights marches.
Bisexuality can sometimes be misjudged as a “pit stop” on the way to being gay, but it isn’t. The gay community has always been about love, so we chose a word that could hold all the love, not just sexual attraction.
B: Bisexual
Bisexual people are attracted to both men and women.
Bisexual people were one of the earliest additions to the acronym we use today.
It’s that simple. A trans woman is a person who was assigned male at birth and identifies as female.
Why does it matter? In order to simplify things, many people use “queer” instead of an acronym as an umbrella term in order to be more inclusive.
What’s the difference between sexuality and gender?
One important distinction to make is the difference between sexuality, sex, and gender identity.
Beyond her academic endeavors, she found joy in family and friends, exploring hidden artistic treasures, and engaging in various sporting and cultural activities.
Dr. The lesbian community has always been at the forefront of LGBTQIA+ rights.
And they even helped spearhead feminist movements in the 1970s.
Lesbian is one of the oldest terms in the acronym LGBTQIA+, meaning this term predates the 20th century.
It originates from an ancient Greek writer Sappho of Lesbos, a woman who wrote passionately about the beauty of women and her attraction to them.
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Education is the key to understanding anything.