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LGBT (or GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. In use since the 1990s, the term “LGBT” is an adaptation of the initialism “LGBT” which itself started replacing the phrase “gay community” which many within LGBT communities felt did not represent accurately all those to which it referred. In modern usage, the term LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of "sexuality and gender identity‐based cultures" and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non‐heterosexual instead of exclusively to people who are Homosexual, Bisexual, or Transgender.
As of 2005, the acronym has become mainstream as a self-designation and has been adopted by the majority of LGBT community centers and LGBT media in most English‐speaking countries.
In 2009 transgender actress Candis Cayne called the LGBT community "the last great minority," noting that "We can still be harrassed openly" and "called out on TV."
re the sexual revolution of the 1960s, there was no common non-derogatory vocabulary for non‐heterosexuality; the closest such term, “third gender”, traces back to the 1860s but never gained wide acceptance.
The first term used, “homosexual”, was thought to carry negative connotations and tended to be replaced by the terms “homophile”
and, subsequently, “gay”.
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I realize that gay people have put me on a pedestal, and I love it. Of all the oppressed minorities, they have to be the most oppressed.
disco artist Sylvester, quoted in Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco
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LGBT (or GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. In use since the 1990s, the term “LGBT” is an adaptation of the initialism “LGBT” which itself started replacing the phrase “gay community” which many within LGBT communities felt did not represent accurately all those to which it referred. In modern usage, the term LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of "sexuality and gender identity‐based cultures" and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non‐heterosexual instead of exclusively to people who are Homosexual, Bisexual, or Transgender.
As of 2005, the acronym has become mainstream as a self-designation and has been adopted by the majority of LGBT community centers and LGBT media in most English‐speaking countries.
In 2009 transgender actress Candis Cayne called the LGBT community "the last great minority," noting that "We can still be harrassed openly" and "called out on TV."
History
Before the sexual revolution of the 1960s, there was no common non-derogatory vocabulary for non‐heterosexuality; the closest such term, “third gender”, traces back to the 1860s but never gained wide acceptance.
The first term used, “homosexual”, was thought to carry negative connotations and tended to be replaced by the terms “homophile”
and, subsequently, “gay”. As lesbians forged their own identity, the phrase “gay and lesbian” became more common. This was soon followed by bisexual and transgender persons also asking for recognition as legitimate categories within the larger community. However, after the initial euphoria of the Stonewall riots wore off, starting in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, there was a change in perception; some gays and lesbians became less accepting of bisexual or transgender people. It was thought that transsexual 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. The movement underwent identity conflicts with various entities including or excluding various LGBT communities; these conflicts continue to this day.
Not until the 1990s did it become common to speak of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people with equal respect within the movement. Although the LGBT community has seen some controversy regarding universal acceptance of different member groups (transgender individuals, in particular, have sometimes been marginalized by the larger LGBT community), the term LGBT has been a positive symbol of inclusion. Despite the fact that LGBT does not nominally encompass all individuals in smaller communities (see Variants below), the term is generally accepted to include those not identified in the four-letter acronym. Overall, the use of the term LGBT has, over time, largely aided in bringing otherwise marginalized individuals into the general community.
Variants
in Buenos Aires with LGBT visible in a groups' banner (top right of image)]]
Many variants exist including variations which merely change the order of the letters; however, LGBT or GLBT are the most common terms and the ones most frequently seen in current usage. Although identical in meaning, “LGBT” may have a more feminist connotation than “GLBT” as it places the “L” (for “lesbian”) first. When not inclusive of transgender people it is sometimes shortened to LGB. LGBT or GLBT may also include additional “Q”s for “queer” and/or “questioning” (sometimes abbreviated with a question mark) (e.g., “LGBTQ”, “LGBTQQ”, or “GLBTQ?”). Other variants may add a “U” for “unsure”; an “I” for intersex; another “T” for “transsexual” or “transvestite; another “T”, “TS”, or “2” for “Two‐Spirit” persons; an “A” or “SA” for straight allies; or an “A” for “asexual”. Some may also add a P for pansexual or polyamorous, and an O for omnisexual or other. The order of the letters has not been standardized; in addition to the variations between the positions of the initial “L” or “G”, the mentioned, less-common letters, if used, may appear in almost any order. Variant terms do not typically represent political differences within the community, but arise simply from the preferences of individuals and groups. 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).
“SGL” (i.e.same gender loving”) is sometimes favored among African‐Americans as a way of distinguishing themselves from what they regard as white-dominated LGBT communities. “MSM” (i.e. “men who have sex with men”) is clinically used to describe men who have sex with other men without referring to their sexual orientation.
A phrase introduced in the 2000s, “minority sexual and gender identities” (“MSGI”), used to include all letters and acronyms, has yet to find its way into common usage. The magazine Anything That Moves coined the acronym FABGLITTER (from Fetish, Allies, Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Intersexed, Transgender, Transsexual Engendering Revolution), although this term has not made its way into common usage.
Criticism
The terms LGBT or GLBT are not agreeable to everyone that they literally encompass. For example, some argue that transgender and transsexual causes are not the same as that of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. This argument centers on the idea that transgender and transsexuality have to do with gender identity or a person's understanding of being male or female irrespective of their sexual orientation. LGB issues can be seen as a matter of sexual orientation or attraction. These distinctions have been made in the context of political action in which LGB goals may be perceived to differ from transgender and transsexual goals like same‐sex marriage legislation and human rights work that is not inclusive of transgender and intersex people. Similarly, some intersex people want to be included in LGBT groups and would prefer the term “LGBTI” while others insist that they are not a part of the LGBT community and would rather that they not be included as part of the term.
A reverse to the above situations is evident in the belief of “lesbian & gay separatism” (not to be confused with the related “lesbian separatism”) which holds that lesbians and gay men form (or should form) a community distinct and separate from other groups normally included in the LGBTQ sphere. While not always appearing of sufficient number or organization to be called a movement, separatists persist as a significant, vocal, and active element within many parts of the LGBT community. In some cases separatists will deny the existence or right-to-equality of non-monosexual orientations and of transsexuality. This can extend to public biphobia and transphobia.
Many people have looked for a generic term to replace the numerous existing abbreviations. Words like “queer“ and “rainbow” have been tried but most have not been widely adopted. ”Queer” has many negative connotations to older people who remember the word as a taunt and insult and such (negative) usage of the term continues. Many younger people also understand “queer” to be more politically-charged than “LGBT”. “Rainbow” has connotations that recall hippies, New Age movements, and organizations like Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in the United States.
Other people also do not care for the term as the lettering comes across as being too politically correct or as an attempt to categorize various groups of people into one grey area word. Another concern is that the term LGBT may imply that the issues and priorities of the main groups represented are given equal consideration.
There are also some lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as well as ontologists who are against an "LGBT community" or "LGB community". Some are also against the political and social solidarity, and visibility and human rights campaigning that normally goes with it including gay pride marches and events. Some of them believe that grouping together people with non-heterosexual orientations perpetuates the myth that being gay/lesbian/bi makes a person deficiently different than other people. These people are often seen or portrayed as fringe community members and may seem less visible compared to more mainstream LGBT activists. Since this faction is difficult to distinguish from the heterosexual majority, it is common for people to assume all LGBT people support LGBT liberation and the visibility of LGBT people in society, including the right to live one's life in a different way from the majority. Compared with Asian culture, the LGBT community is, in some ways, more acceptable in Western culture, since many Asian parents have negative images of lesbians or gays. Most Asian languages have no word for lesbian, gay or coming out, and there are few lesbian role models to look to.
See also
External links
- — Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer encyclopedia
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