LGBT
LGBT, LGBTA, LGBTQ, LGBTI, and LGBTQIA are acronyms that stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual and aromantic. A plus is commonly added to the end of the acronym to represent anyone not included in the existing letters, such as LGBTQIA+. The A in the acronym was originally used to represent asexual individuals, but is also now often used to represent agender and aromantic individuals as well.[1] The term queer is also used as an umbrella term synonymous with LGBT+ and the individuals it encompasses.
The LGBT acronym initially emerged in the 1990s and is the most commonly used form of the acronym.[2]
Many variations have been added since the initial coining of LGBT, some different depending on region or culture. Common criticisms of the acronyms include:
- being too hard to pronounce;
- not being inclusive enough;
- being overly specific;
- being too long;
- including allies in an umbrella meant for queer individuals;
- and using the term queer, that was previously a slur.[2][3][1]
GSM
GSM, or SGM is an acronym formed from Sexual, and Gender Minorities. Variants include the addition of romantic minorities, replacing minorities with diversities, and separating sexual into an orientation form and a bodily sex form. These are presented as GSRM, GSRD, GSSRD, etc.[4] However, acronyms such as GSM are often criticized by queer communities for being too inclusive - some proposing the idea that pedophiles, fetishists, and swingers fall under the umbrella of a sexual orientation minority.[5]
List of Acronyms
| Acronym | Represents | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| 2SLGBTQI+ (2ELGBTQI+ in French)[6] | Two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex. | Canada, Current |
| GLOW[7] | Gay, Lesbian, or Whatever | Unknown |
| GSM / SGM[4] | Gender and Sexual Minorities | Unknown |
| LGBTQQIA+[1] | Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and aromantic. | Unknown |
| LGBTQQIP2SAA[2] | Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit, asexual and aromantic, and ally. | Unknown |
| LGBTQIA2-S[8] | Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and aromantic, and two-spirit. | Unknown |
| QANSTIVEM[9] | Queer and questioning, a-spec, agen-spec and amplus-spec, non-binary, similar gender attraction, transgender+, intersex, varioriented, ethical non-monogamy and exclusive identities, and multi-spec and multigender. | WiiFyneLM, 2021 |
| QUASMINT[10] | Queer and questioning, unlabeled and ultramoric, amplusic, a-spec and altersex, same or similar gender attraction, m-spec, intersex, non-monogamous and non-conforming, transgender+ and two-spirit. | Wemrotung, 2021 |
| QUILTBAG[11] | Queer and questioning, undecided, intersex, lesbian, transgender and transsexual, bisexual, asexual, and gay and genderqueer. | Sadie Lee, 2006 |
| IMOGA[12] / MOGAI[13] | Intersex, Marginalized Orientation and Gender Alignment | Cisphobeofficial, 2010 |
| MOVING HEARTS[14] | Multisexual and multiromantic, outherine, variant, intersex, non-binary, gender non-conforming, homosexual and homoromantic, exclusive genders, a-spec, agender and anonbinary, relationship variant, transgender, separate identities, and so on. | Cryptocrew, 2021 |
| SAGA[15] | Sexuality and Gender Acceptance | Unknown |
Flags and Symbols
The rainbow flag was originally decided by Gilbert Baker and was first displayed in a Gay Freedom Day Parade celebration on the 25th of June, 1978. The flag represents the entire LGBT community, but is commonly used to represent gay individuals specifically. The original flag had eight stripes, with each stripe having a specific meaning: hot pink - sex, red - life, orange - healing, yellow - sunlight, green - nature, turquoise - magic and art, indigo - serenity, violet - spirit.[16]
This design has undergone some changes over the years. As the demand of rainbow flags increased they began selling with seven stripes, without the pink stripe due to the lack to pink fabric. In 1979 the design was changed again, combining teal and indigo so the flag could be split in half for each side of the street. This has lead to the most common variation of the LGBT flag seen today presenting six stripes.[17]
The Philadelphia pride flag was designed by the marketing firm Tierney for the city of Philadelphia in June, 2017. It features the same 6 colors of the rainbow flag, but also includes a brown and black stripe which represents the queer issues that people of color and their communities face, which is commonly defined as deeply unique compared to white individuals and their communities. However, as it was commissioned by the city, some claimed the flag to be an attempt to monetize on queer individuals' needs for solidarity and unification, rather than being created for the purpose of protest.[18]
The Diversity flag variant was created by Estêvão Romane in February, 2018. The white stripe was added to represent diversity, peace, and union.[18]
The Progress flag was created by Daniel Quasar in June, 2018. It incorporates a chevron, featuring the racial colors of the Philadelphia flag, as well as blue and pink to represent transgender individuals, and white to represent individuals that had passed due to HIV or AIDS.[18] An intersex variation of the Progress flag was created by Valentino Vechietti in May, 2021, adding the intersex flag within the chevron, as well as increasing the saturation of the flag's colors.[18]
The GSRM pride flag was created by Ky Leggiero. The pink was chosen to represent sexuality, red to represent gender, orange to represent love and its many forms, yellow to represent the body, green to represent presentation, cyan to represent identity, blue to represent birth, purple to represent the mind, silver to represent solidarity, and grey to represent justice. The chevron shape was chosen to signify the importance of moving forward and pushing for progress.[18]
The Mega LGBT+ flag was created by wiki user Cryptocrew in June, 2021. The rainbow represents gay, lesbian, vincian, gai, unlabeled, and other queer individuals. The purple and pink at the top of the flag are taken from the varsex (intersex and altersex) pride flag. The bottom of the flag features dark brown to represent Black individuals, tan to represent Asian, Indigenous, mixed race, and other POC individuals, and white to represent albino individuals. The blue petal represents trans-masculinity, pink representing trans-femininity, purple representing trans-neutrality and trans-androgynous, and yellow representing outherine, xenic, and cultural genders. The four Ms on the petal represent multisexual, multiromantic, multigender individuals, and movement towards equality. The middle of the flag features green to represent aromanticisim, white representing tertiary attraction, purple representing asexuality, dark grey representing agender and genderless, demigender identities, and the rejection of conformity. The red octagon represents sex workers, and the infinity symbol represents polyamory, polygamy, ambiamory, and other forms of ethical non-monogamy.[19]
The GLOW flag was designed by lgbtrainbowdolls and published on DeviantArt by Pride-Flags in June, 2017.[20]
The MOVING HEARTS flag was designed by Cryptocrew in January, 2021. The flag features the multisexual flag as the background, a horizontal yellow line to represent outherine and anonbinary genders, and a horizontal black line to represent variants and identities not listed. The rainbow heart represents homosexual and homoromantic individuals, the mini hearts using the transgender, intersex, non-binary flags, with the top right flag representing agender, exclusive genders, and non-conforming genders. The left four pointed star represents the aromantic spectrum, asexual spectrum, and other forms of attraction. The right pointed star represents ethical non-monogamy, tertiary relationships, and single or non-partnering individuals.[14]
The SAGA flag was published by the beyond-mogai-pride-flags Tumblr blog in September, 2019.[15]
Original Gay/LGBT Flag (Gilbert Baker)
Revised Gay/LGBT Flag (Gilbert Baker)
Philadelphia Pride (Tierney)
Diversity (Estêvão Romane)
Progress Pride (Daniel Quasar)
Intersex Progress Pride (Valentino Vechietti)
GSRM Pride (Ky Leggiero)
Mega LGBT+ (Cryptocrew)
GLOW (lgbtrainbowdolls)
MOVING HEARTS (Cryptocrew)
SAGA (beyond-mogai-pride-flags)
Resources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Carey-Mahoney, Ryan. "LGBT-who? Decoding the ever-changing acronym.". The Washington Post, 10 Jun, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2016/06/10/lgbt-who-decoding-the-ever-changing-acronym/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Iovannone, Jeffry J. "A Brief History of the LGBTQ Initialism". Medium, 10 Jun, 2018, https://medium.com/queer-history-for-the-people/a-brief-history-of-the-lgbtq-initialism-e89db1cf06e3.
- ↑ Ferguson, Sian. "5 Good Reasons Why the LGBTQIA+ Acronym Shouldn’t Include ‘Ally’". Everyday Feminism, 11 Aug, 2016, https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/08/lgbtqia-shouldnt-include-ally/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO)". National Institutes of Health, 24 Oct, 2023, https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/sgmro.
- ↑ Lattimer, Julia. "GSM acronym better than LGBT alphabet soup". Collegiate Times, 23 Oct, 2014, https://www.collegiatetimes.com/opinion/gsm-acronym-better-than-lgbt-alphabet-soup/article_f7a325a4-5acd-11e4-bf0d-001a4bcf6878.html.
- ↑ "2SLGBTQI+". Government of Canada, 25 Aug, 2023, https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/free-to-be-me/what-is-2slgbtqi-plus.html.
- ↑ Pride-Flags. "GLOW". DeviantArt, 12 Jun, 2017, https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/GLOW-686003432.
- ↑ LACDMH Blog. "A BRIEF HISTORY OF OUR LGBTQIA2-S PRIDE FLAG". Los Angeles County, Department of Mental Health, 16 Jun, 2022, https://dmh.lacounty.gov/blog/2022/06/a-brief-history-of-our-lgbtqia2-s-pride-flag/.
- ↑ WiiFyneLM. "QANSTIVEM". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 1 Nov, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/QANSTIVEM.
- ↑ Wemrotung. "QUASMINT". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 21 Jul, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/QUASMINT.
- ↑ "QUILTBAG". Wiktionary, 31 Aug, 2023, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/QUILTBAG.
- ↑ cisphobeofficial. "Have questions about the term MOGAI? Click here". Tumblr, https://cisphobeofficial.tumblr.com/mogaifaq. Accessed on 18 Oct, 2024.
- ↑ cisphobeofficial. "i literally came up w/ the term MOGAI & i'm ace spectrum oh my god you guys are a riot". Tumblr, 2011, https://web.archive.org/web/20150615021907/http://cisphobeofficial.tumblr.com/page/2. Archived on 15 May, 2015.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Cryptocrew. "M.O.V.I.N.G - H.E.A.R.T.S.". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 28 Jan, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/M.O.V.I.N.G_-_H.E.A.R.T.S..
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 beyond-mogai-pride-flags. "SAGA Pride Flag". Tumblr, 1 Sep, 2019, https://beyond-mogai-pride-flags.tumblr.com/post/187432142435/saga-pride-flag.
- ↑ "THE RAINBOW FLAG". GLBT Historical Society, https://www.glbthistory.org/rainbow-flag. Accessed on 7 Jan, 2023.
- ↑ Strauss, Dead. "Jun 27 Gilbert Baker & the Rainbow Flag Part II". Making Queer History, https://www.makingqueerhistory.com/articles/2022/6/27/gilbert-baker-amp-the-rainbow-flag-part-ii. Accessed on 7 Jan, 2023.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 "A Brief History of GSRM Pride Flags". Ky Leggiero's Blog, 7 Jul, 2021, https://web.archive.org/web/20220120172909/https://blog.kyleggiero.me/Inclusivity-pride-flags/.
- ↑ Cryptocrew. "LGBT+". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 27 Jun, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/LGBT%2B.
- ↑ Pride-Flags. "GLOW". DeviantArt, 12 Jun, 2017, https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/GLOW-686003432.
