The LGBTQ: Who Are They?
Written By: Yozer Wang
Edited By: Yozer Wang
Source: CNN
In the midst of the political and social turmoil and division of today, buzzwords are often carelessly thrown around to make people angry, confused, or impassioned. More often than not, they’re a calculated attempt to control the masses. However, the best way to resist this control is by learning and educating yourself. So, let us talk about one of the most inflammatory buzzwords to date: “Gay.”
More specifically, let’s talk about the LGBTQ community. Simply put, LGBTQ is an umbrella term to reference people of all sexual orientations and gender identity. The acronym itself stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer, but the LGBTQ+ Community, or the Queer Community, includes any and all people considered gender-queer or non-heterosexual. More recent acronyms may include an IA, representing Intersex and Asexual people. These are big words, and it's important to know what they all mean.
“Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start.”
Sexual Orientation is the gender in which a person is sexually attracted to. Normally, you see male and female relationships. These are labeled as heterosexual relationships. However, people of the same gender can also be sexually attracted to each other. These same-sex relationships are called homosexual relationships. People in MLM (men-loving-men) relationships are colloquially called Gay men, or just Gay. It’s important to note that “gay” can refer to all homosexual relationships or specifically refer to male-male relationships. People in WLW (women-loving-women) relationships are commonly labeled Lesbian.
People can also be attracted to multiple genders. These fall under the umbrella term, bisexual. Similarly to the term “gay”, “bisexual” can refer to anyone that is sexually attracted to two or more genders or specifically refer to bisexual-identifying people. Bisexuality is where a person is attracted to two or more genders, with a preference for one gender. This is not to be confused with Pansexuality, which is where a person is attracted to all genders equally.
Source: Cap 20
Some people are simply not sexually attracted to any gender at all. People who are Asexual, or ace, do not feel any sexual attraction to anyone. This does not mean that they cannot be romantically attracted to someone, and can still form relationships with people. They simply don’t need or enjoy the physical intercourse of sex.
Romantic Orientation is the gender in which a person is romantically attracted to. This is not to be confused with sexual attraction, which is the physical attraction that one has with another person. Typically, most people are romantically attracted to the same gender that they are sexually attracted to.
Some people, however, do not feel any romantic attractions. Aromantic people, or aro, do not feel any romantic attraction to anyone of any gender. This does not mean that they cannot enter sexual relationships with other people, it just means that they don’t form emotionally romantic relationships with other people.
Gender Identity is the gender that you identify with. This is not to be confused with sex, which is based on the chromosomes that you are born with. The XY Chromosomes encode for male sexual and reproductive organs and thus refer to the male sex. The XX Chromosomes encode for female sexual and reproductive organs and thus refer to the female sex. Some people, however, do not follow this binary. Intersex people do not fit into this binary, meaning that their sexual organs and reproductive organs do not match. This could mean a wide variety of things, and will vary person to person.
Gender is what is called a social construct. This means that it is a system that we, as a human civilization organized into society, have created for ourselves. This is why ideas regarding gender roles and masculinity and femininity have shifted over time. People who are Transgender do not identify with the gender associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. “Trans” is also another umbrella term that can refer to anyone who does not conform with the standard gender binary, but can also refer directly to someone who has transitioned to the other side of the gender binary. Transgender Men were assigned female at birth, but have transitioned to living as a man. Transgender Women were assigned male at birth, but have transitioned to living as a woman.
Source: Pew Research Center
It is important to note the differences between different types of transitioning. Social Transitioning is where someone shifts their appearance to match a different gender, but they do not change anything physical about their body. This could mean getting a haircut, wearing different clothing, wearing makeup, or anything in between. Hormonal Transitioning is where one medically takes the hormones of the other gender, called Hormone Therapy, to begin transitioning their body. This will not change anything major about the body, but can feminize or masculize different parts of it. Sexual Transitioning is where someone undergoes surgery, called Sexual Reassignment Surgery, to change their actual sexual organs. This is the only type of transition that is permanent.
Some people feel that they do not belong to either gender. These people are Non-Binary, meaning that they feel that they exist somewhere outside of the gender binary. There are many different labels for Non-Binary people, and they all mean slightly different things.
Source: CNN
This article introduced labels. By no means are they all the labels that exist, as there are numerous specific labels for different things. Feel free to research them, but the point here was to introduce you to the biggest ones.
Now, just because we discussed labels, does not mean that you must have a label. Many people live their whole lives not identifying with anything. The most important thing to take away from here is that sexual orientation and gender are not binary, they are spectrums. This means that everyone is different, and no one person is like another. It is perfectly fine to exist somewhere in between. It is utterly impossible to live in absolutes, and the LGBTQ Community stands for the exact opposite of that. At the end of the day, it’s more important to live in a way that is authentic to yourself, and not anyone else.
