A Guide to LGBTQA+ or MOGAI
There are a lot of people in this world who are very uneducated in the ways of sexual/gender identities and preferences. So I decided to make a post to better explain what all the fuss is about. I know this is long but please educate yourself and/or others on the matter.Â
The above acronyms stand for:
LGBTQA+: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Asexual/Aromantic
MOGAI: Â Marginalized Orientations, Gender identities, And Intersex
They are used to describe the community of people who Identify in certain spectrums of gender, sexual preference, etc, etc. Some people have started switching to MOGAI because it is more inclusive and easier to say.Â
Letâs start with the gender spectrum.
FIRST RULE OF GENDER: SEX =/= GENDER
Someone who is born with a Penis is not going to always identify as a male and the same goes for someone born with a Vagina.
There are different kinds of gender identities. Iâll simplify them before we talk about the spectrum.
Sexual Gender - a sexual presentation of oneâs gender. Do not confuse this with physical gender or sexual orientation.
Social Gender - a social presentation of oneâs gender. How one interacts with others when faced with âgender normsâ
Psychological Gender - a mental/emotional presentation of oneâs gender. How oneâs mind perceives their own gender, but not necessarily how they identify socially or physically.
Physical Gender - a physical representation of oneâs gender. How one may appear to appeal to their gender representation. This does not include sex organs.
The spectrum operates the same for all of these types of identities. It is not male at one end and female at the other and nothing else but a large range of in betweens. Someone can be masculine but identify as a female, and vice versa, or some people identify as both genders, either alternating or at the same time.There are also those who donât consider either gender to be their own. Letâs get on to the vocabulary of gender
Cis/Cisgender:Â Identifying as the sex one is born with. No changes what so ever socially, physically, sexually, or psychologically.
Trans/Transgender:Â Identifying as a gender other than the one someone is born with. This includes those who have not transitioned physically from one gender to another.
Transexual: one who has gone through gender reassignment treatments to ensure their physical form matches their gender identity.
Gender-queer:Â one who feels that their gender identity does not fit into the socially constructed ânormsâ associated with their biological sex.
Non-binary:Â One who is not on one side of the spectrum or the other. This does not include multi-gendered individuals.
Agender:Â one who does not consider themselves to be on the gender spectrum. These people are considered gender-neutral and use pronouns that are not gender specific.
Gender-fluid:Â one who has a gender identity that changes in accordance to their psychological state.
Intersexual: when one possesses both gender characteristics. this is inclusive to non-binary and multi-gender identities.
Orientation has very little to do with gender identities. And is split into two categories: romantic and sexual attraction.
Someone can identify as one sexuality, but still have an entirely different romantic identity.
Straight - One who is sexually/romantically attracted to opposite gender. This only includes the opposite gender and not any other gender identities.
Homosexual/romantic - One who is sexually/romantically attracted to the same gender, i.e. gay/lesbian.
bisexual/romantic - One who is sexually/romantically attracted to two genders. This does not include transgenders, non-binary, etc, etc.
Pansexual/romantic - One who is sexually/romantically attracted to all gender identities. Not necessarily at the same time. Pans arenât really picky most of the time.
Polysexual/romantic - One who is sexually/romantically attracted to multiple genders, but not necessarily all of them.
Asexual/romantic - Â One who is not sexually/romantically attracted to any gender. These people donât necessarily have to be sexually/romantically involved, although some still are. (DO NOT MISTAKE ASEXUALS FOR ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION BECAUSE THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS IDENTITY IS)
Demisexual/romantic - Â One who is sexually/romantically attracted to those they bond with or are very particularly close to. It is very specific and not to be confused with Asexual/romantic, although is considered to be in the grey area for that identity.
There are other sexual identities that dive into specifics on how people deal with their romantic/physical attraction, but I wonât touch up on those right now.
Lastly there are relationship identities/practices that are all very valid.
Monogamy/Monoamorous - being committed to a healthy, functional relationship between two people.
Polygamy/polyamorous - being commited to a healthy, functional relationship between 3 or more people. This is entirely consensual between all members and can have an infinite number of dynamics. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO CHEAT ON THEIR PARTNERS AND THOSE WHO IDENTIFY AS POLY CAN STILL HAVE A MONOGAMOUS RELATIONSHIP.
BDSM - Â An overlapping abbreviation of Bondage and Discipline (BD), Dominance and Submission (DS), Sadism and Masochism (SM). It is a healthy practice that is entirely consensual between its practitioners and should not be confused with sexual assault or abuse which is not at all consensual.
I hope this has shed some light on things you were unclear of and that you share this with anyone who isnât caught up on their identities. Remember that these identities have been around for a long time, but havenât always been clearly defined until this era so please be open-minded and try to keep people from being ignorant towards the cause. If I missed anything important or did not explain something in a clear, concise manner, please feel free to edit the post or add to it.Â
Side note, if you wanna reblog this, go ahead and add all of your identities + pronouns in the tags to show people they are not alone.