LGBT... plus me

A blog helping with finding your place in the LGBTQ+ community! (Run by mxstrixx; any pronouns)

[lgbtplusme]

Labels can mean different things to different people

In an upcoming post, we will discuss the terms poly (attraction to multiple genders), pan (attraction to all genders), and omni (attraction to all genders). In some people's definitions of these terms may be different from how I discuss them here. For example, my partner is pan, though they don't experience "gender-blindness" – a lack of ability to see or lack of awareness of others genders when feeling attracted to someone.

This is especially relevant when discussing newer terms: Omni is a much newer term than pan. So even though the general definition of omnisexual would be a better fit, my partner feels more comfortable with pansexual and has used it long before fae knew omnisexual was a term.

TL;DR: The way some people use certain words to describe themselves may not always line up with how general society defines those terms. As long as that person is using them earnestly, that's what matters.

[lgbtplusme]

Putting the A in Asexual and Aromantic and Agender

In the LGBTQ+ community, there are many people who identify as asexual (ace), aromantic (aro), and agender. In this post, we will discuss what these terms mean, when they came about, and other terms related to these. In upcoming posts, we will further discuss aspec identities as there are plenty to go over, including the various terms I identify with.

The term "asexual" originates from the field of biology, describing an organism that, exclusively or not, engages in asexual reproduction. While I am not entirely certain on when the subject of a lack of sexual attraction in humans became a mainstream subject of sexology, one of the first major pieces of academic research that posits the existence of asexuality, could be Kinsey's Scale. While Kinsey is still considered the "father of modern sexology," there are many issues with his Scale (I will likely discuss in a future post).

Asexual is defined by Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) as, "someone who does not experience sexual attraction or an intrinsic desire to have sexual relationships (or the adjective describing a person as such)." This could manifest in multiple ways, such as a person who is ace and sex-repulsed (meaning they do not want to engage in sex of any kind/in any way), or a person who is ace and sex-favorable (meaning they do engage in sex in some kind of way). There is an entire spectrum of asexual identities (ace-spec), including some that describe when, how, or in what contexts the individual engages/does not engage in sexual behaviors. Future posts will delve into these terms.

Aromantic people are described by AVEN as, "people who don’t experience romantic attraction or desires." The earliest forum messages I could find on AVEN including the term aromantic were posted on November 7, 2004; and it seemed like multiple posters around that time were aware of the term. While an exact date of origin is likely impossible to know, it would not be surprising if the term first appeared before 2000. An aromantic person may not engage in romance or experience romantic attraction at all, or they could experience some amount of attraction or engage in romantic practices, yet not in the same way as alloromantic people (allo: opposite of aro).

Agender is not an attraction term, it is a gender identity term, and yet it is commonly related to other aspec terminology. Agender is typically thought of as a lack of gender. Whether that means gender is not a factor in one's identity, or their gender identity has been somehow removed from them, or even that there is an empty space where one would expect their gender identity to be (sometimes called gendervoid). Agender is a term under the non-binary and transgender umbrellas, and while some agender people may identify as non-binary, transgender, or both (this is me), others do not. As with almost all identities, some people may feel agender only sometimes (genderfluid/flux) and at various intensities (demigenders).

[lgbtplusme]

Latest TRANSmission

Hello everyone! In previous posts, I mentioned a gender term known as transgender, and today we'll talk about it.

CW: Outdated terms referring to trans folks, history which includes transphobia

Now, trans women are women; trans men are men; just so we're clear. Some people who meet the definition of transgender do not identify as transgender; they are of course just as valid as anyone else. Anyone who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth is, by definition, transgender (insert inevitable exceptions for intersex folks). However, as stated, not everyone uses the term, and they are still valid. A transgender person does not need to surgically transition to identify with the term either.

Now, with that out of the way. The term transgender originates from another term, "transsexual," around 1923. "Transgender" replaced "transsexual" and became the term we know today. "Transexual" is typically considered an outdated term; much like "transvestite," previously used to refer to a neurodivergent person who enjoys cross-dressing — a term possibly created by the trans community. Most of these terms are no longer used, though they are sometimes used by trans people as reclaimed words, or by older members of the community — like the term "queer."

Sometimes, a trans person may further specify their identity, or process of transition, as trans ftm (female-to-male) or trans mtf (male-to-female). These terms are sometimes seen as transphobic, considering the idea that trans people were always the gender they present as after transitioning; this, of course, depends on who you ask. People refer to themselves how they want to, and you should respect that. Also, many trans people may identify with other gender terms, and can identify with any platonic/romantic/sexual and relationship terms.

In later posts, I will discuss the trans flag, as well as trans-related identity terms.

[lgbtplusme]

Terminology all the way down (LGBTQ+)

A lot has changed in my life since my last post. Due to said changes, from now on, this blog will still be about LGBTQ+ terminology, but also: me making flags for identities that don't have one, talking about flags (I have a love for vexilology), and more life-general things like mental health and things of that sort.

In the last post we discussed the terms and history of the LGBTQ+ acronym. From here, we will explore other terms commonly used in other/longer forms of the acronym.

The first term in our journey is intersex. Intersex is not a term referring to gender, instead referring to sex (gender is sociocultural and nueropsychological, sex is biological). Someone who is intersex is someone who was born with sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that do not fit the most common anatomical examples of males and females. Intersex is a replacement of the outdated term "hermaphrodite" — though this term is still used in biology, when referring to animals, plants, and other non-human organisms (as a science teacher with queer and nonbinary students, this is an important note to make).

Nonbinary or non-binary (either is correct), sometimes shortened to "enby," is a gender term that refers to any gender identity that is not strictly male or female all the time, and therefore does not fit within the gender binary. This could realize as a "third gender" or a person that only partially identifies as a man or woman (demigender) or a person who exists as different genders at gender times (genderflux, genderfluid). The term "nonbinary" dates back to the 1990s, after the term "genderqueer" gained popularity in queer communities in the 1980s. While anyone identifying as nonbinary, or any gender other that which was assigned at their birth, is by definition transgender, many nonbinary folks do not identify as trans. I personally identify as trans, nonbinary, and other terms we will discuss in the future.

A semi-common acronym for nonbinary/non-binary (either is correct), is "NB." However, this acronym was already in use by the black American community, meaning "Non-Black." Because of this, NB is used less, and, if included in a larger acronym, is often denoted as a simple "N."

Footnote: There is a question whether people who identify with their gender assigned at birth as well as another gender could be trans, and is not a question I feel qualified to answer. My partner identifies as a woman (faer gender assigned at birth) and another gender, and does not identify as trans. As such, the ideas above may not be true for everyone — and that is true for most attempts at categorization of gender and sexuality.

[lgbtplusme]

What's an acronym? (LGBTQ+)

When learning about any subject, it's best to start out with the absolute basics. So, when discussing queer terminology, we'll start out with the components and history of LGBTQ+.

The term "gay" has been around since the middle ages, as a synonym of "happy". However, it really only started to be associated with homosexuality in the mid-1900s. Gay is typically used to describe someone who is homosexual; however, others created the terms "lesbian" and "bisexual" as they saw "gay" as not inclusive enough. Nowadays, gay typically refers to a man who likes other men, lesbian refers to a woman who likes other women, and bisexual refers to a person who likes 2 or more genders (typically men and women, but these could be any genders).

Later, the term "transgender" was added to the acronym. There was some debate over whether gender should be included in an acronym about sexuality. But the argument of inclusivity won, making the LGBT or GLBT (though the biphobia and transphobia within the queer community shant be overlooked). Sidenote: the reason why it's LGBT and not GLBT, is likely due to the lesbian-feminist movements happening around the same time, and after, stonewall.

The Q stands for one of 2 things, either queer or questioning. While "queer" is seen as a normal identity term, embraced by many younger members of the community, it's actually a reclaimed derogatory term! Many older folks do not like to be referred to as "queer," as that was a derogatory term that was used against them. Someone who is questioning is someone who is figuring out their gender identity, gender expression, or sexual and/or romantic orientation. Some people, such as myself, are always questioning, even when we have other terms we identify with.

Lastly (or at least until the next post lol), the plus (+) represents all other identity terms in the community. The acronym continued growing, and as it did, hateful outsiders began to mock it for its length. While this still happens no matter what, many in the community also felt it was getting to be a bit much. The acronym was shortened to include the original letters of LGBTQ, and the plus was added to include all other members and allies. In the next posts I will discuss some of the terms found in those longer variants!

[lgbtplusme]

LGBT... plus me

This is a new blog that is all about figuring out your place in the world; more specifically: the queer community. This is an invitation to those who are in or out of the closet. To those of you who know every term and which ones you use to describe yourself, and those who didn't yet realize that "LGBTQ+" is an acronym. It's also for allies, who want to learn how to support their friends, family, and/or co-workers.

Most of all, however, this blog is for those who want to learn about whatever queer topics I ramble about -- though suggestions are always welcomed)! I plan to make some posts about terminology, and others about sociological subjects present in the queer community. I'm most likely not going to be discussing news here, as there are plenty of other places to find that info (I recommend Pink News for that). Hope some of y'all find my posts interesting and decide to stick around!