Dear LGBTQA..a genuine request..

[woodmally]

The day a kid can tell their class, a right back can tell their football-club, a member of a boyband can tell their fans that they are gay and not get dismissive/stupid reactions is when we have acceptance. It isn't far off, but far enough to still require attention.

 

Well the boyband one doesnt seem a problem anymore.

 

---------- Post added 29-05-2015 at 15:28 ----------

 

From an article.......

 

I hate the term LGBT.

It’s the confusion the term causes.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual are all sexualities, so you’d be forgiven for thinking transgender is as well.

Forms ask you if you’re heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or transgender.

But it’s not a sexuality. It’s a gender. It makes no more sense being included with LGB than if you were to add ‘female’ in there.

I am transgender. That means I was born with female genitalia and socialised as a woman. My brain had other ideas.

Before I came out, I was attracted to women. Being ‘female’ that made me a lesbian.

Now I’m transitioning to male, I’m still attracted to women, so that makes me heterosexual.

If I was attracted to men, I’d be gay.

See how that works? See how you can be transgender and gay, or lesbian, or straight, or bisexual? One does not equal the other.

Sexuality and gender and not the same thing and are independent of one another.

Add that to the fact that a lot of people in the LGB circles aren’t that tolerant of the T and you start to wonder just why we insist on being included.

Why it's time to remove the T from LGBT

An umbrella term that shouldn’t catch-all (Picture: AP/David Goldman)

I get why it was included in the first place. Sort of.

An inclusion measure for marginalised people, many of whom had their roots in the LGB communities.

But when talking about issues that concern sexuality why is transgender included?

Yes, the fight for equality for LGB people is still ongoing but the transgender fight is completely different and is only just beginning.

It’s time we stopped pretending otherwise.

 

Some also use the term LGBTQA

 

The A being A sexual ie not interested at all. Dont see why thats ever been discriminated against.

 

And Q being Queer. Dont understand fully the difference between being Gay and Queer. I always thought Queer was the oldfashioned term but apparently its a different term all together.

 

As for acceptance we need to end the focus on it.

 

As for Transgender yes its not sexuallity. Its a disability that a sex change corrects. But the reason its grouped in this group is its a unifying group of people fighting for a smilar cause.

[Mister M]

Well the boyband one doesnt seem a problem anymore.

 

---------- Post added 29-05-2015 at 15:28 ----------

 

 

Some also use the term LGBTQA

 

The A being A sexual ie not interested at all. Dont see why thats ever been discriminated against.

 

And Q being Queer. Dont understand fully the difference between being Gay and Queer. I always thought Queer was the oldfashioned term but apparently its a different term all together.

 

As for acceptance we need to end the focus on it.

 

As for Transgender yes its not sexuallity. Its a disability that a sex change corrects. But the reason its grouped in this group is its a unifying group of people fighting for a smilar cause.

 

Although people will accuse me of being jaundiced, my observations of the gay scene is that it's (mainly) a collection of men shagging about, and more than a fair few lie through their back teeth to get what they want. Either that or a lot of them like nothing better than to bitch about others. So much for solidarity

[alternageek]

Well the boyband one doesnt seem a problem anymore.

 

---------- Post added 29-05-2015 at 15:28 ----------

 

 

Some also use the term LGBTQA

 

The A being A sexual ie not interested at all. Dont see why thats ever been discriminated against.

 

And Q being Queer. Dont understand fully the difference between being Gay and Queer. I always thought Queer was the oldfashioned term but apparently its a different term all together.

 

As for acceptance we need to end the focus on it.

 

As for Transgender yes its not sexuallity. Its a disability that a sex change corrects. But the reason its grouped in this group is its a unifying group of people fighting for a smilar cause.

 

LGBTQIA is the better term and stands for = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex and Asexual

 

Queer is used as an all encompassing term for gender minorities

Queer is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities that are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning strange or peculiar, queer came to be deployed pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late-19th century.

 

There is also non-binary, or non-gendered, that also falls under the asexual banner

[tzijlstra]

Mmmm ... I'm not quite sure if you have good examples

 

A the school example. - You will find that the modern schoolkid (evil bully types excepted) accepts all differernces without prejudice - race, disability, sexual orientation etc. But when a kid is angry, he will lash out with what he thinks hurts the most, which for some will be sexual orientation. Which is why most teenagers say they hate their parents in times of anger. Neither are deepfelt meaning, just poking at nerves in the heat of anger.

 

B the football team. I'd be more worried for him if he didn't get "stupid" reactions. I belong to a sports club and everyone (or everyone who is part of the gang) gets the mickey taken. Be you tall, short, bald, toothless, fat, poor eyesight etc etc. It's part of the banter. If you aren't subject to any of that, like I say, you are a bit of an outsider

 

C the boyband. The adverse reaction is because it spoils the dreams of thousands of impressionable schoolgirls, all hoping to one day be the band member's bride

 

There is a very simple test here: Do you condone the use of the word gay to describe something as naff/stupid/unwanted? Because kids do, it is commonplace in sports and in broader society. Older generations will still go: "Are you queer??!!!" Shock horror on face. It isn't accepted yet and there is a long way to go.

 

PS: I was guilty of calling things gay, just because that is what gamers do. It took my wife getting p-d off with me and calling me a stupid Frisian, for me to realise what I was doing. Interestingly, when I broached the topic in my clan I learned that one of the guys was gay and did indeed have an issue with my constant use of the term in that manner.

[hyper]

There is a very simple test here: Do you condone the use of the word gay to describe something as naff/stupid/unwanted? Because kids do, it is commonplace in sports and in broader society. Older generations will still go: "Are you queer??!!!" Shock horror on face. It isn't accepted yet and there is a long way to go.

 

PS: I was guilty of calling things gay, just because that is what gamers do. It took my wife getting p-d off with me and calling me a stupid Frisian, for me to realise what I was doing. Interestingly, when I broached the topic in my clan I learned that one of the guys was gay and did indeed have an issue with my constant use of the term in that manner.

 

mmm good point. Not thought about it like that. Thanks for the enlightenment (genuine, no sarcasm)

[Dozer]

(Deleted after the discussion turned negative)

Edited June 3, 2015 by Dozer
Not a discussion I want to be part

[martin6]

I always wondered why forms asked what gender, sexualty and race you are. This is definitely used for discrimination purposes, you can dress it up by calling it "positive"

[Alcoblog]

I always wondered why forms asked what gender, sexualty and race you are. This is definitely used for discrimination purposes, you can dress it up by calling it "positive"

The people who ask these questions are the ones to be worried about.

[Alan Ladd]

It is a very interesting topic. I am all for tolerance. Is it however appropriate to inquire into the roots of homosexual/lesbian behaviour? Is it "normal"?

 

We have the example of the ancient Greeks where such behavior was the norm, at the same time the Romans reviled the practice if a male was in the receptive role not if he was dominant.

 

In other cultures we have interesting variations. What is "normal"? Are certain of us programmed to be "gay" or does culture influence us.?

[Halibut]

It is a very interesting topic. I am all for tolerance. Is it however appropriate to inquire into the roots of homosexual/lesbian behaviour? Is it "normal"?

 

We have the example of the ancient Greeks where such behavior was the norm, at the same time the Romans reviled the practice if a male was in the receptive role not if he was dominant.

 

In other cultures we have interesting variations. What is "normal"? Are certain of us programmed to be "gay" or does culture influence us.?

 

In short, yes.