What does "lgbtqia+" stand for exactly Bhawks
Post# of 65629
exactly
Bhawks says s/he is well educated so
should be well versed in these matters.
< If you're just learning about sexuality, gender, and all these other things, they can be a little hard to remember. This acronym not only serves as a symbol of our movement for rights, but even as a memory tool for those who need a little help.
L - Lesbian. Lesbian is a term used to refer to homosexual females.
G - Gay. Gay is a term used to refer to homosexuality, a homosexual person, or a homosexual male.
B - Bisexual. Bisexual is when a person is attracted to two sexes/genders.
T - Trans. Trans is an umbrella term for transgender and transsexual people.
Q - Queer/Questioning. Queer is an umbrella term for all of those who are not heterosexual and/or cisgender. Questioning is when a person isn't 100% sure of their sexual orientation and/or gender, and are trying to find their true identity.
I - Intersex. Intersex is when a person has an indeterminate mix of primary and secondary sex characteristics.
A - Asexuality. Asexuality is when a person experiences no (or little, if referring to demisexuality or grey-asexuality) sexual attraction to people.
+ - The "+" symbol simply stands for all of the other sexualities, sexes, and genders that aren't included in these few letters.
< Our sexual orientation is what defines who we are attracted to as what we are. Orientation depends on many different factors, such as our
- gender
- sex
- beliefs
- ideology about sex
- ideology about romance
- ideology about platonic affections
- and a great many more things besides.
Although someone's feelings can change without them even noticing it, their label that they give their sexual orientation is their own right. Sometimes people go their whole life without changing their sexual orientation, while others may change several times before they find the one that they believe suits them best. With luck, this section of our site will help you figure out what label you like best if you're questioning, or will provide a refresher course to those of us who are sure of our orientation.
< Our gender identity is something that we use to describe ourselves in relation to how we feel about ourselves as a man, woman, or something else. Gender identity as a whole depends upon our
- biological sex
- self-reflection
- psychological sense of self
- physical anatomy
- physical characteristics
- behaviors
- and many more.
People handle all of these things their own separate way, so two people hardly ever have precisely the same gender identity. Gender identity is a massive unit of expression for people to explore as they see fit. This section of the site will explain some of the common terms used when referring to gender identity, and may even help you figure out what you'd feel more comfortable as if you happen to be questioning.