Pride Month 2021

June is the month chosen to celebrate pride as it was the month of the Stonewall riots, the protests that changed gay rights for a lot of people in America and beyond.

It's about people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far gay rights have come, even if in some places there's still some work to be done.

Pride month is about teaching tolerance, education in pride history and continuing to move forward in equality.

It calls for people to remember how damaging homophobia was and still can be. It's all about being proud of who you are no matter who you love.

While celebrating diversity in sexual and gender orientations, it can be difficult to remember all of the terms and their meanings. So what does LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA+ or even LGBTTTQQIAA stand for?

History of the acronym

LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), and others.

People often use LGBTQ+ to mean all of the communities included in the LGBTTTQQIAA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, 2/Two Spirit, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and Ally).

A full definition of terms can be found by clicking here.

The first four letters of the acronym have been used since the 1990s. The sexual revolution of the 1960s gave birth to a train of thought which insisted that those who identified as non-straight should have their own term. The upshot of that was the term gay, which was positively adopted by the community in the 1970s. It was paired with the term lesbian, and the two gendered terms became the norm.

The term LGBT came to the fore in the late 1980s, as activist groups rallied for an inclusive description of all those who identified as non-straight. In the 1990s, LGBT was accepted by those inside and outside the community.

In recent years there has been an increased awareness of the need to be inclusive of other sexual identities to offer better representation. Many advocates argue that the addition of the 'plus' is essential and should not be overlooked. The purpose of the acronym is to represent the tremendous diversity of people who are same/similar gender attracted and transgender. The addition of the plus is better able to capture that diversity fully.

Whilst LGBT is the most commonly used and probably widely recognised term, in striving for inclusivity, LGBTQ+ is a respectful term for all those who don't identify as straight. You may also hear the terms 'queer community' or 'rainbow community' used to describe LGBTQ people.

The ways we describe the kaleidoscopes of sexual and gender orientations are always changing and evolving, so it's less about memorising the various terms, but more about being respectful and using the terms people prefer.

Visibility

Research suggests that despite safety concerns, being visible as a member of the LGBTQ+ community can be an important way to feel a sense of pride in individual identity. In addition, affirming self-identity can help people improve their self-esteem, self-worth and boost their overall mental wellbeing. This can be particularly important since representation has long been lacking in mainstream media.

More information can be found here: What Does LGBTQ+ Mean? (verywellmind.com)