Demystifying the LGBTQ+ language

As we continue to celebrate Pride month, one of the critical barriers we need to push past is ensuring individuals feel heard and seen in terms of how they identify. It’s not just about creating a set of labels or categories we all agree on, it’s about individuals feeling celebrated not put into a particular box. Most of society has become much more aware of how important this terminology is but in an ever-expanding sphere of identity, it’s understandable that many are concerned about using the right language in their relationships and the workplace. Let’s begin by how we understand the sexual identities of the acronym LGBTQ+.

Lesbian

This is the term used to describe a woman who has a sexual or romantic orientation towards another woman.

Gay

Whilst this term tends to be used about a man with a sexual or romantic orientation towards another man, it can be a generic term used by lesbians. A woman who has romantic or sexual feelings towards another woman may see themselves as gay.

Bi

The term tends to be how we describe an individual who has a romantic or sexual orientation towards more than one gender. An individual who identifies as bi may think of themselves as bisexual, queer, non-monosexual, or non-mono romantic.

Trans

Trans is a term used to describe people whose gender does not align or sit comfortably with the sex they were assigned at birth. These individuals may use a variety of terms to describe themselves such as transgender man, transgender woman transsexual, gender fluid, gender variant genderqueer, or GQ by transgender men or women.

Queer

Historically, the term queer was seen as a slur, in recent times queer has been reclaimed by a community that rejects the labels of or in sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

There are huge layers within these groups and the addition of the + signifies other sexual orientations or gender identities that don’t fall under the main initials.

The challenge for straight or heterosexual people is that this acronym continues to evolve and now includes the initials IA. The “I” refers to individuals that identify as intersex distinct from transgender because intersex people have biological parts of both sexes whereas transgender is when sex and gender do not align. Intersex individuals choose to identify as male or female when they are old enough to choose and their gender is unrelated to their sexual orientation. There has been debate over what the A means in this acronym, but it refers to asexual individuals who experience sexual attraction only in certain circumstances or not at all. Aromantics equally may feel sexual attraction at the same rate as others but equally the identities can exist together. Ace is the umbrella term that refers to these two groups.

This is not about acronyms and initials as such, it signifies how as a society we accept there are communities of people who do not wish to be labelled or pigeonholed in with others. It's not simply a case of getting it right, it's an understanding that identities in communities evolve. We need to be aware both in society in the workplace that not everyone looks and feels the same and respect those differences and build a culture of celebration and acceptance.