What’s In a Name

During class, the topic of labels, specifically in the LGBT+ community, came up.  This really stuck with me, as I have had numerous discussions with straight cisgender family members about the myriad of labels included in the LGBT+ community.  It has been, affectionately, described as alphabet soup.  Which is understandable.  I, like most people, would not be able to tell you the full acronym without looking it up.  There isn’t really a clear consensus of what the full acronym even is.  Some people argue that with so many labels included that the acronym has lost its meaning.  Ask a handful of different people and they will tell you many different meanings for the A, like Asexual, Aromantic, Agender, Ally.  There is debate as to whether or not intersex people should be included in the community, with many intersex people themselves divided on the issue.  The inclusion in the full acronym of two Qs, in general standing for Queer and Questioning, has also cause tension, as there are many people who still see queer as a slur and do not identify with it while others have taken back the word and find it central to their identity. 

With all the drama surrounding the acronym, some question whether it is worth it to even have all the letters.  Why is there a need for three As?  What is the difference between bisexual and pansexual?  After all, most people simply abbreviate the acronym to LGBT, with maybe a Q, +, or * added onto the end to indicate the inclusion of the other letters.  If you are just going to abbreviate the letters, then why do we need them at all? 

I am fortunate.  As a gay trans man, my letters are always represented.  I can just say LGBT and not worry about missing a part of my identity.  However, I think including the rest of the letters, however many people want there to be, should be done.  I’m not saying that we should write out the whole thing every time, simply that we should remember to include an indicator of some sort of the other letters.  We are a community larger than just four letters, and because each letter is important to some person.  If someone tells me that they identify as not cishet and want to be included into the LGBT+ community, then I say we should let them.  I am not here to be a gate holder and I don’t think other people should be either.  The community was founded as a place of acceptance for people persecuted for being different.  How can we then go and tell someone else who is persecuted for being different that they are not allowed in this space? 

Figuring out your sexuality or gender identity is often hard.  After having straight and cis as the default, it is difficult to be anything different.  That is where the importance of labels comes in.  Labels allow people to find a community.  It lets them know that they are not alone.  For me, labels were extremely influential early in my transition.  I was able, through the label of transgender, to become connected to a whole community of people who were like me.  People who felt the same things as me.  It told me that I was not alone, that what I was feeling was normal and fine.  It gave me people who I could look to for support or help or simply to commiserate with.  Not only that, but it gave me a way to describe what I was feeling easily to other people.  Being trans is a big part of my identity as a whole, as it has defined large aspects of my life.  I would not give up that label, as it connects me to my community and helped me figure out who I really am. 

So while it may be difficult or confusing to remember what letters in the acronym mean what, I firmly believe that it is important for us as a community to make an effort to recognize groups who may be different than us, but who are nonetheless apart of the community.  Respect the labels people choose for themselves, whether that is one thing, has been changed a dozen times, or a handful of labels.  They mean something to the people and to the communities.  I think that matters more than any complaint of repetition, inconsistencies, or what they deem to be irrelevant.