The sexual orientation of someone is a subjective concern. An intimate choice of an individual. This differentiates individual from individual.(Lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer intersex asexual) “What does LGBTQIA stand for?” is a question that requires to be apprehended!
The usage of the term “LGBT(lesbian gay bisexual transgender)” came into presence in the 1990s. It was just an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. In this modern time, people are unplugging themselves and driving the world to know about it.
Sexual identities’ inclusive terms such as heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, queer and cisgender. Gender identities include terms such as male, female, non-binary, and transgender.
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The sexual identity of a person doesn’t depend on what you think is ideal! Why? Does anybody else decides for you what is ideal or not? And for God’s sake, please don’t get religion, culture, or caste into any of this. It’s just a subject of the biological reaction of an individual. This is not the question of religious acknowledgment; it’s about an emotional bond and sexual attraction to whoever a person has.
God has nothing to do with a person’s gender identity. God just made creatures. He did the job. It is us that made these obligations, these rules, these restrictions. And, we want LGBT(lesbian gay bisexual transgender) to abide by it.
“Gender Unicorn” is a popular gender illustrating tool. It’s a means to depict gender identities as fluid, based on how one thinks about self-gender expression.
What determines a straight person? How can you decide your straightway? Without any different sexual orientations can gender expression be decided? Just because you are assigned female or assigned male specifies sexual identities? Are you ready to tolerate explicit gender norms? Having no answers to these questions states gender non-conforming self-expression.
Experience sexual desire, test your gender identity and later discern do you belong to a lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer community!
The person’s gender identity is based on their biological sex. But, does that also determines their sexual orientation? Can there stand merely two genders? Is it so against the wind to have interpersonal relationships? Can there not be two or more genders? I don’t think so!
“Gender Binary” is the ideology that there are solely two genders. This term is used to relate if some genders don’t fall into the class of female or male.
It’s not a personal choice. It’s slightly like breathing. Is breathing a personal choice..nope! It is a, but obvious thing that no one can control. You can’t control yourself from breathing. Sexual orientation is just like that no one decides it for themselves. It’s just their instinctual notion that makes them act or react to it.
“Two-spirit” is the umbrella term that is utilized by some indigenous communities to mirror confining cultural, spiritual, sexual and gender identity.
Have an look into “what does LGBTQIA stand for”? What does society think about them? What they think about them?
“What does LGBTQIA stand for?” -L for Lesbian
When a female is sexually attracted to another female then she is termed to be lesbian. Being a lesbian is a sexual orientation. Just a female’s sexual orientation. It’s a term for a girl/female. Lesbians mean to physically, emotionally and sexually feel for a woman. Whereas, many women have reported that they have had lesbian experiences but no emotional attraction to them.
The first lesbian feminist group, the Radicalesbians, protested in an essay in 1970. Since 1999, many proposals were made for the lesbian pride flag. The six shade of red and pink with a white stripe in between represents the lesbian flag.
You will hardly find lesbians around you or be in contact with one. As they have a hard time coming out of the closet. They have a hard time accepting their truth.
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“What does LGBTQIA stand for?”-G for Gay
When a male has sexual attraction to other males then they are called to be gay. Having an interest in similar sex is called Homosexuality(gay). Gay men and lesbians both fall into the same category of “Gay”. The definition of gay is having romantic relationships with similar sex.
In 1955, the definition of the word “gay” altered its purpose to homosexual males. Disney introduced its first gay character “LeFou” in 2017 in the movie remake “Beauty and The Beast”. Gilbert Baker, the first openly gay man and drag queen devised the first rainbow flag in 1978.
The gay community is increasing day by day as people are being encouraged to accept their reality. Make people accept it and them lovingly.
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“What does LGBTQIA stand for?” -B for Bisexual
There are no rules as to having sexual attraction or romantic attraction to males or females. Anybody can feel sexual attraction to anybody. There are no such rules, norms, or restrictions as to whom a person should like or desire. So if a person feels sexual attraction towards more than one gender the typical definition word is bisexual.
For example, a bisexual person might be romantic to multiple genders but sexual to only men. IN the gay pride flag, Bisexuals are denoted by Pink, Blue & Purple color.
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“LGBTQIA stand for?”-T for Transgender
The gender identity of a person where person differs from the sex assigned at birth. An identity that is different from the basic gender spectrum. A transgender person’s assigned sex is a questionable theory. Their sexual orientation or emotional bond to someone is a different question altogether.
Transgender is another gender in the gender identity which still society has a hard time accepting. Some Transgenders desired medical assistance to transition from one sex to another identity as transexual.
Terms like cisgender, cross-dressing, and sexual minority stress raise in the discussion on transgenders which are not necessities. Cisgender people as practically opposite to transgenders, whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned at their birth.
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In LGBTQIA ‘Q’ is for Queer
The dictionary meaning of the word “queer” is odd or strange. Queer theory is both opinion and political action. It can be summarized as pioneer predominant norms holding domineering powers.
Queer is an umbrella term for gay bisexual transgender asexual people. The queer community has a motive to counter socially established norms and dualistic challenging subjects – sexual (heterosexual/homosexual), gender (male/female), status (rich/poor), and racial ( white/black) categories.
The communities’ whole objection is towards why does society uses certain terms to describe people of specific categories? What is the need to categorize them? Human rights have a no-discrimination policy toward this attitude.
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In LGBTQIA ‘I’ is for Intersex
If a person is born with reproductive anatomy that doesn’t fit the section of female or male belonging to Intersex. The body image of an intersex person includes several sex characteristics chromosomes patterns, gonads, or genitals that do not check the typical binary picture of male or female bodies.
Intersex is mostly confused with hermaphrodite where, it distinctively differentiates as intersex people have many sex characteristics of binary genders; whereas hermaphrodite possesses both types of gonads.
You will find a lot of intersex variations in the intersex community. Intersex people may have both ovarian & testicular tissue. According to research, 1.7% of the whole population is intersex people ratio. Of that, 0.018% of people have intersex variation.
“LGBTQIA stand for?”-A for Asexual
An asexual person is uninterested in sex. Asexual people do not get aroused or turned on by others. Asexual people do not sense sexual attraction toward others. Sexual attraction in basic means, you find someone sexually appealing and want to have intercourse with them.
An asexual person may not be interested in sex but have sex for collateral reasons. Being Asexual does not mean abstain from having sex. It simply means that the basic reason to do sex is not your interest in it. An asexual flag consists of four strips of black, grey, white and purple. The asexual flag came into being after AVEN held its first forum board on 30 June 2010.
An asexual person and a pansexual person have distinguishable resemblances except for sexual relationships with no gender and romantic relationships with every gender respectively.
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% Of the LGBTQIA community in India?
According to recent research, almost 8% of India’s population- 104 million individuals belong to the LGBT community. A recent report shows that 3% of the Indian population identify as homosexuals, 9% identify as bisexuals, 1% as pansexuals and 2% as asexuals. According to the 2021 ranking, Canada has been rated the safest country for the members of this community.
19% of this community is entirely out to their peers. 43% are partly out to their family whereas, 34% are yet to come out to their peers or family.
Opinion of Society on “What does LGBTQIA stand for”?
Section 377 became unconstitutional as of 6th September 2018, ruling it as it’s not a criminal offense to experience sexual attraction to the same gender.
30% of Indian respondents broadly support Homosexuality. On average, 70% of city-dwellers are in support of, stand for social justice against trans people and the LGBTQ community and raise awareness about gender identities and sexual orientations.
Despite major changes in LGBT rights, their opinions and acceptance of them remain highly divided around the globe. At this, if we talk about India the non-acceptance % would be higher. Modern India and its youth are still acceptable to this community but the seniors (considering guardians, parents, helpers, law-makers, and law-initiators) are still closed off to this community. Do society and culture need to understand ‘what does LGBTQIA stand for?’
It was a struggling path to get from being considered a sin, criminal act and pathology to a variant of gender identity. Human sexuality is a complex matter. Acceptance of distinction between desire, behavior and identity concedes the multidimensional nature of gender identity.
Additionally, challenges of living in a predominantly heterosexual world, the variation among the people living with homosexual orientation results in many kinds of concerns. In India, complexities faced are added due to sex, gender, age, nationality and religion.
Issues fronted or encountering?
In past, homosexuality was not considered equal and restricted all civil and human rights. Because of their sexual orientation, they faced discrimination, harassment, and violence.
People with a homosexual orientation (lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer) face many hindrances including the mental battle of conceding their homosexual sentiments, the significance of exposure and the hardships faced in coming out. To cope with same-sex-oriented being awareness and social stigmatization are also the issues the community faces. Need to understand what does LGBTQIA stand for and what does equality in all mean!
The main issue they face is an absence of support from family, friends, peers, colleagues and acquaintances. That is of almost importance.
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Reason for “why hard to accept”?
Let me start by explaining how the basic human mind and nature work. Let me describe how society deems gender and its romantic orientation and sexual attractions to people of the same gender.
Imagine a scenario in your mind, where we spell and verbalize “APPLE” as “ELPPA”. Now, keep in mind that “Ellpa” is how we have been portraying apple as. That is how it was introduced.
After the scenario explanation, out of the whole people on this planet if asked; more than 50% would not be able to grasp this concept. Because that is not how they have been trained. That is not how they have functioned as their brain works. People easily accept the thing they can grasp. If you are not conditioned in that manner how will it be possible to accept it? This is the whole problem in acceptance.
The older generation of people conditioned their brains to work in a particular pattern. If they were not even aware of this concept then how will they accept it? The modern generation is cultivating this idea in their minds and thus, as they develop it becomes easier for them to accept. Psychologically speaking, it means conditionally reasoning.
If we conditionally reason our minds as to accept transgender people, queer people, and LGBTQIA communities all under one’s gender. Then, accepting this would have been simpler. Understand ‘what does LGBTQIA stand for?’. Make them realize what does LGBTQIA stands for you! It’s a part of you & You are a part of it.
Let us clear out some social norms about the LGBTQIA community. Will there be a few more letters added to this constantly evolving community? Understand legal rights and have some social justice incurred to them. Know “what does LGBTQIA stand for” in dept and boost peeps around you to facilitate it in their minds. Explore inclusive terms of sexual orientation and typical definitions of LGBTQ individuals and developed gender loving identity of oneself. One day there will be no human rights to specify judgments on the LGBTQIA community’s gender expression and sexual activity. For that one day, need to start your day one!
Hope this article boost your humanly conventions and Check out Alex Mathew the LGBTQ Activist and Drag Queen’s talk.
Last Updated on by Anoushka
