glbtq

GLBTQ GLBTQ is an acronym used to refer to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer people. Over the last twenty years, the acronym itself has gone through many variations, each successive one intended to be as inclusive as possible. One of the latest iterations, GLBTIQ, brings intersex people under the umbrella. The acronym and its many variations are in widespread use in the media as well as casual use and as a political or social tool. Many gay and lesbian community centers and student groups use variations of it as either part of their name or in promotional material. For example, the [|Stonewall Center] at UMass, an educational and resource center for GLBTQ students, staff and faculty, uses a variation of the term on the their website (1). Aside from encouraging diversity, this term also lacks many of the negative connotations and stereotypes of earlier terms used to refer to non-heterosexual people. It is now one of the most common terms used as an identifier for non-heteronormative identified people.

HISTORY

Prior to the 20th century, there were no universally accepted terms for people that were non-heterosexual. Anyone who was non-heterosexual was considered a deviant at best and a criminal at worst. In 1642 in Puritan Massachusetts, a young man named Thomas Granger was convicted of buggery, after being discovered having sexual intercourse with a horse. As per their customs, he was condemned and executed. During examination, it was also discovered that he had attempted sodomy with someone of the same sex. But Granger was not referred to by any identifying term other than "wicked person" (2). In another example from Puritan New England, Nicholas Sension of Windsor, Connecticut was tried for sodomy in 1677. The term "sodomite" was specifically not used to describe him, nor were any other labels (3). The Puritans believed that deviant sexual behavior was just that, and therefor was not an identity.

During the 18th century, the term "molly" began to be used in London to describe men involved in the homosexual underground. It is one of the earliest known terms to describe men who were attracted to other men. The term was used to describe the men and their culture which was characterized by transvestism, particular modes of speech and slang, and common personality traits (4). In France, the term "pederast" also emerged at this time. Originally from ancient Greece, "pederasty" referred to sexual relationships between men and boys. The meaning was changed to refer to men and women who preferred having sex with same-sex adults (5).

The term "homosexual" is a relatively modern invention. The first known use of the word was in 1868, when writer Karl Maria Kertbeny coined the term to criticize anti-sodomy laws in Germany. He originally used the term in private correspondence with Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, a pioneer sexologist. The following year, he used the term again in two anonymous pamphlets, and it began to catch on, gradually replacing a large number of early terms, all that had strongly negative meanings and connotations. This term today is the preferred scientific and academic word of choice to describe same-sex relationships and attraction (6).

"Gay" and "lesbian" are also both modern inventions. The first use of the word "lesbian" to refer to a woman who preferred erotic relationships with other women was in 1870, and by the mid 1920s was firmly established in common use (7). The word "gay" has a longer history. Originally meaning "joyful", the word started to change in the 17th century, when it first acquired a sexual connotation. A "gay" woman was a prostitute, a "gay" man was a womanizer, and a "gay" house a euphemism for a brothel (8). By the 1920s, homosexual men had started to use the word to refer to themselves. Today, the term is frequently used to refer to anyone that identifies as homosexual, regardless of their gender.

During the 1980s and 90s, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender political movements began to merge into a one large activist group. As they all had similar goals, it is unsurprising that they gravitated together. A new term was needed that was inclusive of everyone. One early term, still in regular use, was "the gay community", but with the addition of transgendered people to the fold, this term was no longer inclusive enough, as many transgendered individuals are "straight". The original initialism "GLBT" was intended to emphasize the diversity of sexual and gender identity cultures and individuals. Later, the term was expanded again to "GLBTQ" to include anyone that self-identified as either being queer or questioning their sexual or gender identities.

VARIATIONS

GLBTQ and LGBTQ are virtually interchangable. When an emphasis on feminism is desired, the order of the initials is most often changed. Other variants include GLB (when referring specifically to only sexual identity), or adding a question mark to the end (GLBTQ?), to emphasize the idea of questioning identity. Another recent variant is LQBTIQ, where the "I" refers to some who is intersex, meaning that they cannot be easily classified as male or female due to a variety of biological factors. The use and adoption of the variants does not necessarily represent a rift in the political motivations of the group as a whole, as they are largely left up to personal taste and preference. If a variant is adopted, there is usually a reason behind it. For example, the [|Transcending Boundaries Conference], an academic conference held in Worcester, MA, focuses on bisexual, pansexual, transgender, gender queer, intersex and polyamorous people and issues. They use the "GLBTIQ" variant to specifically include intersex people, as the conference is dedicated to "those who do not fit into simple categories. (9)" This kind of egalitarian thinking is not uncommon in the GLBTQ communities, although occasional disputes and disagreements do arise.

CONTROVERSY Not everyone who can be described by this label appreciate the term. One of the chief objections is the inclusion of transsexuals. While there is some overlap in the issues that transsexuals face, particularly in civil rights and discrimination, gender identity and sexual orientation is not the same. In the early days of the fight for gay civil rights, the New York Gay Liberation Front had language including transpeople specifically removed from a gay rights bill in 1971, saying it was too "extreme" to pass (10). Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. Transgendered people often have had to fight for inclusion in the GLB movement, to the detriment of the movement as a whole. Whether or not and how to include intersex people is the newest wrinkle in this part of the debate.

One of the primary objections to the use of this term is that it turns GLBTQ people into a class that is "different" from everyone else. Some also believe that this perpetuates stereotypes, which does not necessarily serve the long term interests of GLBTQ people. There is also a small but still vocal faction within the GLBT community that believes that bisexuals are not really a distinct sexual identity, and that they are merely gay men and women that haven't fully embraced their true sexuality.

1) The Stonewall Center: http://www.umass.edu/stonewall/ 2) Bradford, William. "William Bradford Witnesses 'Wickedness Breaking Forth' in Puritan Plymouth, 1642." __Major Problems in the History of American Sexuality__. ed. Kathy Peiss. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. pg 76-78. 3) Godbeer, Richard. "Sodomy in Colonial New England." __Major Problems in the History of American Sexuality__. ed. Kathy Peiss. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. pg 92-105. 4) Murphy, Timothy F. __The Reader's Guide to Lesbian and Gay Studies__//.// Google Books, June 22, 2009.  5) "Pederasty". __Gayhistory.com__. Andrew Wikhlom. 1999. Accessed June 22, 2009. 6) " Karl Maria Kertbeny ". __GLBTQ.com__. Nikolai Endres. 2004. Accessed June 22, 2009. 7) "Lesbian." __Wikipedia.com__. Accessed June 26, 2009. 8) "Gay." __EtymologyOnline.com__. Accessed June 26, 2009. 9) Transcending Boundaries Conference. __Transcendingboundaries.org__. Accessed June 26, 2009. 10) Roberts, Monica. "Why the Transgender Community Hates the Human Rights Campaign." San Francisco Sentinel. Nov 24, 2007. Accessed July 6, 2009. 