What do the letters in LGBTQIA+ mean?

Pride Month is upon us, an iconic season of LGBTQIA+ celebration, commemoration and protest that marks the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

As an identity, LGBTQI+ falls beyond restrictive, binary categories of sexual and/or gender categorisation, and has been subjected to discrimination all over the world.

As a movement, LGBTQIA+ seeks to tear down bigotry and prejudice, and lift up diversity in all its forms.

But “LGBTQIA+” is diverse by name as well as by nature, which can become confusing. The acronym hints at a lengthy glossary, rich in history and political charge, which makes it important (albeit sometimes overwhelming) for people to try to understand its terms.

What does LGBTQIA+ stand for?

You may have noticed that the “LGBT+” abbreviation is continuously evolving. This is because the language available to us trails behind awareness.

As more marginalised voices are lifted in society, the true, layered complexity of gender and sexual identity is being revealed. Dysmorphias may have existed for a very long time, but some of their names are not even yet invented. As social understanding evolves, the LGBTQIA+ initialism may grow longer still.

These are the definitions for the current letters, with reference to both Amnesty International and Stonewall, but it is important to note they can be employed by each person in a unique way.

If you do not understand the context in which someone uses a term, you can respectfully ask them about it.

L is for Lesbian

Lesbianism usually refers to someone who identifies as female and is attracted to other female-identified people.

It is, however, sometimes used by non-binary people - people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with either “man” or “woman” - who are attracted to women.

G is for Gay

Gay typically refers to someone who identifies as male and is attracted to other male-identified people, but it also has broader applications.

It can be a generic term for homosexuality, used by some women and non-binary people, and can even refer to the LGBTQI+ community at large.

B is for Bisexual

A person who is bisexual is attracted to more than one gender, and may or may not have a preference to one gender in particular.

Because of the binary connotations of “bi-” sexuality, some people see it as a sexual orientation that distinguishes between two genders— this varies by individual.

Alternatively, the term pansexual refers to someone who is attracted to all or many gender expressions, including trans, non-binary, gender queer, and so on.

T is for Transgender

A transgender person lives as a different gender to the one which they were assigned at birth. The alternative would be a cisgender person.

The term “transsexual” is less and less popular, having been used medically in the past to specify someone who has had hormonal or surgical procedures to bring their anatomy closer to their gender identity. As it is contentious, it shouldn’t be used unless you know someone specifically refers to themselves in this way.

The abbreviation “trans” is a more popular umbrella that captures gender variance without requiring any disclosure of hormonal or surgical status/intentions.

Trans can also refer to the whole gender variant community, much as Gay can refer to anyone who is not heterosexual.

Transvestite refers purely to how someone dresses, and has nothing to do with sexual or gender identity.

Q is for Queer or Questioning

If someone is questioning, that simply means they are exploring their own sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Queer is a wonderful umbrella that embraces a matrix of sexual and gender preferences. In short, any of the identities on this list - as well as people who are polyamorous or polygamous - could be referred to as queer by their members.

However, it should be used carefully by anybody who does not identify as queer themselves, due to a problematic history.

Since it first appeared in English in 1513, “queer” meant abnormal. A sick person might have said they were “feeling queer,” and even before it developed sexual connotations, it was used as a means of insult.

From the early twentieth century, the term has been as a slur to derogate and humiliate non-heterosexual people, by a society in which discrimination was legal and normalised.

Today, it has been reclaimed by the group it was used to offend in an act that is inherently defiant.

This is why it might cause offence for somebody who is outside the in-group to use it. This is not always true, however, and many people like to be referred to as “queer”— if unsure, just ask.

I is for Intersex

An intersex person is someone who is anatomically difficult to categorise as either male or female. This may be due to a combination of chromosomes, sex organs or hormones, for example.

A is for Asexual or Ally

Someone who is asexual is not attracted to anyone, or has no sexual orientation.

An ally is a person who actively confronts intolerance of sexual and gender diversity, acknowledging that homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, heterosexism and genderstraight privilege are social issues, even if they themselves do not identify as LGBTQIA+

+ is for…

LGBTQ+ or LGBTQI+ can be fully expanded to include a growing glossary.

At length, the acronym is LGBTTTQQIAA:

The additional Ts stand for “Transsexual” and “Two-spirited”. The two queues denote “Queer” and “Questioning”, as explained above; the two As denote "Asexual" and "Ally".

Yet the glossary stretches far beyond that. You can be pansexual, as explained above. You can also be pan-gender— not to mention gender-fluid, a-gender, bi-gender, gender queer or gender variant.

Contrary to criticism, this expansive vocabulary is not designed to confuse. Rather, it is designed to prevent confusion in people who feel a dysmorphic inner conflict with heteronormative customs. Words, after all, can be very powerful.