In the last 50-some years, members of the LGBTQ+ community have come far from being labelled criminals and sex offenders to being legally recognised for their identities. But, what are these different identities and orientations, and what do they mean? We explain
Artist and gay rights activist Gilbert Baker designed the flag in a way that it could convey his community’s happiness, splendour, and mightiness. AFP
The ‘Pride Month’ of June is here and a lot of rainbow-coloured flags will one’s vision upon stepping out. The Pride flags and the month, at large, depict the celebration of love, equality, identity and self-acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community all over the world.
The day became significant on a rather rebellious morning of 28 June, 1969 when people of the gay community at The Stonewall Inn in New York City decided to oppose the aggression of a tyrannical police force.
Must read: Explained: The history of Pride Month and why it is celebrated in June
In the last 50-some years, members of the LGBTQ+ community have come far from being labelled criminals and sex offenders to be legally recognised for their identities. But, what are these different identities and orientations, and what do they mean, we explain:
What does LGBTQ+ mean?
It is believed that by the mid-1980s, the term gay in reference to the broader community was replaced by LGB – Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual.
The term, LGB, was again replaced by LGBT by including transgender people in its gamut.
In recent years, the term has expanded to be used as LGBTQIA+ or simply LGBTQ+, where ‘Q’ stands for either Queer or Questioning, I stands for intersex persons and ‘A’ stands for Asexuals.
Let’s dig deeper into what all these terms mean.
What is the difference between sex, gender and gender identity?
Sex is generally assigned to a person at birth, usually on the basis of external anatomy. It can be categorized as male, female or intersex.
Gender is defined by socially constructed roles, behaviours and norms that vary between societies.
Generally gender roles are categorised as male or female. However, the situation has started to change as gender is being seen as a spectrum and no binary.
Gender identity gives a person a deeper recognition of their emotional and psychological self with respect to their gender. Most people recognise their gender identity with what is assigned at birth as male or female. Such people are commonly referred to as cisgender, or simply cis.
However, there are several terms for people who don’t fit into the gender binary.
Who are transgender, nonbinary, agender and intersex people?
Transgender, or simply trans, is an adjective used to describe someone whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth. A transgender man, for example, is someone who was listed as female at birth but whose gender identity is male.
Nonbinary is used by people who do not describe themselves or their genders as fitting into the categories of man or woman.
The term Agender describes a person who does not identify as any gender.
Intersex are people born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia or an internal reproductive system that is not considered standard for males or females. In simpler words, intersex is an umbrella term used to describe people with differences in reproductive anatomy, chromosomes or hormones that don’t fit typical definitions of male and female.
What is sexual orientation?
A person’s sexual orientation efers to the physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction to members of the same and/or other genders, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and straight orientations.
Sexual orientation should not be confused with gender identity. According to GLAAD, a non-governmental media monitoring organisation, “sexual orientation is about who you are attracted to and fall in love with; gender identity is about who you are.”
Some important terms to know about LGBTQ+ community
Lesbian is used for women who are attracted to other women, although some women prefer to be called gay or queer.
Gay is most often used to describe men who are attracted to other men.
Bisexual is someone who is attracted to more than one gender.
Asexual people lack sexual attraction for an individual of any gender identity. They can, however, be in romantic relationships.
Pansexual is used for those who are attracted to all types of people, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.
Demisexual is a term used for people who only feel sexual attraction to someone after they’ve formed a strong emotional bond with them.
With inputs from agencies
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