Switched-On :: Blog

So, when you hear the words “Homecoming Queen,” what do you think of? The most popular girl at school? The girl bully who forced everyone to vote for her? But generally, female, right? Well, there are always exceptions. Recently, my friend back in high school won the title of Homecoming Queen but here’s the catch — my friend’s a guy, in other words, not what you would usually expect. He wanted to raise awareness about transgender individuals (the T in GLBT communities) and how they should be allowed to openly express themselves regardless of how their “gender identity” deviates from the stereotypical norms. Transgender is a term applied to individuals who feel detached from their own gender and do not wish to continue to be identified with it, however this does not mean that they will undergo surgery — they can simply express themselves differently. The main problem is the lack of acceptance toward transgenders in the current society which causes those who are to be discriminated against and consequently feel like they’re doing something wrong when they’re not. They should not have to feel ashamed.

- Vivian

The other day I was at a college orientation, and during a presentation about student resources, the acronym, LGBTQA, appeared on the screen. The person sitting next to me then asked me what it meant, and when a poll was taken in the audience, only a few knew what it actually stood for. Typically, LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, however, the Q and A differs depending on whom you ask. The Q can stand for questioning or queer, and the A can stand for asexual or allies. Some also want to add I into the mix to represent intersex, I’m not sure what that is, but who ever they are I support them. LGBT are the standard letters in the community, but some believe they don’t fall into those specific categories and want their own letter. No one wants to be generalized or put in a box. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether you know everything about LGBT, just as long as you’re informed on the basics and respectful of people and how they wish to be addressed.

- Ruben