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