So what if LGBTQQIAP2 is a mouthful? Just learn it already

Tell me if this rings a bell.

“There are so many letters in LGBT-whatever now! It’s ridiculous! It’s like, LGBTABCDEF, right? Hahahaha I’m very witty.”

Ugh. Yes, person who is trying to invalidate my identity. So many letters. Almost half the alphabet, and who remembers all of those letters? I get stuck after J.

Sure, it’s understandable that not everyone would know what every letter stands for.

We’re all aware of the initialism LGBT, standing for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

If we added a Q, for queer, that also wouldn’t throw too many people.

After that, it gets a bit trickier. Many wouldn’t be able to name I for intersex, P for pansexual, or A for asexual.

There are also some variations which include another Q – for questioning – or a 2, which stands for two spirit, a term used widely in Canada by non-binary indigenous North Americans.

So, for the record, that’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual, Two spirit.

“It used to be so much simpler!” the complainers cry.

“Why can’t everything be black and white?” they might as well add.

Well, because gender and sexuality are spectrums, and because persecuted or erased groups are finally finding their voices.

• Nov 29

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