Most people living in North America have heard of the acronym LGBT; this acronym, standing for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender” has been an umbrella term to refer to the queer community for many years. Many have expressed frustration and confoundedness as to why this acronym changed, often leading to tongue-in-cheek references to the “gay alphabet”; this begs the question: why are there so many other variations, ranging from LGBT to 2SLGBTQI+ (the Canadian Federal Government’s acronym) of this acronym?
While the term “gay” used to be understood to refer to both homosexual men and women, it was in the 1980s that these two groups of people were differentiated by using “gay and lesbian”. Progress continued into the early 1990s when the terms expanded further by including the “B” for bisexual people and the “T” for transgender people, thus forming the now well-known “LGBT” acronym.
As our understanding of human sexuality and gender expanded, so did the acronym that was meant to represent the spectrum of queer people. LGBTQ+ became commonly used, with the “Q” standing for either “queer” or “questioning”, and the “+” intending to give a nod to other facets of queer that weren’t specifically named. This was somewhat controversial, as “queer” has long been used in a derogatory and disparaging way; while it is now common to hear younger folks use the word queer when they find the specific terms of gay, lesbian, or bisexual too restrictive, many who have experienced homophobia and hate linked to the word dislike it and don’t use it as freely.
The acronym to describe this varied community of people continues to evolve, as does the Pride – now Progress Pride – flag and strives to be inclusive to all the different communities that it represents. As of 2023, the Canadian federal government uses 2SLGBTQI+ (2ELGBTQI+ in French), having done extensive consultation with stakeholder communities across the country to determine the most respectful and inclusive acronym. This acronym breaks down as follows:2S – Two-Spirit refers to a person who identifies as having both a masculine and feminine spirit and is used by some Indigenous people to describe their sexual, gender and/or spiritual identity, which may encompass same-sex attraction and a wide variety of gender variance. The specific meaning of Two-Spirit can vary depending on the Indigenous group and the traditions they follow and can also refer to someone attracted to multiple genders. The federal government placed this at the beginning of the acronym to recognize Two-Spirit people as the first 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
L - Lesbian typically refers a woman who is attracted to other women.
G – Gay typically refers to a man who is attracted to other men.
B – Bisexual typically refers to a person who is attracted to both men and women.
T – Transgender refers to a person whose gender identity does not correspond with their biological sex registered for them at birth.
Q – Queer refers to a person who’s sexual or gender identity does not correspond to established ideas of sexuality and gender, particularly within cisgender and heterosexual norms.
I – Intersex considers sex characteristics beyond sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
+ – Inclusive of all people who identify as part of the sexual and gender diverse communities who use additional terminologies, and can include allies.
So, the answer to the question of why the acronym we use to describe the queer community hasn’t stayed static becomes clear: the acronym has evolved with society’s enhanced understanding of sexuality and gender. In this way, it must continue to be fluid and flexible, and strive to be as inclusive to the communities it’s meant to represent as possible. To cease evolving the acronym would be to imply that we have stopped working to expand our understanding of ourselves!
What’s truly important is not the collection of letters within 2SLGBTQI+, but that we continue to attempt to be as broad, respectful, and inclusive in our language as possible, leaving all members of our great country feeling heard and respected!
Want to be a part of the continuing conversation regarding inclusivity? Join one of your local Defence Diversity Advisory Groups supporting minority groups within DND! You don’t need to be a member of the minority group to participate! 17 Wing Defence DiversityAdvisory Group (mil.ca))
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