LGBTIQ 101

3 Aug

What does LGBTIQ mean?

In Australia, LGBTIQ is used as an inclusive umbrella abbreviation to embrace diverse sexualities, genders and sex characteristics.

Variations of the acronym are also used to include other identities, such as asexuality. The choice of the acronym can change depending on the community context or topics discussed. For example, LGBTIQA+ is commonly used amongst young people, while many older people do not identify with the term ‘queer’, so LGBT or LGBTI may be used. Moreover, some research studies may only include specific communities within the acronym eg. LGB or LGBT.

The LGBTIQ acronym is a shortcut for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (and gender diverse), intersex and queer.

There is not one LGBTIQ community.

Even though we may refer to it as a singular term, the LGBTIQ community is a highly diverse group of individuals from many different backgrounds with distinct histories and experiences. On that note, it is best to use the term “LGBTIQ communities” as there are many different communities within this umbrella term.

In Australia, the LGBTIQ acronym has emerged to recognise the shared experiences of stigma and marginalisation that LGBTIQ people face. Because of the dominant social norms around sex, gender and sexuality, LGBTIQ people face significant stigma and discrimination that negatively affect their social, economic and health outcomes.

Research shows that LGBTIQ people experience discrimination, harassment and hostility in many parts of everyday life; in public, at work, in sport and when accessing health services.

To understand the LGBTIQ acronym, we need to explore the concepts of sex, gender, and sexuality.

What are the differences between sex, gender and sexuality?

Sex and gender are similar terms and often used interchangeably, but they mean very different things.

SEX

Sex refers to a person’s biological and anatomical characteristics that are commonly categorised based on one’s:

chromosomes
genitialia
reproductive organs
hormones
secondly sex characteristics

These characteristics are commonly understood and labelled as either male or female at birth.

Because human bodies do not conform to neat categories, there are some people who are born with variations in these sex traits. People who have an intersex variation have innate sex characteristics with different physical presentations that don’t fit medical norms. Intersex is the letter “I” in the acronym.

GENDER

Gender, on the other hand, is a person’s internal sense of being a boy/man, a girl/woman, both or neither. For most people, gender is tied to biological sex. But gender is also socially constructed and culturally specific. And for some people, biological sex doesn’t equate to a specific gender.

Everyone has a gender identity.

The word cisgender is used to refer to people whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.

The terms transgender and gender diverse are used to describe people whose gender identity does not align with the social expectations of the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender or trans is the letter “T” in the acronym.

SEXUALITY

Sexuality or sexual orientation is defined as the experience of sexual and romantic attraction and behaviour.

The LGBTIQA+ acronym

Each letter in the acronym consists of a diverse range of real people, living real lives. They are as diverse as the rest of the population and can be found in all walks of life and professions and belong to multicultural, multi-faith communities, rural and regional areas. Let’s unpack the letters of the acronym.

The first three letters of the acronym, LGB, are sexual orientations.

L stands for LESBIAN.

A lesbian woman is romantically and/or sexually attracted to other women.

G stands for GAY.

A gay person is romantically and/or sexually attracted to people of the same sex and/or gender as themselves. This term is commonly used to describe men who are attracted to other men, but some women and gender diverse people may also use the term gay.

B stands for BISEXUAL.

A bisexual person is romantically and/or sexually attracted to people of their own gender and other genders. The term ‘bi+’ is also sometimes used to describe the diversity of bisexual identities.

Pansexual is a term used by some people who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to people of all genders, binary or non-binary. In some circles, you may come across the letter P added to the acronym: LGBTIQAP.

The next letter, T, is a gender identity.

T stands for TRANSGENDER or TRANS.

Transgender or trans is an overarching term that is used to describe people whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Most people of trans experience live and identify simply as men or women. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities often use “sistergirl” or “brotherboy”.

The term “gender diverse” is also used to describe the letter T in the acronym to be inclusive of people who don’t identify as transgender and may use the term “non-binary”. The term non-binary is used by people whose gender identity is neither strictly male nor female. For some people it may be both or neither. Some other words used are:

gender fluid
gender queer
gender non-conforming

The next letter, I, is neither a sexual orientation nor gender identity. The letter I is a sex trait.

I stands for INTERSEX.

According to Intersex Human Rights Australia (IHRA):

Intersex people have innate sex characteristics that don’t fit medical and social norms for female or male bodies, and that create risks or experiences of stigma, discrimination and harm.

People who are intersex are a very diverse population, with at least 40 different underlying traits known to science. Up to 1.7% of the population may have an intersex variation.

Intersex traits can be determined prenatally, at birth, during puberty and at other times, such as when trying to conceive a child. Each trait has its own characteristics and varying degrees of expression.

The word intersex is best described as an umbrella term. Intersex people may use different words to describe themselves.

Q stands for QUEER.

Queer is an umbrella term that is often used for diverse genders and sexualities. Some people use queer to describe their own gender and/or sexuality if other terms do not fit or if they simply want to identify as being part of the community without being specific about which letter of the acronym they belong to.

Some older people will not use the term queer due to its negative connotations in the past when it was used as a slur.

A stands for ASEXUAL.

A is a sexual orientation (or lack of) and stands for asexual. An asexual person does not experience sexual attraction, but may experience romantic attraction towards others.

What is the “+”?

The plus at the end of the acronym represents other sexual identities like pansexual. The Bi+ community may often use the plus sign to be inclusive of the diversity of bisexual identities.

Having a foundational knowledge of what LGBTIQA+ means sets the stage for building an understanding of the social and organisational change required for meaningful LGBTIQA+ inclusion in all areas of life.

The broad concepts of sex, gender and sexuality outlined above are important in understanding the experiences and needs of LGBTIQA+ people. In order to end discrimination, it’s essential that we understand the population.

Some useful terms

Language is always evolving. The list below is a starting point for understanding.

CISGENDER (pronounced sis-gender): A term to describe a person whose gender identity matches the biological sex they were assigned at birth. Sometimes abbreviated as “cis”.
GENDER BINARY: The idea that gender is strictly either male or female, man or woman, masculine or feminine based on sex assigned at birth. The gender binary is limiting and problematic for people who do not fit neatly into either category and whose gender identity is more of a continuum or spectrum of gender identities and expressions.
GENDER CONFORMING: A person whose gender expression is consistent with the social and cultural expectations of that gender. According to these norms, boys and men should be masculine, and girls and women should be feminine. Not all cisgender people are gender conforming and not all transgender people are gender nonconforming.
GENDER EXPRESSION: All people express a gender. Gender expression is a person’s outward gender presentation usually comprising personal style, clothing, hairstyle, makeup, jewellery, vocal inflection, and body language. Gender expression is typically categorised as male or female or androgynous.
GENDER FLUID: A person whose gender identity or expression shifts between man/masculine and women/feminine or falls somewhere along the spectrum.
GENDER IDENTITY: A person’s deep-seated, internal sense of being a boy/man, girl/woman, both or neither. The gender with which they identify themselves.
GENDER MARKER: The designation of male, female or other, that appears on a person’s birth certificate or other official record eg. driver’s licence, passport. The gender marker on a transgender person’s birth certificate is their sex assigned at birth unless they legally change it. There are some parts of the world that allows this.
GENDER NONCONFORMING: A person whose gender identity and expression is perceived as being inconsistent with the social and cultural expectations expected for that gender. For example, boys or men who are not “masculine enough” or are feminine or girls or women who are not “feminine enough” or are masculine.
GENDER QUEER: Someone whose gender identity and expression is neither man nor woman, is between or beyond genders, or is some combination of genders.
NONBINARY: A spectrum of gender identities and expressions, often based on the rejection of the strictly male/female, man/woman either/or binary that is based on sex assigned at birth.
TRANSGENDER: Sometimes abbreviated as “trans”, a term used to describe a person whose gender identity does not align with the biological sex they were assigned at birth.
QUEER: An umbrella term for a range of people who are not heterosexual and/or cisgender. It has been historically used a slur but some communities (commonly young people) have reclaimed it as affirming while others (commonly older people) consider it derogatory.