What is LGBTQ?

The way you are viewed by the world and the characteristics that define you is called ‘Identity’. A person's gender identity is an internal sense of gender, whether that is male, female, or another gender. A person's gender identity does not necessarily correspond to their sex assigned at birth or with their gender expression.  

With the world full of people and every other person is a different personality and of those personalities sometimes their gender identity doesn’t align with their sex at birth. So here comes into play the word “LGBTQ”. After all, life is governed by who you are and you wear the pajamas you find yourself most comfortable in.

So sex has nothing to do with gender. Sex is biological, while gender is influenced by social, cultural, and environmental factors. LGBTQ is a term that we are discussing for all those who find themselves misfits in the category of gender or biological classification or those who feel that a male-female gender is too limiting to define their identity.

Under it we have personalities of all sorts, be it gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-heterosexual, non-cisgender, intersex or even people who’re still questioning their sexual identity. Isn’t it interesting, that there is such an inclusive term that takes care of each kind of person in a community? Everyone is unique and should get a chance to celebrate their uniqueness. LGBTQ gives you hope, not to just by fitting you in, but by giving you a gift of an inclusive community.  

LGBTQ is the more commonly used term in the community called “Queer  Community” or “Rainbow Community”. And the beauty of this community is the inclusivity for all who find themselves misfits, in fact, for which the acronym LGBTQ stands for (ie: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or sometimes questioning, and others) all these identities are very different from each other in sexuality, making LGBTQ a diverse society yet they all stay together in this diversity.

The first four letters of the acronym have been used since the 1990s, but in recent years there has been an increased awareness of the need to be inclusive of other sexual identities to offer better representation. Queer community doesn’t only cover gay people as we see the pride flag is vibrant. It doesn’t include a single color but symbolizes each acronym. If the flag would have consist of two colors representing just Trans and queer people then it would have been incomplete. The rainbow community is incomplete without lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer. Each missing part will nullify its importance and historic significance.

Cover photo by Rosemary Ketchum from Pexels