The Forgotten Shades Of The Rainbow

Terms such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer are now used in every day conversations, but there are still many other sexualities and self-identification terms that go forgotten or invalidated.

Thanks to today’s society, the LGBTQ+ community has been viewed in a more open and positive light. With the acronym having a plus in it, major questions are bound to be asked; what is the whole acronym and what do they stand for?

The whole phrase LGBTQQIP2SAA stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit (2S), androgynous and asexual. Many of these labels are not familiar to a large population, so below is a brief description of them.

Lesbian is when a women is attracted to members of the same sex, so other women.

Gay is when a man is attracted to members of the same sex, so other males.

Bisexual is when person who is attracted to members of both sex, having no preference between males and females.

Transgender are people who identify as the opposite gender that they are assigned to at birth. The opposite of this would be a cis person.

Queer is a large umbrella term that describes sexual and gender identities other than straight.

Questioning is when a person does not know what label that applies to them, and is experimenting within the large community.

Intersex is when person who is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the boxes of the traditional description of “female” and “male” and can have surgery to fit the binary ideas.

Pansexual is when a person has no preference and is not limited in sexual choice regarding biological sex, gender or gender identity.

Two-spirited (2S) is an Indigenous term for Gay, Lesbian or Transgender.

Androgynous is when a person has the physical appearance and personality traits of both males and females.

Asexual is a large spectrum, but the basis is when a person does not experience sexual attraction. This term can also include aromantics (people who do not feel romantic attraction), demi-sexuals (people who only feel sexually attracted to people they have a deep emotional bond with), and grey-sexuals (people who occasionally feel sexual attraction)

The people that fit within many of these terms feel forgotten, ignored or invalidated. And while a person might not fit into one of the described terms, it does not mean they should not be educated in matters that might mean the world to so many people. For more information go to ccgsd-ccdgs.org.