Hello!
I am new here, and new to the LGBT community in general. Around 6-7 weeks ago I realized I was trans(htf do you make it to 30 and not realize?)
In talking to my therapist, they said they(belonging to the community themselves) like to use queer as shorthand since it includes everyone and isn’t an unending acronym that is constantly getting new letters. I also like that and would use it, but being new, I’m not sure how others who’ve been here longer feel.
Are they equivalent?
I don’t like how the acronym keeps changing and accidentally leaving out a letter could be taken as an intentional slight.
Yes and no. LGBT and it’s variations are “neutral”, while queer has a strong anti-assimilationist meaning behind. Queer also can easily represent uncommon or complex identities/orientations that aren’t (easily) represented by the acronym
I was in college (huge transphobe) and had a gender studies major sit me and some other students down for a 1.5 hour lesson
To my knowledge, queer can be used as a blanket term for “not-cis but it’s none of your fucking business.” At least this is how I use it anyway
Edit: The term might also help reduce violence against the lgbt. The current issue with cons and some libs is that they seem to think it’s alllllllllllll about talking about sex. A term like queer implies but doesn’t explicitly give details. Should they feel comfortable being fully out? 100%. Is that the safest move in the American christofascist-hellscape? Likely not yet :(
