A Brief History of the
LGBTQ Initialism
How did we become named as “sexual inverts” to just Initials?
Prior to the late-nineteenth century, the concept of having a distinct sexual identity did not exist, though people in the past lived lives similar to our modern understanding of what it means to be LGBTQ. Gay identity, as both a personal and political category, did not fully emerge until the mid-twentieth century. Historical terminology used to describe sexuality and gender often lacked the specificity that exists today.
The word “homosexual” was credited to German in 1868. During the that time, the preferred term “homophile” was used over homosexual. Before that “pederast” was the clinic word meaning sexual relationship between an older man and younger man, usually the younger in their teens. This goes back to ancient Greece where it was common and accepted. In fact, Europeans before 1700 presumed that all men desired both women and young men. It was not till after 1700 that Europeans began to think that most men desired only women and only a deviant minority of men desired other men.
“Gay” emerged as an underground term in the early-twentieth century and came into popular usage in the 1960s. As the word “gay” surfaced, it did not come into the mainstream till the 1970s and 1980s. The term was preferred by the Stonewall generation, who, contrary to their predecessors, were less likely to see being gay as shameful or a mental defect. It took the focus off the “sexual” part of being gay. Instead, it was trying to put the focus on a whole person outside of the happenings in the bedroom. Though today “gay” typically refers to men who are attracted to men, it was historically used as a broad term that encompassed the entirety of the modern LGBTQ initialism. In other words, “gay” meant men who are attacted to gay men, and the term “gay men and women” included women who are attracted to women.
Some gay rights advocates have declared the term “homosexual” off limits. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, has put “homosexual” on its list of offensive terms
George Lakoff, a professor of cognitive science and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, has looked at the way the term is used by those who try to portray gays and lesbians as deviant. What is most telling about substituting it for gay or lesbian are the images that homosexual tends to activate in the brain, he said.
“Gay doesn’t use the word sex,” he said. “Lesbian doesn’t use the word sex. Homosexual does.”
“It also contains ‘homo,’ which is an old derogatory,” he added. “They want to have that idea there. They want to say this is not normal sex, this is not normal family, it’s going against God.” 1
Words, or in this case letters, matter. The term “homosexual” is more likely to be used to identify a group who some feel are outside of society, while “gay and lesbian” are much more inclusive terms. Language isn’t neutral. The words that the media, voters, and policymakers use can drastically change public opinion. Research shows that important differences between the terms “homosexual” and “gay and lesbian” shape public opinion on civil rights policies. In a historical review of words used to describe gay men and lesbians, the term “gay” has been used by advocacy groups to signal pride and acceptance of sexual identity. The more clinical term “homosexual,” on the other hand, has been used to pathologize and stigmatize
same-sex desire. 2
The terms use for sexuality matter because they signal group identity. LGBTQ or “gay and lesbian” s more likely to be used to describe friends, relatives, or neighbors. “Homosexual” is a strong marker of outgroup identity or belonging to a group that is other from us and who live outside of our society. 3
The term “lesbian” comes from the Greek island of Lesbos, associated with the poet Sappho, whose surviving writing lyrically describes erotic love and attraction between women.
Until the 1990s, “gay” was often used as a shorthand to refer to the entire spectrum of sexual and gender minorities. This usage shifted with the rise of bisexual, and then transgender which gave birth to the four-letter LGBT initialism.
Note that lesbians were originally second in line [GLBT]. It was in the 1980s with the women’s movement that gave the honor for lesbians to be listed first [LGBT]. Many gay organizations subscribe to this letter arrangement due to the women’s movement, women in general being put in second to men, and to respect the hard frontline work lesbian did for gay men during the AIDS crisis. Lesbians played a large part in protest to make awareness to the disease while President Regan ignored gay men suffering and dying. During this epidemic, lesbians were primary caregivers to gay men dying from AIDS. The crisis was so grim that many thought gay men would cease and only lesbians would be left.
Queer movement rose addressing the many ways distinctions, were connected by the common theme of questioning and critiquing identity binaries such as gay/straight, man/woman, masculine/feminine, and gender and sexuality norms more broadly. They also articulated a sense of identity that was complex, fluid, and changing. Thus, giving LGBTQ.
You can see the letters growth with United Methodist Church LGBTQ support group “Affirmation.” At first this name needed more clarity to those outside the group and add to its name “Gay” making “United Methodist for Gay Concerns.” Later they added “and lesbian.” Being more enlightened about women movement; then the names gay and lesbian were switch. Then the awareness of bisexual was added. And the awareness continues by adding each name as it came to light. “Transgendered,” then “Queer,” finally ending at “Affirmation: United Methodist: LGBTQ People and Our Allies.”
The letter “Q” was sometimes added to the initialism, alternatively referring to “queer,” or to include those who were “questioning” their sexual orientation or gender identity. The term “queer” can alternately refer to a reclaimed identity [literally meaning “odd” or “quaint,” the word historically became a derogatory term for gays], an identity that expresses a more radical, militant, or confrontational approach to identity politics, or an umbrella term that encompass anyone or anything outside of gender and sexuality norms. Though it may be efficient to refer to the LGBTQ community as “the queer community,” the word “queer,” for some, is polarizing and remains offensive or derogatory. Based on one’s age, place of becoming, or experience with homophobia, “queer” can provoke
Many of the younger generation of the 1990s found that the name “gay” was too militant or confrontation and “queer” was a quieter name. However, the older generation experienced the word “queer” as homophobia and bringing feelings of trauma and exclusion. Yet, some of the younger generation found “queer” unique in being powerful and militant without its history [including the origins of the Nazi’s pink triangle; Many of the younger generation did not know their history of gays in concentration camps].
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The different versions of the initialism have snowballed an increasingly ways to understand and define people’s lived experience of gender and sexuality are articulated. One expanded version of the initialism in use is LGBTQQIP2SAA, which stands for: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two spirit, asexual, and ally.
While this version is certainly inclusive of the myriad ways people understand gender and sexual identity, it is not necessarily efficient. It is difficult to remember, let alone say, and will invariably result in giving those not familiar with the community a terminology lesson. Those outside the understanding of gender and sexual identities name it “The Alphabet community” to venomous a minority that is trying to teach about individualities and being inclusive. Having an expanded initialism is less effective in creating increased acceptance and awareness because they are too complicated and unwieldy? Perhaps this is a fundamental question to consider.
It is interesting on how this growing initialism comes together by it make up of different peoples who like all communities vary in wide spectrum – a rainbow – of opinions and ideas. It is not like a czar oversees which letter is added. It is the community itself that learns that there is more to just being a “sexual inverts.”
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1 “The Decline and Fall of the ‘H’ Word” Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, March 23, 2014.
2 “‘Gay’ or ‘Homosexual’: the words we use can divide public opinion on civil rights” Brianna A. Smith, University of Minnesota, American Politics Research.
3 Ibid.