What do you think of when you hear LGBTQ+?

I agree, it sometimes feels a little forced. I truly believe in accepting and respecting people for who they are, but I find it hard to understand why every variation needs a specific label, or why people’s private preferences always need to be celebrated so publicly.

Alternatively you could say they all have faced battles because they don't conform to some of the social norms expected of their sex. Just about every political organisation is a collection of people who in some respects have conflicting interests - it doesn't mean they can't ally behind a common cause.

Probably no actual data, but local groups that started as LGB now have no young lesbians, but a shit ton of trans men.

Good question! I suppose because LGB refer to inherent characteristics, whereas T and Q (based on my own limited observations, which might be misleading) seem to refer to social identity (often a rather performative one).

@FreezeDriedStrawberries
Lesbians and Gays
do not demand that the rest of the world revolves around their lies

trans identifying men, spicy straight queers and whatever the "+" are
do

The letters LGB are clearly associated with sexual orientation.

TQ+ are clearly not. T refers to people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment and I have absolutely no idea at all what Q actually refers to in practice.

People could and do say that about the LGB bit as well, though. Why do you (or others) think it's ok if it's said about the letters that you don't "agree with" but not the ones you do?

Me too! Rightly or wrongly, I've come to understand "Q" as the attention-seeking "Oh look at me, I'm so different" version of LGB.

I hated it when I first saw it, a friend pointed out that it was to identify pubs and clubs as friendly to foreign travellers, so that makes sense but most flag waving makes me queasy.

Pretty much this!

I also don’t really understand the Q, I always thought ‘queer’ was just another (potentially derogatory) way of describing anyone that isn’t straight which is already covered by LGB?

I think of middle class people with piercings and pink or blue hair.

The punks in the 80s were cooler than them.

I just think "not more of this bollocks", I don't care where people stick/ remove/ add to their bits. I just don't want it rammed down my throat everywhere I look.
It's boring, live and let live or encourage folks to seek the required mental health specialists.
I just wish they would do it quietly, and in the disabled toilet.

Honestly?

LGB - great

TQ+ and the Pride flag - hostile and aggressive.

I was always a huge supporters of LGB rights (still am) but now, if I have the choice between two organisations (eg cafe, museum, shop) and I see a rainbow flag in one, I'll choose the other.

It might indicate its a safe place for trans people but it no longer feels like a safe place for me as a woman.

I am always reminded of Belissa Cohen from three years ago "anything to the right of the LGB is straight people"

www.tiktok.com/@chrisklemens/video/7096166440146914602

LGB - perfectly fine.

The rest of the alphabet soup just makes me think of those men that wank off in M&S knickers in the female changing rooms and then put them back on the rack.

Well said

I think of the mutilation and sterilisation of young people and their ruined lives, the erasure of women and even the word women in our language.

Plus, the threat to women's safe spaces, services and sports. Equally, under queer theory , lesbians being labelled bigots for not wanting to sleep with straight men in wigs and dresses.

Thank God for the Supreme Court ruling. This crap could be on its way out by degrees.

Nothing wrong with being gay, lesbian or bisexual, but the rest is nonsense.

Severe irritation. Victimhood and racism has gone way too far and it’s now actually causing the issues it wanted to prevent. Bearing in mind most of us DON’T live in London, we live in our own UK ‘mini cultures’ I can’t tell you how pissed off the majority of 30-70 year olds are when they see the ‘average’ English family as multicultural. It is simply not representative of where we live, or what we see. Maybe London TV ad execs need to move out of the M25?
I have a small business in an ABC1 demographic area up North - and if you could hear how the locals feel, many would be shocked. The average middle class white man feels almost hated by the political class in those country. How did it ever get to this?

It'll be the 6ft "lesbians" : poor old actual lesbians, I guess eventually they'll have to let the 6footers have that label and they'll have to invite a new one . Maybe "vulva owners who only date other native vulva owners , not including neo vaginas" it hurt to write that last bit 😵‍💫

😂 sorry, you're absolutely right !

I'm afraid what I think of is individuals forcing themselves under an umbrella of a term that doesn't fit them. I think of my lovely lesbian friends at Pride in Brighton laughing politely at the misogynistic "ooh, fish" misogynistic vitriol of what was supposed to be a humorous act. And my lovely gay friend "Jim" laughing nervously at men in leather being dragged around on dog leashes. Gay liberation shouldn't look like this.

Tbf, there are plenty of straight, white people under the alphabet umbrella, they just don't identity as straight, white people 😂

Let it go.

I had my whole account shut down for three years after an intemperate trans related post.

Deletions are lightweight

Spot on.

I think that's the aim though, to collectively acquire as many "other" people into the rainbow as possible (black/brown/disabled has also now been added on flags ) and it's obvious what the aim is : so everyone except white straight people are on that 'that team' which leaves 'white straight ' people on the 'other' team.

We used to call it a 'them Vs us' or a war.... The brainchild behind it is a smiling assassin.