Be an ally to lesbians: stop using LGBTQ+

Just musing here, but what do you suppose is the purpose of repeatedly telling people - 'you're all alone in your views, nobody agrees with you, your experience of life and your own sexuality is a bit weird and sad really'

Particularly when claiming to speak for pretty much everyone else in the UK of that sexuality, all of who are one happy family in their beliefs with no problems, and you could just put aside this silliness and join them.

It's like something out of a bad novel.

And yet you ignore the voices of Lesbians who reject the rainbow flag.

Right. Got it.

And my 9 million friends and all their pet hamsters agree with me.

I've been using LGB for a while now because it means something different to me than LGBTQetc.

I see what you're saying LittleCabbage but the rainbow is an important symbol of tolerance and acceptance to a lot of lesbians. Straight women might think they are doing lesbians a favour by rejecting it, I think it would be doing lesbians a massive disservice.

You see this gets repeated over and over again on MN and it's just not true. Yes some dodgy TRA may have tweeted it once

Utter bollocks. Rachel McKinnon: lesbians should learn to cope with PIV sex as a social duty- and if that didn't hit you as outrageous in multiple ways, you haven't thought it through enough. Particularly notice the very, very male belief that female people don't need to enjoy sex with males, and their pleasure, or even willing consent, is absolutely not what it's all about. Riley Dennis. Multiple videos, plus Magdalen Berns deconstructing them: why genital preferences are transphobic, and females have a duty to overcome their prejudices (to give sex to males, even though they don't want to). Many articles. You can go on denying it, the evidence is right there. Sorry about that.

I've personally never experienced racism for example, but I'm confident this is a thing and have personal ethics about dismissing other people's experiences when they tell me about it, because there's absolutely no excuse for that behaviour. Walking around going 'oh it's just one solitary weirdo on twitter' doesn't help anyone.

I'm in a very active lesbian Facebook group with over 5,000 members, you'd think if this was a 'thing' then someone would have mentioned it but not once has it come up.

Considering the speed and repetition and persistence with which you rush on to any thread mentioning the word 'lesbian' to tell lesbians off, correct them, silence them, speak over them and tell them what you will allow them to say they've felt or experienced or how they identify - I'm not really surprised it hasn't come up. They've either all learned to shut up, or any not holding the party line have done what so many lesbian groups have done and gone away to where there's less thought policing going on.

You don't speak for me.

I'm lesbian. I feel threatened by lanyards representing homophobic values and erasure of female sex. I have major concerns about what is termed 'queer culture' and the shoving of everything and everyone into a group that was by and for people who were homosexual and bisexual. I wholly reject LGBTWTF+ and Stonewall in particular.

And yes, male born people identifying as lesbians, trying to make their wives identify as lesbians and trying to pressure female people into surrendering their homosexual orientation is a thing. No matter how many times you try to shush people and tell them in post after post that no it isn't.

LGB (Gay/Homosexual Rights)

TQWERTI (Other rights)

Fully agree.

it's really just common knowledge

62-year-old lesbian here, with lesbian friends ranging from late 30s to late 60s. We all feel completely the opposite to Sappho's claim and want nothing to do with Stonewall and the LGBT++++ alphabet soup which increasingly centres male fetishes above women's issues.

What I'm trying to say, is that my reaction to the rainbow symbol does not make me any less supportive of gay rights.

I really worry that positive attitudes towards gay equality will go backwards.

I can only speak for myself, but I do not associate the rainbow symbol with homosexuality at all any more. It only really symbolises transwomen for me now.

I am still fully supportive of gay equality, but see that as completely different to the "LGBTQIA+......." stuff.

So many straight women say this on here. So dishearteningI really worry that positive attitudes towards gay equality will go backwards.

Oh don't worry about that. We now have LGB Alliance etc Sane, sensible, Out n Proud.

Thank goodness!

But it is everywhere - how did we get from (in a short time) Pride Marches (political, celebration, brave) to rainbow month (plus various days and the takeover of any day with ‘woman’ in the title)?

Has anyone done an in-depth study of this?

I am a straight woman and I also no longer trust the rainbow lanyards and internally flinch at them.

So many straight women say this on here. So disheartening I really worry that positive attitudes towards gay equality will go backwards.

The sad truth is that for many of us now, rainbow lanyards look unfriendly. I’d be worried that an HCP in a rainbow lanyard would be unsympathetic if I wanted a smear test etc from someone of my own sex.

I am a straight woman and I also no longer trust the rainbow lanyards and internally flinch at them. Because to me, they are a symbol of "we don't care about your safety and dignity, and if you complain, you are a disgusting bigot". Not because of any homophobia.

Tbh, I have really enjoyed seeing the rainbow symbol used everywhere as a sign of hope during the pandemic. I have stopped feeling dread when I see rainbows, but I fear that will revert back to the previous situation.

No I'm not Sophie but I'm intrigued about who she is and why she would be happy to welcome men into lesbian groups.

Shedbuilder nope I'm almost 40 so I've been fighting for those rights too.

I do recognise some of what you say. Yes many groups that would have been exclusively female a few years ago now seem to include trans women.

Personally I don't mind if women's groups are welcoming to trans women, but it irritates me when trans issues are being centred over women's issues.

I certainly haven't seen any trans women post pictures in their underwear.

It makes me so angry when non lesbians claim the nhs rainbow lanyard is some oppressive trans symbol which means women cannot request to see a female in a healthcare. This is totally untrue and so damaging.

If you’re talking about me, I am a lesbian. Protested Section 28, even volunteered for Stonewall in the days when they gave a shit about us.

@SapphosRock. Yes, forms would just be better asking “is there any chance you could be pregnant”. Hopefully paperwork nationwide will be changed as people realise.

Yes, kind of agree OP. I'm a lesbian and a bit miffed at being lumped in with other groups "automatically ". No problem against said groups, but might as well add S (straight) to the LGBTQ(S)+ as I'm just as "fine" with straight folk as everyone else, but don't particularly feel part of this wider community now including T.

Just LGB for me, that makes sense as a thing.

@JacobReesMogadishu that's exactly what I mean.

It's confusing being asked on a healthcare form when I last had unprotected sex. Does that mean with my wife? Is that relevant? What if I have had IUI or IVF recently and could be pregnant?

It's such a straight world. I'm glad you changed the paperwork! I'm sure that helped a lot of lesbians.

I absolutley agree with you. In days of old, 'T' generally meant that you were also gay. I knew lots of Trans people growing up and they were ALL gay.

Nowadays, 'T' can just mean someone who enjoys dressing up in women's clothes. I'm sorry, but I do not feel that fetishism deserves to be a proected class.