If you are gay or lesbian, are you happy to be described as LGBT, as in I am LGBT?

[loveyouradvice]

Just that really... i saw that 2 of the Reading victims, both men, were described as "they were both LGBT", rather than they were both gay which read strangely to me....

I would like to understand whether people nowadays define themselves as I am LGBT. As an older woman, growing up my friends were clear they were Gay or Lesbian or Bi or Trans - Is this not still the case? As I am x and part of the LGBT community, rather than "I am LGBT"?

I'm bi, the answer would be no. I'm not 'LGBT' if I was describing my secuality it would be 'bi' am I part of the community? Yes. T however shouldn't be in there because it's gender identity not sexuality. I find all the letters being added to it bloody frustrating tbh.

@justonecottonpickingminute

I am a lesbian not an alphabet.

I don't quite know why, but this made me smile A LOT.

Can we have that on stickers?

Members of the LGBT community. I'm bi, I would find it very weird to be labelled LGBT and would think it was coming from someone trying to be inclusive kind of thing without actually knowing anything.

I'm completely happy to be included as part of the LGBT+ community, yes.

However I wouldn't describe myself as LGBT+ (except in certain contexts) as grammatically that would imply that I am L, G, B, T AND everything in the +...Which I am obviously not.

I'd say I'm gay or a lesbian or queer even but I am part of the LGBT+ community so not fussed of someone says that

I've never heard anyone say I'm LGBT - lazy journalism? They couldn't be arsed or didn't find out if they were gay/bi or whatever?

Thanks.... that makes sense to me ... for someone to be LGBT just sounded so weird... part of the community if they actually are, or lesbian - gay - bi if talking about their sexuality.

Doesn’t bother me, I would refer to myself as gay or queer, but would say I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community and happy for people to refer to me as LGBTQ+.

Nope.

Drop the T. Trans isn't a sexuality.

I'm gay
Lesbian
Even queer.

I find it a bit weird. I might say "I'm part of the LGBT community" in some cases, but I would never say "I'm LGBT". It's not as though you can be all of those things at once!

I'm bisexual but married to a man. I'd describe myself as LGB if pressed, but not LGBT.

And as PP have said, I don't understand why the T is there. No disrespect towards transexual or transgender people - it's not a sexuality, whereas the other three are. It's oddly offensive: it's like saying "you're all the people who don't necessarily conform to heteronormativity, so we're going to lump you all together, even if you've not much to do with each other". T should have its own category.

In would describe myself as gay. However if asked if I was part of the LGBTQIA+ community I would say yes.

Very happy to have TQIA included.

And I don't count LGB as an identity, either -- they are sexualities. My sexuality is something I do, not my identity.

I'm another bisexual married to a man. As such I probably don't really fit in to the LGB(tqiabcdefg...) community now anyway. As a student I remember our LGB society adopting the T towards the end of my time at uni and even then I thought it was daft, its a whole different issue.

I'm bisexual. I've been with my girlfriend for years now and have no issue being referred to as lesbian and wouldn't correct someone on it. I wouldn't refer to myself as LGBT or LGBTQ or any other variation on it.

I'm a gay woman, a lesbian, and part of the LGBT+ community. I really can't be arsed getting worked up about dropping the T, and in fact I think that these efforts at division on both sides are problematic for lots of young people trying to work through their gender identity and their sexuality.

We have a lot of young females at the moment who, for whatever reasons, are identifying as trans, wanting to go down the medical route and then some are re-evaluating that at later ages, and feel that they are actually lesbian.

People might not like it politically, but the confusion some people experience between their sexuality and gender identity is real, and not an uncommon experience during adolescence. The present hostility and division regarding trans issues is catching to these young people, who may feel, in the certainty of youth, that they must come down on one side, and are at risk of doubling down on their identity as trans, rather than being able to feel part of a broader, inclusive community where they can explore gender presentation without feeling pushed to come down on one identity prematurely.

I have no issue with it being LGBT or even LGBT+ or LGBTQ+ etc etc.
We've had the T for aeons and I've no issue with our community including everyone ( tho I did meet a 20 something woman the other day who has a boyfriend who announced she was non-binary pan poly and I had to restrain myself form telling her to get a bloody grip)