What do you think of when you hear LGBTQ+?

[purpledaze24]

It seems these days, when people see/hear LGBTQ+ they think of trans people & the trans debate. Is this accurate do you think? Or AIBU? I read on here recently about someone rejecting a rainbow badge given to her to wear at work to celebrate pride month (presumably not cos she was homophobic but rather, anti-trans). As a lesbian, this makes me really sad. I’ve always been proud to be a ‘rainbow family’ and want my kids to be proud too, but this association, and takeover imo, of the rainbow symbol & LGBTQ+ acronym by the gender ideology brigade, is creating, at best erasure of LGB people, and at worst, (maybe unintentional) homophobia and discrimination. I respect & understand that trans people have played an important role in the LGBT struggle historically, but it’s this ridiculous escalation of it & all these ‘trans trenders’ and being able to identify as one of 72 different genders etc 🙄

Oh goodness. "blue haired" again. 🙄

Honestly? The “+” kind of annoys me. It makes me think, anyone can make anything up to identify as, then claim discrimination. I don’t get how the “Q” is different to some of the other letters either. It wouldn’t stop me supporting Pride values though.

Posted twice.

I always assumed + was because they were yet to invent some more alphabet groups.

As little as possible but I cant keep up with the letter variations land wonder what letter or symbols will they want to add next

Im a lesbian. I went to the brighton pride parade this year and found that it was very trans heavy, completely took over. I dont usually go to prides as dont feel represented anymore. But my new girlfriend is newly out and embracing the rainbows

I see lgb as a statement of fact and heave a sigh of relief, when it comes with the extended alphabet I'm braced for political rhetoric and naval gazing.

I roll my eyes and assume it’s all about the TQ and is probably misogynistic and homophobic.

@purpledaze24 can you give examples of the important role trans people played in obtaining rights for same sex attracted people?

Oh I so agree with this. Last year my organisation had a navel gazing piece on our intranet from some woman who identified as bisexual. On and on she went about how she’d come out at work and so had her ‘boyfriend’ and they were so happy to ‘be themselves’ at work. All the time I’m thinking why do I need to know what your sexual preferences are? Why do I need to know that Janet from accounts likes to have sex with men and women as long as I get paid on time. Maybe the next intranet piece could be about someone with a foot fetish 😂

Then after reading all that I remembered that my adult son had said he was ‘bi’ a few years ago. No fanfare, no drama, no navel gazing. I’m sure he hasn’t written a piece on it his intranet at work. He just gets on with it and I don’t care if he brings a male or female home.

Just reading the new posts and realised I have put naval gazing and not navel! 😁 Too late to edit, the shame 🫣

I just heave a deep sigh, internally.

I think I've no idea what that means nowadays, it's all got far too complicated.

LGB is same sex attracted.

Everything after that is separate imo.

Maybe the person from the previous post didn’t want to wear a badge because her employment place were pushing her to wear it, not because she’s homophobic or anti trans but because she didn’t want to wear a symbol that was pushed on her. It seems counterproductive to push an employee to have something pinned on her. It goes totally against freedom and liberty for someone to tell a person who they should support and advertise. The same applies to other charities and things one may feel strongly about. If it was acceptable we’d all be covered in badges and stickers. It’s taking away her autonomy and the work place shouldn’t be the place to try and enforce, as with religion and a billion other things . Doesn’t make her anti trans, just her saying I am me, have personal belief systems and don’t wish for it to be projected on me. It does the movement no favours ultimately. Stonewall have ultimately shot themselves in the foot with their bullying tactics, whereas most people would be accommodating and it’s such a shame.

Ha! I love a bit of navel gazing, though! Stare out to sea to avoid all the heartfelt confessions!

Pretty much this.

I feel sorry for gays and lesbians that it’s been hijacked but the delusional and entitled attention seekers.

Personally I think of diverse not hetero people. Not just one type of them.

There are people who strongly identify as hetero but then dabble in same sex relationships. They are kind of both LGBQxxxx+ and not LBGQTxxx+. TG I don't have the problem of giving them labels or needing to know what label the like.

It's like labels are just ideas not real things and you have to listen to the persons choosing whatever label for themselves to know what it means to them and why they use it for themselves.

I’m a lesbian & I stay well away from anything labelled LGBTQetc.

My rule of thumb is that the more initials in the acronym, the less it has to do with lesbian rights.

Having the L at the front reminds me of a Yes, Minister episode where Humphrey Appleby talked about disposing of the difficult bit in the title.

I don’t know why the TQ+++ was ever added to the LGB. They are different things. Ones about sexuality/ sexual preferences and the other about a made up gender ideology. For those reasons I can’t support the LGbTQI+++ movement.

I don't necessarily think only of trans people but I do think of quite young people who are "queer" and activist about it, putting their pronouns on Zoom, derailing sales meetings to talk about non-binary awareness day and yes literally having blue hair!

I have several gay and lesbian friends who just call themselves gay/lesbian and don't talk about any kind of rainbow family. But they do tend to be either more conservative or more radfem-adjacent.

I wouldn't wear a rainbow lanyard at work even if it just represented LGB even though. On principle.

Ditto. That rainbow used to remind you simply about joy and love, at its core. But now, it brings with it such a strong vibe of coercion and of strong-arm tactics, and all its original message of equality and respect as a way of life for everyone has been appropriated by the forces of patriarchal oppression, where men are out to claim every inch of personal territory and freedom women fought for over the past century.
We are never left in peace merely to exist in our own space, as equals with men. If we enjoy it, they will soon decide to grab it for themselves.
That rainbow is fast becoming a symbol of reaction and intolerance, even though such attitudes aren’t typical of the majority it represents.

We are.

Woke, trans activism.

All the gay/lesbian friends and family I know actively distance from this.

To quote Julie Bindel

Everything after the B is a haircut