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LGB and T

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by Kalub Alec Ross, Mar 17, 2015.

  1. Kalub Alec Ross

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    I guess this isn't asking for support or advice, but it doesn't really fit any of the other boards anywhere else. Let me know if I'm wrong about that though.

    I was wondering how everyone felt about the grouping of LGB and T? Obviously this is an LGB/T site, and there is a lot of overlap between the two communities. But I'm trying to figure out whether my stance on the issue is valid.

    I don't like the grouping, because I know that my LGB is not at all related to my T, and for me, a lot of people get confused when they know I'm one and the other. They think that they're related and that's not okay for me personally. I have 3 parts to my sexual preferences. My lack of sexual attraction is my asexuality, my lack of sexual arousal is a medical condition (hormone imbalance), and my aversion to sexual activity is my gender dysphoria. People usually tend to group the three together if they're thinking in an LGBT mindset, and can only grasp the 3-part idea if they're thinking in an "LGB and T" mindset.

    I know that LGB and T are historically related in the DSM, and in various ancient cultures (vague ideas on the latter, maybe I'm not credible enough to make that statement?) so I think that the original use of the term probably originated from the idea that, for example, "transvestites" of the '60s were the same as "homosexuals" or at least tightly related, which forcibly they often were. (If someone has more info on that that'd be cool)

    But we've made so many advances socially that shouldn't it be about time to move on from the fact that homosexuals are not necessarily transvestites are not necessarily transgenders etc etc etc? And therefore ungroup LGB and T?

    And I know that if, say, you're a transguy who identified as a lesbian and now you identify as straight, they're related.

    And I know that there are still some overlapping issues with acceptance, media, coming out, things like that, for some people.

    Anyway, I was wondering your thoughts?
     
  2. BradThePug

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    I agree that they should not be grouped together. But at the same time, I hold the viewpoint of using it to our advantage. In general, people within the community are more accepting than those outside of it. (I know not all are, but I'm speaking in generalities here. I'd feel more comfortable telling a person in the community I am transgender.)

    Like you have said, the linkage of the communities mostly is because of how the LGBT rights movement started. The trans community was very important in helping to start the gay rights movement. While there are some annoyances with the communities being linked, I think that it is important that both sections of the community work together for the reasons that you have mentioned.

    I also feel like having the trans community separate would further isolate us, since then LGBT centers as we know them would not be in existence. The community provides a lot of resources, and to have that break down could have very bad results.
     
  3. Kalub Alec Ross

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    That's a good point. I never thought of that thanks :slight_smile:
     
  4. anonym

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    There have been several threads about this before and I don't think my views have changed all that much.

    Personally I don't have a problem with them being grouped together. I would feel so alone if the LGB and T went separate ways. I can't imagine how isolated it would leave us and how under represented we would be. LGB and T are separate things but at the same time there is so much we have in common. Both groups are minority groups and therefore face discrimination and under representation in society, both groups face issues with coming out and family. I would like more people to be aware of the distinction between the 2 rather than just lumping us together as the LGBT acronym suggests. However, I don't think society is at a stage where it would be beneficial for us to split at all. Things are improving but it is very slow and there is still a long long way to go before we consider this.
     
  5. Acm

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    I don't mind them being grouped together. I feel like if the trans community was separated, it would be ignored even more, and there would be even less resources available. Plus, trans people were very important in the start of the modern LGBT rights movement. And from what I've seen, it seems like there's high rates of being LGB in the trans community, so there's a lot of overlap. I feel like there's strength in solidarity, and it's good to have the communities joined.
     
  6. Michael

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    I see it as a chance to have a symbiotic relationship with a strong community.

    I was a member of the LGBT community because I was into girls, which turned me into a bisexual technically speaking. Then later as I finally accepted me being trans, I had the problem that my sexual orientation changed, turning me into something closer to heterosexual than bi. This has left me with the open question "Well, if I am a heterosexual guy, what right do I have to be here anyways, next to a lesbian or a gay guy?"

    It's just complicated, and I don't think it's right to say "I'm LGBT"... But we are here right now together... We are stronger when we are together, all of us. In a way what we call LGBT should be called "People who is different than heterosexual cishumans". Or even better... Anything at all, 'cause we would live in a world where such packs would be not necesary.
     
  7. ctrl alt delete

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    I think in general I feel closer to people who are queer in some way, I feel that there is a common ground there that straight and cis people don't get. Like for example in a conservative area both gay or trans people are going to get the same anxieties.

    I think lgbtq people is too awkward a term tho, I much prefer to say queer. It seems to avoid labeling things too much and getting the point that we're a community of people outside the "normal" in terms of gender and sexuality.
     
  8. PossumJack

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    I read somewhere that the reason LGB and T are grouped together is because they all defy cis and heteronormative expectations of gender roles. For example, all AFAB peoples are expected at birth to be attracted to men and identify as a girl, and all AMAB individuals are expected to like women and identify as masculine. In this sense, the LGB and T community is together because we are all fighting against society's outdated gender expectations.

    In that sense, I feel like LGB and T belong together quite well. True, there's the problem that people are still confusing gender identity with sexual orientation, but separating the community will just make it even harder to advocate for both LGB and trans* rights. It would devastate the trans* community especially, since frankly we're a very, very small minority whose voice would never have been heard without being attached to the LGBT community.
     
  9. YuriBunny

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    I basically agree with what PossumJack said. I think they're grouped together because both groups defy expectations for what males and females should be.

    If you're born female, for example, it is assumed that you will be attracted only to males, like girls are apparently 'supposed' to be. A female attracted to females goes against that expectation. A female who identifies as a transgender guy can't even come close to meeting the expectation because he doesn't consider himself a girl in the first place.

    People attracted to the same gender don't match what their gender is expected to be like. People who are transgender don't match what their biological sex is expected to be like. Parallel ideas. Both groups are incapable of fitting the gender roles for their biological sex.
     
  10. looking for me

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    we are stronger together than as tiny, splintered groups. there were transgender people at stonewall. Transgender people have always been part of the struggle and just as the colours on a rainbow flag are distinct, it is when they are all together that the message is made, just as when we are together the message is made.
     
  11. RainDreamer

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    There are actually a lot of overlapping issues with feminism, sexual orientation diversity, and non-conforming gender identity, in that they are all dealing with traditional gender roles being broken. You can see a lot of similar reaction from hateful people to a female gamer talking about sexism in games, or to a gay couple walking down a street, or to a transwoman in a bathroom. It is something we all have to fight against. So it is easier to come together under one flag for that cause.

    We are all bound by hardship, but we are also bonded by them.