LGBTQQIP2SAA typo or acronym? 

BY: Christopher McKeown LMFT

When I was growing up as a gay boy, I knew the simple acronym of my tribe LGBT and what each letter represented for a fairly long period of time it was the standard used.   When I went into graduate school, I began to learn that my tribe became more interesting and was starting to include new gender identities and sexual orientations LGBTQIA+.  When I was working at an agency to get my hours for my licensure, I had quite a few teenagers who would talk with me about sexual or gender identity and it usually was one of the new terms I learned while going to graduate school. 

 Recently I was thinking, is there a new standard acronym used? while I was looking online to see what new acronyms might be used, I found out that LGBTQIA+ or LGBTQ+.  I found one acronym for my title and wanted to help others who might know what the letters and numbers mean.  The community is ever growing and changing with new identities being added all the time.   LGBTQQIP2SAA is not a complete list as there are other identities not listed but it is a cute looking acronym.  

L – Lesbian – a woman who is attracted to other women, either sexually, emotionally, or both. 

G – Gay – a man who was sexually and/or emotionally attracted to other men.  the term is used to describe homosexuality as a whole. It refers to both men and women who are attracted to the same sex. Some women also prefer “gay” to “lesbian.” 

B – Bisexual – Those who identify as bisexual are attracted to more than one gender identity. 

T – Transgender – a person whose gender identity differs from the one assigned to them at birth. Those among the transgender community have transitioned from the gender identity assigned at birth to the gender identity they now identify as. They prefer to be referred to by their preferred pronouns, 

Q – Queer – The word “Queer” is an umbrella term for anyone who is not straight or cisgender. It was formerly used as a derogatory slur for members of the community, but has since been adopted by some members of the LGBTQ+ community as a term of pride. 

Q – Questioning – refers to anyone who is unsure of their sexual orientation or gender identity.    

I – Intersex – are born with traits that prevent them from fitting the traditional gender molds of male and female. These traits can be biological, hormonal, genetic, or anatomical in nature. Not every intersex person is different in the same way, the term is an umbrella for all those who don’t fit the traditional gender definitions. 

P – Pansexual – are sexually and/or emotionally attracted to all gender identities. They do not discriminate by one’s sex, gender, or identity. They are attracted to the person regardless of sex, gender, or identity.  

2s – Two-Spirit – “Two-Spirit” is an umbrella term used to describe members of Native American cultures who fulfill a traditional third gender or other variants in a ceremonial or social role. The exact nature of these variants differs for each tribe, and the term was created to refer to them collectively. 

A – Asexual – people lack any sexual attraction to other people, no matter the identity. Asexual people may feel romantic affection for others but, they do not have the desire to act in a sexual manner. Asexual differs from abstinence and celibacy, as instead of rejecting the desire, there is no desire to reject.   

A – Ally – person who supports the causes members of the community but does not identify as part of the community.