LGBTQ Clan

Yverdaer

Hey guys,

I don't know if this is already out there, but I think it'd be really cool if there were an LGBTQ clan. If there is, could one of you tell me its name? If there isn't, it would be awesome to start one! :]

Achimrst

Oooh, neat. I could scare all the gays as well as the str8's

Jacen

Uh, what's the Q stand for?

Achimrst

Jacen said:

Uh, what's the Q stand for?

Questioning, usually.

Edit: Actually it really sort of changes from what I hear.....

Edit again: Sometimes it's LGBTCQ

Yverdaer

Ehh, it's what I typically hear. I believe Queer? 

Achimrst

Yverdaer said:

Ehh, it's what I typically hear. I believe Queer? 

It's clearly a topic of varying discussion among us, I have also heard people say LGBTCQA I was like OMG srsly?

Boosteya

Would this clan be IC or OOC?

Edit: Don't overlook asexuals! One of my favourite jokes is the retort of a good-looking asexual to an ugly guy who said asexuality doesn't exist: 'Just because you can't get it doesn't mean I have to want it!'

Yverdaer

I'm more into IC clans myself, but it would probably end up being something OOC.

Verrucht

Lion's Pride - CLANHELP LIONS is what you're looking for, by the way.

Yverdaer

Verrucht said:

Lion's Pride - CLANHELP LIONS is what you're looking for, by the way.

!!! 

Danke!

Eld

Jacen said:

Uh, what's the Q stand for?

Typically queer or questioning, I think, depending on who you ask. For bonus points, try to figure out QUILTBAG!

Achimrst

Queer/Questioning

Unisex

Um....Illustrational?

Lesbian

Transgender/T-bagger?

Bisexual

Asexual

Gay

Bluef

Achimrst said:

Queer/Questioning

Unisex

Um....Illustrational?

Lesbian

Transgender/T-bagger?

Bisexual

Asexual

Gay

LGBTAQOS - yeah,we add the S on where I'm from for those who show "support" to everyone in one of the other categories. I forget what the O stands for (Overwhelmed maybe?) but the college here has a student club and they're known as the TAQOS for short (yes, it's pronounced exactly like you might think). 

Eld

Bluef said:

Achimrst said:

Queer/Questioning

Unisex

Um....Illustrational?

Lesbian

Transgender/T-bagger?

Bisexual

Asexual

Gay

LGBTAQOS - yeah,we add the S on where I'm from for those who show "support" to everyone in one of the other categories. I forget what the O stands for (Overwhelmed maybe?) but the college here has a student club and they're known as the TAQOS for short (yes, it's pronounced exactly like you might think). 

I've typically seen that meaning of S lumped into the A as "ally". And I think the I and U are generally intersex and unidentified or something similar, though they might also depend on who you're talking to.

Nakari

according to http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=QUILTBAG (I could remember all but the u, so pretty close)

Queer/questioning

undecided

intersex

lesbian

transgender/transexual/two-spirit

bisexual

asexual/ally

gay

I like the acronym, myself. It's pretty easy to remember, and is pretty inclusive

Achimrst

Eld said:

Bluef said:

Achimrst said:

Queer/Questioning

Unisex

Um....Illustrational?

Lesbian

Transgender/T-bagger?

Bisexual

Asexual

Gay

LGBTAQOS - yeah,we add the S on where I'm from for those who show "support" to everyone in one of the other categories. I forget what the O stands for (Overwhelmed maybe?) but the college here has a student club and they're known as the TAQOS for short (yes, it's pronounced exactly like you might think). 

I've typically seen that meaning of S lumped into the A as "ally". And I think the I and U are generally intersex and unidentified or something similar, though they might also depend on who you're talking to.

It all highly depends on who your talking to, gays are catty bitches.

Eld

Nakari said:

according to http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=QUILTBAG (I could remember all but the u, so pretty close)

Queer/questioning

undecided

intersex

lesbian

transgender/transexual/two-spirit

bisexual

asexual/ally

gay

I like the acronym, myself. It's pretty easy to remember, and is pretty inclusive

Honestly, I think it's reached the point where trying to extend your acronym to enumerate all the things you're inclusive of (and sometimes adding letters to make it pronounceable and deciding after the fact what they should stand for) has gotten pretty silly, and the purpose would be better served by just settling on a word. For example, my impression is that what people generally mean in referring to "the queer community" is essentially the same thing, and is to my mind preferable to the QUILTBAG business; there may well be differences in meaning there that I'm unaware of, and I'm sure there'd be some distaste for the particular word, so maybe not 'queer' specifically, but something more along those lines. I also find it a bit odd to lump together the (seemingly, to me) separate issues of gender identity and sexual preference. But I'm not really a member of said community, however you define it, so my vote doesn't really count. 

Nellaundra

Gender and sexuality are an increasingly complex topic, as near anyone could tell you.  The acronyms -are- silly, I agree, but there's no real one word that encompasses all of it because your sexuality has absolutely nothing to do with your mental gender, and vice versa.  They're a part of the same group (roughly) but have no influence upon each other. So the acronyms are here to stay, most likely.

e: Ah, missed the last part of your post which says that - in which case I agree, but many people from outside tend to view them as the same thing so they band together in a group support thing. It's not necessarily that they're related, far from it, it's just that people lump them together if they don't know any better.

Imrien

In response to @Eld's position:

The LGBTQ-whatever acronym and the whole notion of a "queer community" are so problematic precisely because they are homogenizing -- we are very often enough not talking about the same thing when we use those terms.

For instance, is the plight of upper-income gay white males in San Francisco who cashed in on the tech boom the same as that of trans black women being displaced by gentrification and transphobic violence in Brooklyn? And is the latter's gender expression and identity in any way similar to that of a person who belongs to a threatened indigenous community whose culture has a concept of gender allows for expressions that are outside of the Western binary?

It's an exercise in futility to come up with an acronym that can fully convey the broad diversity of gender expressions and their accompanying oppressions, and I frankly find it a bit reactionary that there's a conscious effort to unify these identities and their struggles. Unity tends to come at the cost of diversity, and acronym shortcuts come at the expense of specificity.

Don't get me wrong: I use the LGBTQ-whatever acronyms on occasion because they can be convenient, but I tend to prefer language and spaces which are more specific rather than inclusive, and emphasize solidarity over unity.

ps: this isn't to say that I'm not down for an LGBTQ clan -- I think it's a great idea and I'm glad it exists, because there definitely need more safe spaces. I just wouldn't call it an LGBTQ clan if it were me.

Jacen

My opinion is that those identities and preferences won't get the acceptance that they want and deserve unless people stop labeling them as abnormal things, "people" being society in general, both sides of the fence ( if you could simplify it that much). I think society would be much more pleasant if we would stop focusing on where we can draw a line between "us" and "them" and just be who we are.

Eld

Jacen said:

My opinion is that those identities and preferences won't get the acceptance that they want and deserve unless people stop labeling them as abnormal things, "people" being society in general, both sides of the fence ( if you could simplify it that much). I think society would be much more pleasant if we would stop focusing on where we can draw a line between "us" and "them" and just be who we are.

Sure, but that's a long way off, and in the meantime, it's invaluable to members of those groups to have safe, supportive spaces, and labels like those being discussed here can be helpful in establishing communities that provide that.

Rohai

I was expecting this thread to go so, so poorly. And then it didn't!

It's great that there exists an LGB clan already, but is there still interest in a more inclusive organization, as well? I do not have the 500,000 necessary to form a clan myself, but if enough other folks are willing, we can make it a group effort.

Bluef

Imrien said:

In response to @Eld's position:

The LGBTQ-whatever acronym and the whole notion of a "queer community" are so problematic precisely because they are homogenizing -- we are very often enough not talking about the same thing when we use those terms.

For instance, is the plight of upper-income gay white males in San Francisco who cashed in on the tech boom the same as that of trans black women being displaced by gentrification and transphobic violence in Brooklyn? And is the latter's gender expression and identity in any way similar to that of a person who belongs to a threatened indigenous community whose culture has a concept of gender allows for expressions that are outside of the Western binary?

It's an exercise in futility to come up with an acronym that can fully convey the broad diversity of gender expressions and their accompanying oppressions, and I frankly find it a bit reactionary that there's a conscious effort to unify these identities and their struggles. Unity tends to come at the cost of diversity, and acronym shortcuts come at the expense of specificity.

Don't get me wrong: I use the LGBTQ-whatever acronyms on occasion because they can be convenient, but I tend to prefer language and spaces which are more specific rather than inclusive, and emphasize solidarity over unity.

ps: this isn't to say that I'm not down for an LGBTQ clan -- I think it's a great idea and I'm glad it exists, because there definitely need more safe spaces. I just wouldn't call it an LGBTQ clan if it were me.

I don't think we've met yet, but hi. I think your intelligence is beautiful.

In all seriousness, well freaking said.

Bluef

Jacen said:

My opinion is that those identities and preferences won't get the acceptance that they want and deserve unless people stop labeling them as abnormal things, "people" being society in general, both sides of the fence ( if you could simplify it that much). I think society would be much more pleasant if we would stop focusing on where we can draw a line between "us" and "them" and just be who we are.

Written like an old-school French Feminist. <-- That's a compliment!

The issue of gender and identity in society becomes far less clouded when we stop drawing distinctions and instead focus on the common. My dear friend at work gave me a t-shirt recently -- I don't have a pic of mine, but here's hers (worn proudly at a recent city ordinance hearing to try to get something passed that prohibits LGBT hiring discrimination (sadly, it failed 4-3). 

@Eld agree with you 100% on the need for safe spaces!

Mannimar

the acronyms are so ridiculous now even from just a few years ago when I was still in high school. I just call everyone "non-norm" sexuality. Makes my life easy and completely politically correct! >-

Achimrst

Mannimar said:

the acronyms are so ridiculous now even from just a few years ago when I was still in high school. I just call everyone "non-norm" sexuality. Makes my life easy and completely politically correct! >-

I'm gay and I find them ridiculous and over the top, some Queen just decided to make shit hard so he could bitch some people out. We all know it's true, but you still have to get them right or it's drama time!

Mannimar

If you really want to get catty over acronyms and terminology then you shouldn't use asexual since thats a broad spectrum of sexuality, and you bastards forgot pansexual and then there's the romantics! pan-romantic, homo-romantic, ect. You Divas need to get your shit together :P 

Edit: I would like to add a disclaimer... the above is a joke...

Averi

Mannimar said:

the acronyms are so ridiculous now even from just a few years ago when I was still in high school. I just call everyone "non-norm" sexuality. Makes my life easy and completely politically correct! >-

non-norm implies normality though.

I just go by whatever it says on the flier/information page/what the other person called it. 

Bonko

To be honest, given the high rate/percentage of homosexuals that play this game you'd be better off just making a clan for all the straight people.

Mannimar

Averi said:

Mannimar said:

the acronyms are so ridiculous now even from just a few years ago when I was still in high school. I just call everyone "non-norm" sexuality. Makes my life easy and completely politically correct! >-

non-norm implies normality though.

I just go by whatever it says on the flier/information page/what the other person called it. 

In Sociology non-norm implies not the social majority. Anything not straight is therefore not the norm.

Boosteya

Normal is a cycle setting on a washing machine.

Any other usage is silly.