successful troll

SLG is a good acronym for the trans exclusionary ppl tho

(bisexuals you know we're on the "not real queers" chopping block, probably after enbies)

They did dodge an SS at the end, maybe important when doing acronyms

just a PSA, anyone reading this as anything other than a funny joke needs to log off permanently

• All lives matter
• Blue lives matter
• Not all men
• Why didn't you speak up sooner?
• ...

You know the drill.

It does make me wonder why the L is placed first and the whole thing isn't alphabetical or something.

It's not difficult to recognize you're queer. Very few people are 0 on the Kinsey scale. Almost everyone would count as bisexual, if they chose to recognize it and own it.

But LGBT+ is about identity. It's about having enough introspection regarding your own sexuality or your own gender disposition to recognize that this is an aspect of who you are. And because there are social forces that want to push us out of the community, that identity is also political.¹

But straight is also an identity. Not all mlw folk are straight. Straight means identifying as someone who is strictly heterosexual, often to fit into a society that is uncomfortable with LGBT+ folk. It's a specific assertion that you are not queer. It's capitulation to pressure to conform.

For much of my life, I identified as a man who is sexually attracted to women, but I also left room for the possibility that maybe I just haven't found the right dude.² Not because I felt particularly bi-curious, but having been in a sex positive community, it just felt appropriate to leave that door open. Also having bi- friends and partners, there's a common experience that people slide around on the Kinsey scale with age.

For straights -- people who actively identify as straight -- that door is closed.

And in this political clime, closing that door might be necessary; it might be unsafe for you to be anything but straight in your neighborhood without risking exposure to harassment and hate crime.

It's a liability to present as queer. We do so anyway (when we can, when there isn't too much risk) as part of a movement to normalize sexual and gender diversity, and promote tolerance in our society. But straights are not taking that same risk.

That all said, the LGBT+ community absolutely invites you to consider with honesty and sobriety what you are sexually attracted to, and how you like to express your gender. And if you find there's something else there than church-approved cis-gender heterosexuality, explore that and adjust your identity accordingly. Our doors are always open.

¹ Note that LGBT+ isn't always about behavior, and this can upset some people. For example, there is a subset of the wlw community who only wants gold star lesbians (women who've never been with men, ever) in their spaces. They're a pretty isolated group. The British television series Bob & Rose by Russell T. Davies explores what happens when a gay man falls in love with a woman, and the upset (and antics) that can cause.

² I'd also eventually realize that I'm bi-romantic, which might (also) count as queer nowadays. When it comes to non-sexual love language, I tend to express it with people I'm close to regardless of their gender.

Jokes aside, this would just mean "everyone that like some form of sexual activity" at that point. Like ignoring the political aspect, the term would just cease to have function.

It's giving Pink's "What about us" vibes 🤮

I always considered the plus at the end of LGBTQ+ to mean "and everyone else.". Am I wrong?

I'm a strait and have never felt out of place at an LGBTQ+ event.

I have felt out of place at a couple of the gay bars my friends have taken me to... I didn't feel rejected or anything and still enjoyed dancing the night away... I just wasn't in search of anyone that was there. They were strictly G bars tho, not some pansexual playground like the LGBTQ+ places where I've had a blast and gotten lucky at the end of the night

Heteros that care have a little “a’ after the “+” for ally.
too bad we can read bigotry.

I think it's ok for straights to be allied and get a bit of recognizement for deconstructing the toxic heterosexuality that has been built from centuries ago, but this... Is just cringe, when a group gets too broad then it doesn't represent anything and anyone. These people should just create their own collective of LGBTQ allies.

Pronounced "slug butt Q" of course.

You can get an S when we no longer need pride.

IIRC I have seen versions of the initialism that include A for “Ally.” Which suits me just fine.

Edit: I’m well aware that the first A is for Asexual. I’m not trying to co-opt anything. Explainers like this are what I’m referring to. I’m sorry if what I said was offensive.

For those who don’t want to click the link, here’s the explanation that page gives for the initialism:

L - Lesbian
G - Gay
B - Bisexual
T - Transgender
Q - Queer
Q - Questioning
I - Intersex
P - Pansexual
2S - Two-Spirit
A - Asexual
A - Allies