Gay or straight in Ventura County -- Beyond the labels

[Butterfly]

Gay or straight in Ventura County -- Beyond the labels
Ventura County Reporter
By Susannah Kopecky 
July 16, 2009


http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/gay_or_straight_in_ventura_county____beyond_the_labels/7088/


"Often, people may find that they are 'questioning' for quite a while, or that none of the labels seem to apply."
— Planned Parenthood


The letter "Q": the 17th letter of the alphabet and arguably one of the most fascinating. "Q" can both start some interesting discussions (with a tasty question) and provide the representation of that which is uncertain, intangible, unknown, exciting and mysterious. "Q" is also the newest addition to the more commonly known LGBT, or LGBTQ, which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (also sometimes used for Queer). There is also a new acronym, which covers both Q's, LGBTQQ.

According to Dan Nelson, a Ventura High School teacher and Gay-Straight Alliance adviser, somewhere between 10 and 12 percent of the county's high school-age population is openly gay, closeted or questioning its orientation.