Behind Closed Doors: Leaving labels out of sexual classification

[Shana A]

Behind Closed Doors: Leaving labels out of sexual classification

By Maya Horowitz March 22, 2010

http://flathatnews.com/content/73105

This being my penultimate column, I thought I would address an issue that is near and dear to many of our hearts and should be if it isn't. All of this may be beyond my scope, but one more voice can't hurt.

You may have heard the term LGBTQIA. It stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer — an all-inclusive term — Intersex and Allies. So what does it mean? LGBTQIA is meant to help people define their sexualities. It is also an active alliance against sexual discrimination.

While I appreciate that this term can be helpful — and I certainly endorse the ideas behind it — I think it misses the mark. You can add as many letters as you want to an acronym, but you'll never represent everyone. Our language is just not equipped to handle so much.