Have you ever played Which of These Don't Belong? when you were younger? Try that with the LGBT acronym and you may be surprised when you find that it's the T.

My friend made a nice point the other day when he said that the T should not be included because while it refers to gender identity, every other letter refers to a sexual orientation. This most likely aids people's ignorance in thinking that being transgender is just something sexual, which of course it is not. Furthermore, why is it there when a good chunk (if not the majority) of transgendered people identify as straight?

Any thoughts or opinions?

Kyler.

You're exactly right.!

It misleads the public a lot because they assume Transgender is another sexual orientation.

Education education education.! Society needs to know the truth.! Theres so much misinformation out there.

Quote from: Mark3 on October 20, 2014, 09:12:40 AM
Education education education.! Society needs to know the truth.! Theres so much misinformation out there.

Exactly.

When I was younger, from what I could piece together in my mind, I thought transgender was something weird and sexual, thus it carried a negative connotation for me.

At the same time, I was experiencing *trans feelings*, but I couldn't identify with the transgender community because I wasn't really sure what it meant to be transgendered.

I think that if the public was educated better on these topics (and not mislead by us!), there would be much more acceptance and it could help some young trans people not feel so alone as well, like I did for a long time.

Kyler.

Quote from: CapnKye on October 20, 2014, 09:24:50 AM
Exactly.

When I was younger, from what I could piece together in my mind, I thought transgender was something weird and sexual, thus it carried a negative connotation for me.

At the same time, I was experiencing *trans feelings*, but I couldn't identify with the transgender community because I wasn't really sure what it meant to be transgendered.

I think that if the public was educated better on these topics (and not mislead by us!), there would be much more acceptance and it could help some young trans people not feel so alone as well, like I did for a long time.

Kyler.

This is more or less what I experienced when I was a kid, as well: "Transsexual" having the -sexual suffix, like sexual orientations do, really confused me and made me think it was just some weird perversion. The intended meaning of 'across the sexes' isn't very obvious to those not in the loop, because the word carries other undesired connotations from its similarity to other words in the English language.

Quote from: trapsouldoor on October 20, 2014, 09:31:50 AM
This is more or less what I experienced when I was a kid, as well: "Transsexual" having the -sexual suffix, like sexual orientations do, really confused me and made me think it was just some weird perversion. The intended meaning of 'across the sexes' isn't very obvious to those not in the loop, because the word carries other undesired connotations from its similarity to other words in the English language.

Yeah. When people don't know something, it is usually more likely that they'll use what they do know to try to piece it together, rather than take the time to figure out what it really is. That's why I don't think it's smart to lump transgender in with a bunch of sexualities because it sends the wrong message and leads to a lot of confusion, not only to people outside of the community but to people trying to sort through their own gender identity.

Kyler.

I hope this helps clear up some of the confusion taken straight from the lgbt wiki

The initialism has become mainstream as a self-designation and has been adopted by the majority of sexuality and gender identity-based community centers and media in the United States and some other English-speaking countries.

The initialism LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer and/or are questioning their sexual identity as LGBTQ, recorded since 1996.

Quote from: CapnKye on October 20, 2014, 09:01:48 AM
Furthermore, why is it there when a good chunk (if not the majority) of transgendered people identify as staight?

This part refers to being trans post transition and being with someone opposite of your true sex. I once wondered this myself as it seemed a double edge sword of if you start as male become female then you would be straight with a female but as a female and straight you would need to find a man to be straight then I realize I'm going to be with whom I find sexually attractive and it doesn't matter.

Quote from: Releca on October 20, 2014, 09:42:28 AM
The initialism LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

It makes a bit of sense, but again, gender just seems to be tagged on there. :/ and if people don't already know what transgender is, they are likely to guess it is some form of sexual orientation because everything else in the acronym is.

Also, it makes it seem like the two (gender and sexuality) are intertwined when really they are independent of each other. Whatever gender I identify as doesn't affect who I find sexually attractive. Know what I mean?

Quote from: Releca on October 20, 2014, 09:42:28 AM
This part refers to being trans post transition and being with someone opposite of your true sex. I once wondered this myself as it seemed a double edge sword of if you start as male become female then you would be straight with a female but as a female and straight you would need to find a man to be straight then I realize I'm going to be with whom I find sexually attractive and it doesn't matter.

Labels in general make things more confusing, and you're right, it really doesn't matter.

Kyler.

In every 1,000 people there are 38 gay people and two or three trans people. LGB folks are a powerful source of allies. They understand what it's like to be persecuted. The legislator in my state who championed the transgender rights bill and ultimately got it passed was a cisgender gay man.

We need all the help we can get, right?

I completely agree that the two communities should be allies. 100%. But merging them into one community leads to a ton of confusion, at least in my experience.

Kyler.

If you're "T", chances are that you are "L", "G", or "B" either before or after transitioning.  "T" is also "beyond queer" to the cishet world.

We all challenge the norms and need to stick together in order to achieve equality.

That makes sense, Jill.

It is just frustrating to see sexuality and gender clumped together when they are separate things. It really all comes down to education.

Kyler.

As I've said before, T is just thuper gay to most people, so yeah, it belongs. Even after telling someone, they are usually still not going to see a trans person as a "normal heterosexual."

Again, this all comes down to education. If "T" sticks with GLB because of the similarities, there should be more education about how they are *different* as well because it can cause confusion, even among people who are struggling with their own identity. I know it did that for me.

Three cheers for education.

Kyler.

10. Bashing or flaming of any individuals or groups is not acceptable behavior on this web site and will not be tolerated in the slightest for any reason.  This includes but is not limited to:

    Advocating the separation or exclusion of one or more group from under the Transgender umbrella term
    Suggesting or claiming that one segment or sub-segment of our community is more or less legitimate, deserving, or real than any others



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