Word of the Gay: "The Life"

"The Life" was a term used to describe homosexual society in early to mid 1900's.

Open Forum: Is It Wrong to Say 'Gay Marriage'?

Are marriage equality advocates unintentionally using self defeating terminology in the fight for broader civil rights for the LGBT community? The vast majority of the community consistently argues that civil unions are a separate and unequal institution from that of civil marriage. The argument is that queer people should have all of the same rights and responsibilities that come with government sanctioned recognition of our relationships and that includes the vocabulary used to describe that union.

The idea that heterosexuals should have sole access to marriage while LGBT people can have civil unions or some other form of contractual agreement feeds into the notion that somehow our relationships and bonds are not equal to that of a male/female couple. This serves to reinforce the idea that being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender is somehow inferior to being a cisgender heterosexual.

Queer activists certainly do not subscribe to the heteronormative thinking that being LGBT is inferior or less than in any way. Is it possible that by virtue of our arguments in favor of equal protections that we are diminishing our chance and giving credence to the anti-gay oppositions notion that we are indeed so different that we cannot be treated the same?

When discussing the issue of marriage and how the institution should evolve moving forward we often speak of the term 'gay marriage.' If we are arguing that our love is the same and we are entitled to equal protection should we by default of our terminology be segregating ourselves by using 'gay marriage' as opposed to just saying marriage or marriage equality? 'Gay marriage' would just be regular marriage and perhaps the idea behind it scares people that somehow this institution is changing and expanding when it only would remain the same yet more inclusive.

What are your thoughts?

Word of the Gay: "Meals on Wheels"

"Meals on Wheels" is a gay phrase for good looking men seen in cars, or on bikes.

Open Forum: Create a Unifying Term for the Community

We have all seen the endless debate over how the community gets labeled. Are we the "gay community", the "gay/lesbian community", the "queer community", "sexual minorities" the list is endless. The acronmyns only get worse since there is contention over LGBT, LGBTQ, GLBTQIA, etc and the order of the acronyms itself is subject to debate. Do gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders alone get in or do we expand to be inclusive of asexuals, intersexuals, polyamorous, two-spirit, queer, questioning, pansexuals, androgynous, genderqueer people and allies?

One might get a headache after listing out all the multitudes of sexual and gender identities that can describe our community members. While some people find queer to be inclusive others hate the term and find it disparaging.

Todays task is to come up with a unifying term besides queer that can be used. We can likely all agree we need an alternative. I predict lots of tacky ideas but that is okay, lets hash it out, and brainstorm by listing several ideas and we can all debate and declare a new term for our community!

Word of the Gay: "Bitch's Christmas"

The term a "Bitch's Christmas" refers to Halloween, October 31st which has become a gay holiday of sorts filled with drag and costume parties.

Open Forum: LGBTQAIZ5123?

Labels for the community have been evolving and continue to evolve to this day. It started with "Gay" which included same-sex attracted males and females, then it branched out to include "Lesbians" as their own separate label. Over time other movements like the "Bisexuals" and "Transgender" populations joined in under the acronym "GLBT". The acronym was thought to be biased towards the "G" and hence the more popularized acronym became "LGBT". Now we see movement to change the acronym so that perhaps the "B" or "T" come before the "L" or the "G" in the sequence of the letters to be more reflective of an inclusive community.

Just when you thought the whole "LGBT" or is it "GLBT" drama was settled we now have new movements boarding the sexual/gender minority bandwagon. "Queer" people who reject the notion that sexuality is fixed and who don't attach binaristic labels want "Q" added to the ever long list of letters in the acronym. People who are "Questioning" their sexuality or are curious want the "Q" to represent the term "Questioning". "Intersex" people don't want to be lumped under the "Transgender" umbrella and want the "I" added to the list. "Asexuals" want to be recognized as a legitimate sexual orientation and have "A" added to the list. "A" has also been representative of those who consider themselves "Allies" to the community.

So we already have a long and varied list with letters overlapping for different communities who want representation. Confusing huh? Well there are also movements by "Polyamorous" families, fetish groups, "Pansexuals", "Two-spirits", and others who want to be part of the acronym.

How far do we go with the acronym, is the label "LGBT" fair and inclusive? Or should we come up with a new term to describe all of these sexual/gender minorities. Is Queer too broad and open so that if we use it nobody will know what we are talking about? Share your thoughts on this ever growing and evolving debate...

Word of the Gay: "Hermaphroditus Verus"

"Hermaphroditus Verus" is a medical term for intersex people possessing both male and female gonads.

Word of the Gay: "Bi Bar"

A "bi bar" is a bar that is patronized primarily by bisexual or bi friendly people.

Word of the Gay: "Other Half"

The term "other half" can describe a close emotional and/or romantic relationship with someone.

Word of the Gay: "QPOC"

"QPOC" stands for Queer People of Color and is used to discuss LGBTQ individuals in communities of color or as an abbreviated term for an organization or cause representing them.

Word of the Gay: "Ace"

"Ace" is another way of saying asexual, and is a word play on the card the "Ace" of Spades.

Word of the Gay: "Bi-Trade"

"Bi-trade" is a name for bisexual prostitution.

Word of the Gay: "Marriage of Convenience"

A "marriage of convenience" is a term that can be used to describe one or both partners decision to hide their homosexuality while appearing to be in a heterosexual marriage.

Word of the Gay: "Aphallia"

"Aphallia" is a medical term used to describe some intersex people who do not have a penis or clitoris.

Word of the Gay: "Bromance"

A "bromance" is a non-sexual affectionate relationship between two males, where they appear as a couple. It is expressed physically through wrestling, nuggies, and head locks. In rarer instances hugging, snuggling, spooning, and even kissing.

Word of the Gay: "Realness"

"Realness" is a term used for the ability of a transgender person to pass as the opposite sex. The term is also often used in drag balls where there are categories to judge a persons "realness."

Word of the Gay: "Genderphobia"

"Genderphobia" is the fear and/or hatred of gender variant individuals. These can consist of a dislike for cross-dressers, transsexuals, or any degree of gender bending. The term is synonymous with transphobia.

Word of the Gay: "Canned Fruit"

A "Canned Fruit" is a male homosexual who is closeted about his orientation. He usually is either celibate or tries to keep his sexuality a secret.

Word of the Gay: "Convertible"

The term "Convertible" is a coy synonym for a bisexual person.

Word of the Gay: "Significant Other"

A "significant other" is an individual who is regarded as special in anothers life, it could be their romantic and/or sexual partner or a close friend. The term is ambiguous which makes it applicable for all all orientations and gender identities.