What does LGBT stand for?
LGBT
LGBT, or GLBT, is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB, which was used to replace the term "gay" in reference to the LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s. Activists believed that the term "gay community" did not accurately represent all those to whom it referred.
Timothy N. Philpot
Philpot made further controversial comments after the 2015 decision in "Obergefell v. Hodges", legalizing gay marriage throughout the United States. Philpot described gay marriage as an oxymoron, the Supreme Court's decision as "pretty close to insane," and described homosexual relationships as "sterile" and "just entertainment." He also described homosexuality as a choice, saying that children now have "got to decide which gender to date"; this matches his previously expressed views that the gay lifestyle is a "destructive lifestyle" and that it is a "behavior, it's not genetic." LGBT rights advocates challenged these views as showing a "fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be LGBT" and as evidence of a "deep disrespect for LGBT people and their families." Judges have a First Amendment right to express their views so long as they do not influence their decisions. Philpot has presided over many cases with LGBT people and lawyers who have been involved report that he does not base his decisions on a litigant's sexuality. Speaking of his religious views, Philpot has stated that "I don't mention Jesus inside the courthouse very much, even when I know he is absolutely the only answer to the problem in front of me." Philpot has also stated that "half the adoptions I do are for gay people. And they're not bad people," and that he loves homosexuals. Philpot regrets, however, that friendships between straight men are affected as they are unable to hug in the way they used to, and that the rainbow, a symbol from the Bible, had been "stolen" – and he plans to put a rainbow on the back of his car.
LGBT slogans
LGBT slogans are catchphrases or slogans which express support for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities and LGBT rights.
Sexuality and disability
Queerability is a LGBT and disabled rights advocacy group that is run by LGBT disabled people who hope to increase visibility to the community. The goal of this group is to ensure that the voices of LGBT disabled people are heard. The organization gives them a large social platform to express themselves. Queerability does not only advocate for the rights of LGBT disabled communities, but also provides educational sources pertaining to the individuals sexuality and disability. Some of the sources they provide include: How to Meet, Date, and Have Sex When You're Disabled, Practical Sex Tips for Disabled People, Good Sex Positions for Disabled Sex, Talking About Sensitive Topics and more.
Homosexuality
"Gay" especially refers to male homosexuality, but may be used in a broader sense to refer to all LGBT people. In the context of sexuality, "lesbian" refers only to female homosexuality. The word "lesbian" is derived from the name of the Greek island Lesbos, where the poet Sappho wrote largely about her emotional relationships with young women.
Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association
The Gay and Lesbian International "Sport" Association (GLISA) is an international gay and lesbian, culture and human rights association. The focus of GLISA is developing gay and lesbian sport worldwide. GLISA does this through sanctioning world and continental games, creating a global calendar of GLBT events, fostering the creation of new LGBT federations, clubs and teams, supporting existing LGBT sport organizations, working in partnership with other sport organization to pursue this mandate, and providing the financial framework to support GLISA's global efforts.
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Although first focused on suicide among LGBT youth, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) task force expanded to include LGBT of all ages "acknowledging the struggles with suicide idealization, suicide attempts, and death by suicide that many LGBT people confront at different points in their lives." The initial leaders of the task force were Charles Robbins, head of The Trevor Project, which operates a nationwide LGBT youth suicide prevention program, and Kevin Jennings, the then Department of Education’s Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Feds support new national LGBT youth suicide prevention task force. Dana Rudolph, "Keen News Service", November 19, 2010 Jennings, an openly gay appointee, founded the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
Lesbian until graduation
The LGBT slang terms lesbian until graduation (LUG), gay until graduation (GUG), and bisexual until graduation (BUG) are used to describe women primarily of high school or college age who are assumed to be experimenting with or adopting a temporary lesbian or bisexual identity. The term suggests that the woman to whom it is applied will ultimately adopt a strictly heterosexual identity.
LGBT
The portrayal of an all-encompassing "LGBT community" or "LGB community" is also disliked by some lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Some do not subscribe to or approve of the political and social solidarity, and visibility and human rights campaigning that normally goes with it including gay pride marches and events. Some of them believe that grouping together people with non-heterosexual orientations perpetuates the myth that being gay/lesbian/bi/asexual/pansexual/etc. makes a person deficiently different from other people. These people are often less visible compared to more mainstream gay or LGBT activists. Since this faction is difficult to distinguish from the heterosexual majority, it is common for people to assume all LGBT people support LGBT liberation and the visibility of LGBT people in society, including the right to live one's life in a different way from the majority. In the 1996 book "Anti-Gay", a collection of essays edited by Mark Simpson, the concept of a 'one-size-fits-all' identity based on LGBT stereotypes is criticized for suppressing the individuality of LGBT people.
LGBT-affirming religious groups
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) affirming religious groups (also called gay-affirming) are religious groups that welcome LGBT members and do not consider homosexuality to be a sin. They include entire religious denominations, as well as individual churches and synagogues. Some are composed mainly of non-LGBT members and also have specific programs to welcome LGBT people, while others are composed mainly of LGBT members.
GLIFAA
GLIFAA (Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies) is the officially recognized organization representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender etc. (LGBT+) personnel and their families in the United States Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Foreign Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and other agencies and entities working in foreign affairs in the U.S. Government. The acronym comes from its original name, Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies. As of 2014, the organization goes by GLIFAA and uses the slogan "LGBT+ pride in foreign affairs agencies" to underscore its inclusive composition. GLIFAA was founded in 1992 by fewer than a dozen employees who faced official harassment and potential loss of their jobs simply because of their sexual orientation. The organization has grown to hundreds of Foreign Service, Civil Service, and contract personnel and their families serving in Washington, throughout the U.S., and at U.S. embassies and missions around the world. Members also include retirees and straight allies in government agencies, while other supporters are affiliate members.
LGBT community
The lambda symbol was originally adopted by Gay Activists Alliance of New York in 1970 after they broke away from the larger Gay Liberation Front. Lambda was chosen because people might confuse it for a college symbol and not recognize it as a gay community symbol unless one was actually involved in the community. "Back in December of 1974, the lambda was officially declared the international symbol for gay and lesbian rights by the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland."
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality (GLMA) is an international organization of approximately 1,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and ally (LGBT) healthcare professionals and students of all disciplines, including physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, nurses, behavioral health specialists, researchers and acamedicians, and their supporters in the United States and internationally. Founded in 1981 as the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, GLMA "came out of the closet" and changed its name in 1994 to the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. GLMA changed its name again in 2012 to GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality, later adding the Q to the tagline in 2018.
Mohamad Nasir
Nasir Muhammad at the beginning of 2016 had issued a controversial statement against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT). He questioned the existence of counseling support organization and resource center on Sexuality Studies at the University of Indonesia, the group was said to be an organization rather than a group of students LGBT support group for LGBT and reviewing studies of gender and sexual orientation diversity. Nasir had issued a statement banning LGBT on campus. However, the debate spread to the existence of LGBT people in Indonesia itself to their judgment, and the prohibition of expulsion, violence, intimidation and protests against the LGBT.
LGBT community
The triangle became a symbol for the gay community after the Holocaust. Not only did it represent Jews, but homosexuals who were killed because of German law. During the Holocaust, homosexuals were labeled with pink triangles to distinguish between them, Jews, regular prisoners, and political prisoners. The black triangle is similarly a symbol for females only to represent lesbian sisterhood.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender
The LGBT community remains as one of the country's minority sectors today. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people often face disadvantages in getting hired for jobs, acquiring rights for civil marriage, and even in starting up personal businesses. According to an international research, 10% of the world's population are theoretically part of the LGBT community, out or not, including 12 million Filipinos that may experience discrimination based on who they are. This has led to the rise of the cause for LGBT rights, defined as the right to equality and non-discrimination. As a member of the United Nations, the Philippines is signatory to various international covenants promoting human rights.
LGBT community
In the fall of 1995, the Human Rights Campaign adopted a logo (yellow equal sign on deep blue square) that has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The logo can be spotted the world over and has become synonymous with the fight for equal rights for LGBT people.
Gay pride
Gay pride or LGBT pride is the positive stance against discrimination and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to promote their self-affirmation, dignity, equality rights, increase their visibility as a social group, build community, and celebrate sexual diversity and gender variance. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements throughout the world. Pride has lent its name to LGBT-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals and even a cable TV station and the Pride Library.
LGBT
In 2016, GLAAD's Media Reference Guide states that "LGBTQ" is the preferred initialism, being more inclusive of younger members of the communities who embrace "queer" as a self-descriptor. However, some people consider "queer" to be a derogatory term originating in hate speech and reject it, especially among older members of the community.
LGBT rights by country or territory
Laws affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or territory — encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Rainbow Minute
Previously, there weren’t many radio stations having to do with LGBT communities because not many people identified with being LGBT due to lack of knowledge as to what the term LGBT meant. The only terms people referred to were gay, lesbian, or straight. An article by Bonnie Morris describes the history of gay and lesbian people, "In the United States, few attempts to make advocacy groups supporting gay and lesbian relationships until after World War II, although prewar gay life flourished in urban centers such as Greenwich Village and Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s." Today, more and more radio stations and other forms of media are emerging that are geared specifically towards the LGBT community. Christopher Pullen and Margaret Cooper support this in their book "LGBT Identity and Online New Media" by describing the opportunities that online media give LGBT people to connect with each other, "Through online new media, LGBTs offer person expressions of self, in the construction of public identity." In an article called “Romeo in love: a community format in a community radio,” Tiziana Cavallo talks about the video cast Romeo in Love, which was created in 2008 by one heterosexual and one gay friend (281). Like "The Rainbow Minute", it is a video cast about the lives of LGBT people. This video cast demonstrates the ways in which times have changed regarding associating with LGBT individuals and how people of different communities, such as heterosexual communities, racial communities, etc., are working together to create fairness and respect for everyone of the LGBT community. "The Rainbow Minute" and "Diversity Richmond" give people a place of comfort and safety that give them inspiration and hope for equality.
Gay
The British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell has argued that the term "gay" is merely a cultural expression which reflects the current status of homosexuality within a given society, and claiming that "Queer, gay, homosexual ... in the long view, they are all just temporary identities. One day, we will not need them at all."
LGBT community
The gay community is frequently associated with certain symbols; especially the rainbow or rainbow flags. The Greek lambda symbol ("L" for liberation), triangles, ribbons, and gender symbols are also used as "gay acceptance" symbol. There are many types of flags to represent subdivisions in the gay community, but the most commonly recognized one is the rainbow flag. According to Gilbert Baker, creator of the commonly known rainbow flag, each color represents a value in the community:
LGBT in Colombia
The initialism LGBT is used to refer collectively to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and members of the specific group and to the "community" (subculture) that surrounds them. This can include rights advocates, artists, authors, etc.
Sezen Aksu
Aksu is keen to fight against issues such as misogyny, illiteracy, discrimination, bullying and homophobia. According to the LGBT magazine, KAOS GL, Sezen Aksu is a major gay icon, with the Turkish LGBT community embracing her as a pop culture representative. She is praised by the LGBT community in Turkey and helps other artists who support LGBT people. In 2008, Aksu supported LGBT association Lambdaistanbul, which was closed by a court decision based on "the fact that it is contrary to general morality". Later at her concerts in 2013, a huge rainbow flag symbolizing the LGBT movement was waved on the stage, in support of the SPOD (Social Policy Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association) and the LGBT society and movement.
LGBT Humanists UK
LGBT Humanists UK, founded in 1979, is a special interest section of Humanists UK which campaigns for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality and human rights in the United Kingdom. It also organises social events for LGBT humanists and public awareness initiatives around Humanism.
Intersex and LGBT
LGBT+, or GLBT+, is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, and others. The initialism has become mainstream as a self-designation; it has been adopted by the majority of sexuality and gender identity-based community centers and media in the United States, as well as many other countries.
Gay Bombay
Gay Bombay (abbreviated to GB) is an LGBT social organisation in Mumbai, India, which promotes LGBT rights. It was founded in 1998. The organisation works to create an awareness of gay rights through workshops, film screenings and parties. The organisation aims to create a safe space for the LGBT community.
LGBT
A belief in "lesbian & gay separatism" (not to be confused with the related "lesbian separatism"), holds that lesbians and gay men form (or should form) a community distinct and separate from other groups normally included in the LGBTQ sphere. While not always appearing of sufficient number or organization to be called a movement, separatists are a significant, vocal, and active element within many parts of the LGBT community. In some cases separatists will deny the existence or right to equality of bisexual orientations and of transsexuality, sometimes leading public biphobia and transphobia. In contrasts to separatists, Peter Tatchell of the LGBT human rights group OutRage! argues that to separate the transgender movement from the LGB would be "political madness", stating that:
Societal and cultural aspects of autism
Twainbow is an advocacy organization that provides awareness, education, and support for autistic people who identify as lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT). According to its founder, "Twainbow is a portmanteau of 'twain' (meaning 'two') and 'rainbow.'" Those who are both LGBT and autistic live under two rainbows—the rainbow flag and the autism spectrum." The company also introduced an LGBT-autism Gay Pride flag representing the population.
Homosexuality
Many modern style guides in the U.S. recommend against using "homosexual" as a noun, instead using "gay man" or "lesbian". Similarly, some recommend completely avoiding usage of "homosexual" as it has a negative, clinical history and because the word only refers to one's sexual behavior (as opposed to romantic feelings) and thus it has a negative connotation. "Gay" and "lesbian" are the most common alternatives. The first letters are frequently combined to create the initialism LGBT (sometimes written as GLBT), in which "B" and "T" refer to bisexual and transgender people.
Straight ally
A straight ally or heterosexual ally is a heterosexual and cisgender person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, LGBT social movements, and challenges homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. Despite this, some people who meet this definition do not identify themselves as straight allies. A straight ally believes that LGBT people face discrimination and thus are socially and economically disadvantaged. They aim to use their position as heterosexual or cisgender individuals in a society focused on heteronormativity to fight homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
LGBT culture
LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and queer individuals (and may also include lesser-known identities, such as pansexual). It is sometimes referred to as queer culture (indicating people who are queer), while the term gay culture may be used to mean "LGBT culture," or to refer specifically to homosexual male culture.
LGBT tourism
Gay tourism or LGBT tourism is a form of niche tourism marketed to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. They are usually open about their sexual orientation and gender identity but may be more or less open when traveling; for instance they may be closeted at home or if they have come out, may be more discreet in areas known for violence against LGBT people.
LGBT slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang lexicon used predominantly among LGBT people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese, since the early 1900s as a means by which members of the LGBT community can identify themselves and speak in code with brevity and speed to other LGBTs.
List of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-LGBT hate groups
Anti-LGBT, against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) people, or anti-gay can refer to activities in certain categories (or combination of categories): attitudes against or discrimination against LGBTQ people, violence against LGBT people, LGBTQ rights opposition and religious opposition to LGBTQ people. In its Winter 2010 "Intelligence Report" the SPLC noted that for thirty years going back to Anita Bryant's Christian fundamentalists Save Our Children campaign, the first organized opposition to the gay rights movement defeating an ordinance banning discrimination in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation based on sexual orientation, "hard-line elements of the religious right have been searching for ways to demonize gay people – or, at a minimum, to find arguments that will prevent their normalization in society." These groups utilize anti-gay myths to "form the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed – an opinion rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities." The SPLC notes these anti-gay myths "almost certainly contribute to hate crime violence directed at the LGBT community, which is more targeted for such attacks than any other minority group in America."
LGBT rights in the Commonwealth of Nations
Africa
Sexual assault of LGBT persons
There are varying definitions as to what sexual assault is defined as. According to the United States Department of Justice:"The term 'sexual assault' means any nonconsensual sexual act proscribed by Federal, tribal, or State law, including when the victim lacks capacity to consent."Definitions and laws of sexual assault vary from state to state. The website FindLaw allows users to click on their corresponding to state to read about how their state defines what sexual assault is, as well as what laws and limitations exist. Sexual assault of LGBT individuals refers to the act of sexual violence against persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender amongst other sexualities and sexual minorities.
LGBT conservatism in the United States
LGBT conservatism in the United States refers to a social and political ideology within the LGBT community that largely aligns with the American conservative movement. Although the majority of LGBT people are ideologically liberal and/or supportive of the Democratic Party, a significant proportion of sexual and gender minorities identify as ideologically conservative and/or support the Republican Party. LGBT conservatism is generally more moderate on issues of social conservatism, instead emphasizing values associated with fiscal conservatism, libertarian conservatism, and neoconservatism.
LGBT Foundation
Drawing upon experience gained from MeSMAC Manchester, HGM was formed in 1994 by Paul Martin OBE (current Chief Executive of LGBT Foundation), and Gerard Gudgion with a clear aim to reduce the incidence of HIV infection through sex between men. Famed for its ground-breaking approach to safer sex campaigning, HGM was a pioneering gay men’s health organisation offering free condoms and lube, counselling, services, groups and volunteering opportunities such as condom packing evenings.
LGBT
The initialism has become adopted into the mainstream as an umbrella term for use when labeling topics pertaining to sexuality and gender identity. For example, the LGBT Movement Advancement Project termed community centres, which have services specific to those member of the LGBT community, as "LGBT community centers", in a comprehensive studies of such centres around the United States. The term LGBTQ is advocated for use by "The Association of LGBTQ Journalists" when referring to topics regarding sexuality and gender identity for use by media in the United States, as well as some other English-speaking countries.
Queer anarchism
Queer anarchism (or anarcha-queer) is an anarchist school of thought that advocates anarchism and social revolution as a means of queer liberation and abolition of homophobia, lesbophobia, transmisogyny, biphobia, transphobia, heteronormativity, heterosexism, patriarchy and the gender binary. LGBT and anarchism who campaigned for LGBT rights both outside and inside the anarchist and LGBT movements include John Henry Mackay, Adolf Brand and Daniel Guérin. Individualist anarchist Adolf Brand published "Der Eigene", which was the first publication dedicated to gay issues in the world, published from 1896 to 1932 in Berlin.
Americans for Truth about Homosexuality
Americans for Truth about Homosexuality (AFTAH) is an organization which describes its mission as "exposing the homosexual activist agenda". AFTAH rejects the idea that sexual orientation is inborn and believes that people can "leave the homosexual lifestyle". AFTAH contends that there is a fundamental conflict between gay rights and religious freedom. It is designated as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
Homosexual agenda
Homosexual agenda (or gay agenda) is a term introduced by sectors of the Christian religious right (primarily in the United States) as a disparaging way to describe the advocacy of cultural acceptance and normalization of non-heterosexual orientations and relationships. The term refers to efforts to change government policies and laws on LGBT rights-related issues. Additionally, it has been used by social conservatives and others to describe alleged goals of LGBT rights activists, such as recruiting heterosexuals into what they term a "homosexual lifestyle".
LGBT social movements
Immediately after Stonewall, such groups as the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and the Gay Activists' Alliance (GAA) were formed. Their use of the word "gay" represented a new unapologetic defiance—as an antonym for "straight" ("respectable sexual behaviour"), it encompassed a range of non-normative sexualities and sought ultimately to free the bisexual potential in everyone, rendering obsolete the categories of homosexual and heterosexual. According to Gay Lib writer Toby Marotta, "their Gay political outlooks were not homophile but liberationist". "Out, loud and proud," they engaged in colourful street theatre. The GLF's "A Gay Manifesto" set out the aims for the fledgling gay liberation movement, and influential intellectual Paul Goodman published "The Politics of Being Queer" (1969). Chapters of the GLF were established across the U.S. and in other parts of the Western world. The Front Homosexuel d'Action Révolutionnaire was formed in 1971 by lesbians who split from the Mouvement Homophile de France.
LGBT
The initialism LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. It may be 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 or are questioning their sexual identity; "LGBTQ" has been recorded since 1996. Those who add intersex people to LGBT groups or organizing use an extended initialism LGBTI. The two acronyms are sometimes combined to form the terms LGBTIQ or LGBT+ to encompass spectrums of sexuality and gender. Other, less common variants also exist, motivated by a desire for inclusivity, including those over twice as long which have prompted criticism.
LGBT social movements
The Gay Liberation movement overall, like the gay community generally and historically, did not welcome transgender individuals. The GLF allowed but was not inclusive toward transgender people from its creation, and the GAA specifically excluded transgender people from its agenda, mission and activism. Transgender communities formed their own organizations, including STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), Queen's Liberation Front (QLF), and the Transsexual Activist Organization. Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson founded STAR in 1970 to provide transgender street kids with a free & safe place to live, food, clothing, and an education. QLF was founded by Lee Brewster and Bunny Eisenhower to combat the erasure of drag and transgender visibility in the first LGBT pride march, demonstrating how quickly and fully the gay liberation movement excluded transgender activists despite their key role in the Stonewall Riots and previous LGBTQ activism. TAO, founded by Angela K. Douglas in 1970, was the first international grassroots transgender community organization, and is known for publishing the "Moonshadow" and "Mirage" newsletters.
LGBT Humanists UK
The Gay Humanist Group was founded in response to the "Gay News" 'blasphemy' trial, and worked to combat widespread prejudice and religious bigotry towards LGBT people in the UK, at a time when attitudes to homosexuality were still fairly negative on the whole. Since that time the organisation has played key roles in UK-wide campaigns for LGBT equality, particularly marriage rights for LGBT couples. The group had provided non-recognised humanist marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples since the 1980s, and coordinated a number of such ceremonies outside Parliament to inspire legislative action, which it credits with inspiring Mayor of London Ken Livingstone's London Partnership Register in 2001. This was in turn an inspiration for the 2005 Civil Partnership Act which preceded the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in 2013.
LGBT rights in Washington (state)
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the U.S. state of Washington have evolved significantly since the late 20th century. LGBT people are fully protected from discrimination; Washington enacted LGBT protections in 2006. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2012, and same-sex couples are allowed to adopt. Conversion therapy on minors has also been illegal since 2018.
Washington is frequently referred to as one of the United States' most LGBT-friendly states. A substantial majority of Washingtonians support same-sex marriage.
LGBT
From about 1988, activists began to use the initialism LGBT in the United States. Not until the 1990s within the movement did gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people gain equal respect . Although the LGBT community has seen much controversy regarding universal acceptance of different member groups (bisexual and transgender individuals, in particular, have sometimes been marginalized by the larger LGBT community), the term "LGBT" has been a positive symbol of inclusion.
Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce
The Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce (@LGBTchamber) is a U.S. not-for-profit advocacy group that aims to expand the economic opportunities and advancement of the LGBT business community in Southeast Michigan. Its headquarters are in Detroit. The chamber is an affiliate of the exclusive certifying body for LGBT-owned businesses known as LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs). Since its inception, it was an advocate for the inclusion of LGBT identities at the national level to replace just lesbian and gay. In 2015, the LGBT Chamber was the first in the world to establish pride night games at all four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada under then CEO James Felton Keith.
LGBT
The initialisms "LGBT" or "GLBT" are not agreed to by everyone that they encompass. For example, some argue that transgender and transsexual causes are not the same as that of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. This argument centers on the idea that transgenderism and transsexuality have to do with gender identity, or a person's understanding of being or not being a man or a woman irrespective of their sexual orientation. LGB issues can be seen as a matter of sexual orientation or attraction. These distinctions have been made in the context of political action in which LGB goals, such as same-sex marriage legislation and human rights work (which may not include transgender and intersex people), may be perceived to differ from transgender and transsexual goals.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates &amp; Defenders
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is a non-profit legal rights organization in the United States. The organization works to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression. The organization primarily achieves this goal through litigation, advocacy, and education work in all areas of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights and the rights of people living with HIV. In addition, GLAD operates a legal information line, GLAD Answers, where LGBTQ & HIV+ residents of New England can receive attorney referrals and information about their rights. The organization changed its name to GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders in February 2016.
LGBT rights at the United Nations
Africa
LGBT
Despite the fact that "LGBT" does not nominally encompass all individuals in smaller communities (see Variants below), the term is generally accepted to include those not specifically identified in the four-letter initialism. Overall, the use of the term "LGBT" has, over time, largely aided in bringing otherwise marginalized individuals into the general community. Transgender actress Candis Cayne in 2009 described the LGBT community "the last great minority", noting that "We can still be harassed openly" and be "called out on television".
Demi Lovato
In May 2014, Lovato was named the LA Pride Parade Grand Marshal and the lead performer for NYC Pride Week for her contribution to the LGBT community. NYC Pride spokesperson Patti Diluigi said, "Demi Lovato is an amazing role model for today's youth, both LGBT and non-LGBT, for her activism in the area of equality, positive messaging on body image, and level of openness with her struggles. As a community, we're fortunate to have an ally like Demi." Lovato has also become the face of Human Rights Campaign's America's for Marriage Equality. For the announcement of the campaign, Lovato stated "Whether you're LGBT or straight, your love is valid, beautiful and an incredible love. So let's protect love and strengthen the institution of marriage by allowing loving, caring and committed same-sex couples to legally marry. Please join me and the majority of American citizens who support marriage equality." On April 2, 2016, Lovato received the GLAAD Vanguard Award for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the LGBT community at the 27th GLAAD Media Awards ceremony.
LGBT Labour
LGBT Labour, the Labour Campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights, is a socialist society affiliated to the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. Originally called the Gay Labour Group, the stated purpose of this organisation is to campaign within the Labour Party and wider Labour movement to promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, as well as to encourage members of the LGBT community to support the Labour Party.
Los Angeles
LGBT
LGBT conservatism
LGBT conservatism refers to a socio-political movement which embraces and promotes the ideology of conservatism within an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) context. Gay conservatives may also refer to lesbian or gay persons with conservative political views. The number of openly LGBT advocates for conservative policies has only become increasingly apparent since the advent of the modern LGBT civil rights movement in the 1970s while many more LGBT conservatives remain closeted in countries where other socially conservative politicians have led the most organized opposition to LGBT rights efforts as well as the backlash from liberal LGBT. The situation and ideology for LGBT conservatives varies by each country's social and political LGBT rights climate.
Gay
Starting in the mid-1980s in the United States, a conscious effort was under way, within what was then only called the gay community, to add the term "lesbian" to the name of all gay organizations that catered to both male and female homosexuals, and to use the terminology of gay and lesbian, or lesbian/gay when referring to that community. So, organizations like the National Gay Task Force became the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. For many ardent feminist lesbians, it was also important that the "L" come first, lest an "L" following a "G" become another symbol of male dominance over women, although other women prefer the usage "gay woman". In the 1990s, this was followed by another equally concerted push to include the terminology specifically pointing out the inclusion of bisexual, transgender, intersex, and other people, reflecting the intra-community debate as to whether these other sexual minorities were part of the same human rights movement. Most news organizations have formally adopted variations of this use, following the example and preference of the organizations, as reflected in their press releases and public communications.
Straight ally
Most LGBT organizations have straight members involved; others actively encourage straight participation. A gay–straight alliance is a student-run club that brings together LGBT and straight students to create a platform for activism to fight homophobia and transphobia. There are also some groups that unite the LGBT community to work together with straight allies. Founded in 1973, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is the original straight ally organization, started by Jeanne Manford, mother of the Straight Ally movement. Based in the United States, PFLAG unites parents, families, friends, and straight allies with the LGBT community to move equality forward for LGBT people. In 2007, the organization launched a new project, Straight for Equality to help more straight allies become engaged in the LGBT movement in the workplace, healthcare, and now in faith communities. Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is another organization specifically formed to group allies of this cause.
Services &amp; Advocacy for GLBT Elders
Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders (SAGE) is America's oldest and largest non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults, focusing on the issue of LGBT ageing. According to its mission statement, "SAGE leads in addressing issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) aging. In partnership with its constituents and allies, SAGE works to achieve a high quality of life for LGBT older people, supporters and advocates for their rights, fosters a greater understanding of aging in all communities, and promotes positive images of LGBT life in later years." SAGE is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on advocacy on the local and federal levels, as well as activities, groups and programs that encourage LGBT older adults to stay connected with each other and the community.
LGBT movements in the United States
LGBT movements are opposed by a variety of individuals and organizations. They may have a personal, moral, political or religious objection to gay rights, homosexual relations or gay people. Opponents say same-sex relationships are not marriages, that legalization of same-sex marriage will open the door for the legalization of polygamy, that it is unnatural and that it encourages unhealthy behavior. Some social conservatives believe that all sexual relationships with people other than an opposite-sex spouse undermines the traditional family and that children should be reared in homes with both a father and a mother. Since society has become more accepting of homosexuality, there has been the emergence of many groups that desire to end homosexuality; during the 1990s, one of the best known groups that was established with this goal is the ex-gay movement.
LGBT-affirming denominations in Judaism
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) affirming denominations in Judaism (also called gay-affirming) are Jewish religious groups that welcome LGBT members and do not consider homosexuality to be a sin. They include both entire Jewish denominations, as well as individual synagogues. Some are composed mainly of non-LGBT members and also have specific programs to welcome LGBT people, while others are composed mainly of LGBT members.
Feminist views on transgender topics
The 2018 Pride in London march was disrupted by a small group of lesbians calling themselves "Get the L Out". The group carried banners with the phrases 'Lesbian = Female Homosexual', 'Lesbian not Queer', and 'Transactivism Erases Lesbians', while giving out leaflets stating that LGBTQ politics had failed lesbians and was contributing to lesbian erasure and compulsory heterosexuality. A member of the group described their motivation as follows: "We protested the LGBT movement as a whole and Pride specifically because many lesbians feel erased and betrayed by a movement which claimed to represent us. The L in 'LGBT' is meaningless when the LGBT organisations claim that a man can identify as 'lesbian.'" The group was condemned as transphobic or "anti-trans" by several news outlets, and the organizers of Pride in London published a public apology, condemning the group of "a level of bigotry, ignorance and hate that is unacceptable." There had been a similar protest at Auckland Pride Festival a few months earlier, with a banner saying "Stop giving kids sex hormones - protect lesbian youth".
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) social movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT+ people in society. Social movements may focus on equal rights, such as the 2000s movement for marriage equality, or they may focus on liberation, as in the gay liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Earlier movements focused on self-help and self-acceptance, such as the homophile movement of the 1950s. Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBT+ people and their interests, numerous LGBT rights organizations are active worldwide. The earliest organizations to support LGBT+ rights were formed in the 19th century.
Civil rights movements
Gay Liberationists aimed at transforming fundamental concepts and institutions of society, such as gender and the family. In order to achieve such liberation, consciousness raising and direct action were employed. Specifically, the word 'gay' was preferred to previous designations such as homosexual or homophile; some saw 'gay' as a rejection of the false dichotomy heterosexual/homosexual. Lesbians and gays were urged to "come out" and publicly reveal their sexuality to family, friends and colleagues as a form of activism, and to counter shame with gay pride. "Gay Lib" groups were formed in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, the UK, the US, Italy and elsewhere. The lesbian group Lavender Menace was also formed in the U.S. in response to both the male domination of other Gay Lib groups and the anti-lesbian sentiment in the Women's Movement. Lesbianism was advocated as a feminist choice for women, and the first currents of lesbian separatism began to emerge.
National LGBT Bar Association
The LGBT Bar established this award in 2010 to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender legal professionals under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their field and demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBT equality.
History of gay men in the United States
GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) is a U.S. non-governmental media monitoring organization which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media. Before March 2013, the name "GLAAD" had been an acronym for "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation," but became the primary name due to its inclusiveness of bisexual and transgender issues. Its stated mission, in part, is to "[amplify] the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively". Formed in New York City in 1985 to protest against what it saw as the "New York Post"'s defamatory and sensationalized AIDS coverage, GLAAD put pressure on media organizations to end what it saw as homophobic reporting. Initial meetings were held in the homes of several New York City activists as well as after-hours at the New York State Council on the Arts. The founding group included film scholar Vito Russo; Gregory Kolovakos, then on the staff of the NYS Arts Council and who later became the first executive director; Darryl Yates Rist; Allen Barnett; and Jewelle Gomez, the organization's first treasurer. Some members of GLAAD went on to become the early members of ACT UP.
In 1987, after a meeting with GLAAD, "The New York Times" changed its editorial policy to use the word gay instead of harsher terms referring to homosexuality. GLAAD advocated that the "Associated Press" and other television and print news sources follow. GLAAD's influence soon spread to Los Angeles, where organizers began working with the entertainment industry to change the way LGBT people were portrayed on screen.
LGBT community
The LGBT community represented by a social component of the global community that is believed by many, including heterosexual allies, to be underrepresented in the area of civil rights. The current struggle of the gay community has been largely brought about by globalization. In the United States, World War II brought together many closeted rural men from around the nation and exposed them to more progressive attitudes in parts of Europe. Upon returning home after the war, many of these men decided to band together in cities rather than return to their small towns. Fledgling communities would soon become political in the beginning of the gay rights movement, including monumental incidents at places like Stonewall. Today, many large cities have gay and lesbian community centers. Many universities and colleges across the world have support centers for LGBT students. The Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, the Empowering Spirits Foundation, and GLAAD advocate for LGBT people on a wide range of issues in the United States. There is also an International Lesbian and Gay Association. In 1947, when the United Kingdom adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), LGBT activists clung to its concept of equal, inalienable rights for all people, regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation. The declaration does not specifically mention gay rights, but discusses equality and freedom from discrimination. In 1962, Clark Polak joined The Janus Society in Philadelphia, PA. Only a year after, he became president. In 1968, he announced that the Society would be changing their name to Homosexual Law Reform Society; “Homosexuals are now willing to fly under their own colors” (Stewart, 1968).
Pride
"Gay pride" refers to a worldwide movement and philosophy asserting that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBT pride advocates work for equal "rights and benefits" for LGBT people. The movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that sexual diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered.
PFLAG
The acronym "PFLAG" (pronounced ) originally stood for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (later broadened to Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Until removal of the hyphen in 1993 the name was officially styled as P-FLAG. In 2014 the membership of the organization voted to officially change the name to PFLAG to reflect the decades of fully inclusive work it had been doing in the LGBTQ community.
LGBT Qaamaneq
LGBT Qaamaneq’s aim is to work for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people’s political, social, cultural and workplace equality at every level of society. The association seeks to work against discrimination and to function as a dedicated lobby for the purpose of influencing lawmakers, for example in areas such as marriages, adoption, the artificial insemination of lesbians, and rights for transpersons.
Cultural competency training
LGBTQIAP community, race, and religion. These areas, along with others, represent concepts that make up one’s identity. The approach to identity helps to shape the ideas and themes that go into cultural competence training.
The acronym LGBTQIAP stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Ally, and Pansexual. This particular group of individuals has faced numerous obstacles and has historical events to highlight the inequalities they face such as the Stonewall riots. The Stonewall riots became a symbol for the gay liberation movement when police attempted a raid at the Stonewall Inn bar to arrest the gay and lesbian patrons and the gay community fought back. Numerous systemic oppressions historically and currently target LGBT individuals. Cultural competence training helps professionals develop knowledge and skills on how to address issues and be more aware on the type of language that is politically correct.
LGBT liaison officer
An LGBT liaison is any individual employed by an organization or institution as a point of contact, serving as both a spokesperson for the organization to a local LGBT demographics as well as a representative of LGBT interests to the leaders of the organization. LGBT liaisons typically play an advisory role to organizations or government branches.
Khofifah Indar Parawansa
In response to homophobic rhetoric from some officials and religious preachers, Khofifah on 16 January 2016 told the House of Representatives that the Social Affairs Ministry does not acknowledge the categorization or term "LGBT" (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) but only recognizes "people living with HIV/AIDS and minorities". She said the ministry's task is "to restore the respective social behaviors of men and women", an effort which "needs to be maximized in order to go back to the way it was before".
Gay Liberation Front
The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) advocated for sexual liberation for all people; they believed heterosexuality was a remnant of cultural inhibition and felt that change would not come about unless the current social institutions were dismantled and rebuilt without defined sexual roles. To do this, the GLF was intent on transforming the idea of the nuclear family and making it more akin to a loose affiliation of members without biological subtexts. Prominent members of the GLF also opposed and addressed other social inequalities between the years of 1969 to 1973 such as militarism, racism, and sexism, but because of internal rivalries the GLF officially ended its operations in 1973.
LGBTQ migration
Refugees, defined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), are displaced persons who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” LGBTQ refugees are those who are persecuted due to their sexuality or gender orientation and are unable to find protection from their home nation. Individuals can seek refugee status or asylum in several different ways: they can register at an U.N. outpost, visit their intended country and a visa and apply once they are in the country, or they can make a report at their official government representation headquarters. Once a claim is filed, the intended country for reallocation evaluates eligibility of asylum requirements.[UNHCR] During meetings to determine eligibility and suitability, applicants face obstacles that can prevent them from making a successful claim.
Rainbow flag (LGBT movement)
The rainbow flag, commonly known as the gay pride flag or LGBT pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride and LGBT social movements. Other older uses of rainbow flags include a symbol of peace. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, as the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride during LGBT rights marches. While this use of the rainbow flag originated in Northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area, the flag is now used worldwide.
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual or cisgender. 
Originally meaning "strange" or "peculiar", "queer" came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the late 1980s, queer activists, such as the members of Queer Nation, began to reclaim the word as a deliberately provocative and politically radical alternative to the more assimilationist branches of the LGBT community.
LGBT linguistics
LGBT linguistics is the study of language revolving around people identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). Related or synonymous terms include lavender linguistics, advanced by William Leap in the 1990s, which "encompass[es] a wide range of everyday language practices" in LGBTQ communities, and queer linguistics, which more specifically refers to linguistics overtly concerned with exposing heteronormativity. The former term derives from the longtime association of the color lavender with LGBTQ communities. "Language", in this context, may refer to any aspect of spoken or written linguistic practices, including speech patterns and pronunciation, use of certain vocabulary, and, in a few cases, an elaborate alternative lexicon such as Polari.
Early studies in the field of LGBT linguistics were dominated by the concept of distinct "lavender lexicons" such as that recorded by Gershon Legman in 1941. In 1995 William Leap, whose work incorporates LGBTQ culture studies, cultural theory, and linguistics, called for scholarship to move toward a fuller and more nuanced study of LGBTQ language use. Anna Livia and Kira Hall have noted that while research in the 1960s and 1970s on the difference between men's and women's speech made the implicit assumption that gender was the relevant way to divide the social space, there is still considerable room for linguistic research based on sexual orientation, rather than gender.
LGBT
Many people have looked for a generic term to replace the numerous existing initialisms. Words such as "queer" (an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities that are not heterosexual, or gender-binary) and "rainbow" have been tried, but most have not been widely adopted. "Queer" has many negative connotations to older people who remember the word as a taunt and insult and such (negative) usage of the term continues. Many younger people also understand "queer" to be more politically charged than "LGBT". "Rainbow" has connotations that recall hippies, New Age movements, and groups such as the Rainbow Family or Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. "SGL" ("same gender loving") is sometimes favored among gay male African Americans as a way of distinguishing themselves from what they regard as white-dominated LGBT communities.
LGBT Danmark
LGBT Danmark – Landsforeningen for bøsser, lesbiske, biseksuelle og transpersoner () is a lobby for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people. The association was founded in 1948 as "Circle of 1948" ("Kredsen af 1948"). The current name has been in use since November 2009; its former name, in use for 24 years prior, was Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske, Forbundet af 1948, shortened to "LBL".
LGBT
The National Institutes of Health have framed LGBT, others "whose sexual orientation and/or gender identity varies, those who may not self-identify as LGBT" and also intersex populations (as persons with disorders of sex development) as "sexual and gender minority" (SGM) populations. This has led to the development of an NIH SGM Health Research Strategic Plan. The Williams Institute has used the same term in a report on an international sustainable development goals, but excluding intersex populations.
LGBT movements in the United States
This is an international organization for gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and intersex people who identify as members or ex-members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Affirmation holds that "homosexuality and homosexual relationships can be consistent with and supported by the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
LGBT community centre
An LGBT community centre (American spelling: LGBT community center), or pride center, is a building which hosts services for non-heterosexual youth, seniors, adult men and women, and trans individuals, as well as an organization which owns and maintains such a building on a non-profit, non-political basis.
Media portrayal of LGBT people
Film
LGBTQ psychology
LGBTQ psychology stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer psychology. In the past this field was known as Lesbian and Gay psychology. Now it also includes Bisexual and Transgender identities and behaviours. In addition, the "Q" stands for Queer which includes sexual identities and behaviours that go beyond traditional sex and gender labels, roles and expectations.
Identity politics
The gay liberation movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride. In the feminist spirit of the personal being political, the most basic form of activism was an emphasis on coming out to family, friends and colleagues, and living life as an openly lesbian or gay person. While the 1970s were the peak of "gay liberation" in New York City and other urban areas in the United States, "gay liberation" was the term still used instead of "gay pride" in more oppressive areas into the mid-1980s, with some organizations opting for the more inclusive, "lesbian and gay liberation". While women and transgender activists had lobbied for more inclusive names from the beginning of the movement, the initialism LGBT, or "Queer" as a counterculture shorthand for LGBT, did not gain much acceptance as an umbrella term until much later in the 1980s, and in some areas not until the '90s or even '00s. During this period in the United States, identity politics were largely seen in these communities in the definitions espoused by writers such as self-identified, "black, dyke, feminist, poet, mother" Audre Lorde's view, that lived experience matters, defines us, and is the only thing that grants authority to speak; that, "If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive."
Pride flag
The term pride flag typically refers to any one of the flags representing a group or part of the LGBT movement. The Rainbow flag is the most widely used LGBT flag and LGBT symbol in general. There are many derivative versions of the flag to focus on specific groups within the LGBT community. There are also some pride flags that are not exclusively related to LGBT matters, such as the polyamory flag. The words LGBT flags and Queer flags are often used interchangeably.
LGBT Danmark
LGBT Denmark’s aim is to work for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people’s political, social, cultural and workplace equality at every level of society. The association seeks to work against discrimination and to function as a dedicated lobby for the purpose of influencing lawmakers, for example in areas such as marriages, adoption, the artificial insemination of lesbians, and rights for transpersons.
Think Before You Speak (campaign)
The Think Before You Speak campaign is a television, radio, and magazine advertising campaign launched in 2008 and developed to raise awareness of the common use of derogatory vocabulary among youth towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) people. It also aims to "raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBTQ bias and behaviour in America’s schools." As LGBTQ people have become more accepted in the mainstream culture more studies have confirmed that they are one of the most targeted groups for harassment and bullying. An "analysis of 14 years of hate crime data" by the FBI found that gays and lesbians, or those perceived to be gay, "are far more likely to be victims of a violent hate crime than any other minority group in the United States". “As Americans become more accepting of LGBT people, the most extreme elements of the anti-gay movement are digging in their heels and continuing to defame gays and lesbians with falsehoods that grow more incendiary by the day,” said Mark Potok, editor of the Intelligence Report. “The leaders of this movement may deny it, but it seems clear that their demonization of gays and lesbians plays a role in fomenting the violence, hatred and bullying we’re seeing.” Because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, nearly half of LGBTQ students have been physically assaulted at school. The campaign takes positive steps to counteract hateful and anti-gay speech that LGBTQ students experience in their daily lives in hopes to de-escalate the cycle of hate speech/harassment/bullying/physical threats and violence.
Q-Factor (LGBT)
Q-Factor is a non-profit organization based in Denmark. The focus is on the promotion of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) equality through business as well as within the workplace. The influence is typically within the European markets but not exclusively. Through partnerships with other non-profit organizations as well as corporations, Q-Factor promotes equality via different mediums ranging from independent research projects to local trainings to cooperative planning of international conferences. Q-Factor is continually looking for new ways to increase LGBT equality and inclusion through business.
LGBT rights in the Commonwealth of Nations
Africa
LGBT symbols
Page describes the meaning of the pink, lavender, and blue (ratio 2:1:2) flag as this: "The pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex only (gay and lesbian). The blue represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only (straight) and the resultant overlap color purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes (bi)."
He also describes the flag's meaning in deeper terms, stating "The key to understanding the symbolism of the Bisexual pride flag is to know that the purple pixels of color blend unnoticeably into both the pink and blue, just as in the 'real world,' where bi people blend unnoticeably into both the gay/lesbian and straight communities.
Sexual assault
LGBT
LGBT rights in Minnesota
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Minnesota have the same rights and responsibilities as non-LGBT people. Minnesota became the first U.S. state to outlaw both sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in 1993, protecting LGBT people from discrimination in the fields of employment, housing and public accommodations. In 2013, the state legalized same-sex marriage, after a bill allowing such marriages was passed by the Minnesota Legislature and subsequently signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton. This followed a 2012 ballot initiative, in which voters rejected constitutionally banning same-sex marriage.
Helem
Helem () is a Lebanese non-profit organization working on improving the legal and social status of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT). Helem (complete name , "ḥimāya lubnāniya lil-mithliyīn", literally "Lebanese Protection for homosexuals") is the first LGBT advocacy group in the Arab World. Helem means "dream" in Arabic.
LGBT in the United States
In the 21st century, defending homosexuals against homophobia and gay bashing and other forms of discrimination is a major element of American gay rights, something gay rights groups see as part of a broader struggle for human rights. Among the voices for the LGBT community are Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF or The Task Force). The ideological split is seen between these two organizations. The Task Force is usually seen as more progressive and left of center, whereas HRC is seen as more centrist. Progressive gay rights organizations include the Empowering Spirits Foundation (Empowering Spirits or ESF), the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Safe Space America (safespaceamerica.org) a door to door grassroots education initiative to help end violence, bullying and discrimination of everyone including the LGBTQ community, the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Stonewall Democrats, and various local gay community centers. Gay rights organizations include the Log Cabin Republicans, the Independent Gay Forum and even other organizations have arisen such as "Gays and Lesbians for Individual Liberty" and the "Outright Libertarians". The United States Green Party has an LGBT "Lavender Greens" caucus.
Gay village
London's LGBT community has historically been centred around Soho since the 18th century, and Old Compton Street in particular, where bars, clubs, restaurants, cafés, shops and theatres now line the streets. Vauxhall, known colloquially as Voho, is also popular, which homes bars, nightclubs and a sauna as well as the historic Royal Vauxhall Tavern and Above The Stag Theatre, the UK's only LGBT theatre. Recently, venues in Dalston, Shoreditch and Bethnal Green have become popular with the LGBT community. The Gay Liberation Front in the UK started in London in the 1970s, which spawned the first official UK Gay Pride Rally in the city in 1972. London's Pride festival is now celebrated across the centre of city at the end of June, with particular focus on the main stage at Trafalgar Square and venues in Soho and Vauxhall. Pride is the only annual event to close London's Oxford Street and draws thousands of spectators each year. In 2014, more than 750,000 people attended London Pride. According to an Office for National Statistics survey in 2010, London is home to the highest percentage of British people who identify as either gay, lesbian or bisexual than anywhere else in the UK at 2.5%. LGBT organisations in the city include the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard and OutRage!. Stonewall, founded in 1989, is now the UK's biggest LGBT charity and is based in London. HIV/AIDS charities Terrence Higgins Trust and National AIDS Trust are also based in London as well as "PinkNews", a popular LGBT online newspaper. National LGBT magazines "Gay Times", "Attitude" and "DIVA" are also based in the city, as are publications "QX", "Boyz", "So So Gay", "Out in the City" which are distributed exclusively in the capital.
British LGBT Awards
The British LGBT Awards are a British award show that aim to recognize individuals and organizations that display "outstanding" commitment to the LGBT community. LGBT celebrities or straight allies are among the people that are recognized. The 2015 ceremony was held on 24 April. In 2016 and 2017, the awards were held on 13 and 12 May respectively.