The following definitions will help you to understand these terms. People are often confused by the terms lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and the related acronym LGBTQIA+.
Students are encouraged to learn about the history, struggles, movement and context of the LGBTQIA+ community. This guide provides an introduction and educational resources to the significant diversity in gender roles, sexualities, and identities. This uprising marked the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQIA+ Americans. LGBTQIA+ Pride Month is commemorated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, where patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn staged an uprising to resist the police harassment and persecution to which LGBTQIA+ Americans were commonly subjected. June 2020 marked the 50 year anniversary of annual LGBTQIA+ Pride traditions. This includes people who identify as pansexual, demisexual or other sexual orientations and gender identities not easily summed up in one term.
The "+" plus sign is often included at the end of the acronym LGBTQIA+ to encompass anyone else who doesn’t feel included in the other categories. Then the letter "A" was added on to to and for allies (a person who is not LGBT but who actively supports the LGBT community) or asexual (a person who doesn't experience sexual attraction) or both. The additional letter "I" was added on recently to include people who are Intersex , which is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male, according to the Intersex Society of North America. The additional letter "Q" was added on some time later to stand for queer or individuals questioning of their sexual identity. LQBT may refer to anyone is non-cisgender or non-heterosexual, not just people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. In use since the 1990s, the LGBT term began to replace the term gay in reference to the broader LGBT community. This guide is designed to be a starting point for individuals interested in the history and movement of LGBTQIA+, and about sexual orientation and sexual identity. Welcome to the Moreno Valley College Library's research guide on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Ally/Asexual, PLUS everyone else who is not included (LGBTQIA+) Studies.