FYI: LGBTQI

I love Jared Leto. That is obvious whenever I hear a 30 Seconds To Mars song, see a photo of him somewhere, see that he's posted on any one of his numerous social networking accounts, or if the Academy Awards are mentioned at all. I love him. I love him.
He's a passionate, artistic, understanding and genuinely funny. He also doesn't seem to age. He turned 42 on Boxing Day last year and recently was interviewed by Lynn Hirschberg for W Magazine. (Just a sidenote: I love these "screen tests" Hirschberg produces and I'm addicted to watching them. My favourites are Elle Fanning and Michael Fassbender.) Jared Leto wanted to emphasise that the character he played in Dallas Buyers Club wasn't just a man dressing in drag, but a trans* woman. He then elaborates that in-character as Rayon he was treated at times with confusion and even disgust. I'm hoping that if (and I'm only saying "if" because "when" is too presumptuous, but it's pretty much in the bag) he wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor that more people with little knowledge about trans* men and women can gain a better understanding from watching the movie.

I've compiled a list of questions a person may be too afraid to ask about LGBTQI. And if you didn't know some of these things, don't be ashamed or sad. You most likely wouldn't be taught them at school, which is something your government should be ashamed of.

What does LGBTQI stand for? Wasn't it a shorter acronym before?It stands for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning Intersex. This acronym is seen as more inclusive than "gay community". A "G" may be placed before the "L". Other variants may include Unsure (U), Curious (C), Transexual or Transvestite (an additional T), Two-Spirit Persons (2 or TS), Allies or Straight Allies (A or SA), Asexual (A), Pansexual (P), Polyamorous (P), HIV-affected (H) and Other (O). There are many more variations and there have always been more included over time. Personally, I think the term "gay community" seems a little outdated.

What is a transgendered person? 
Someone whose self/gender identity differs from the social expectations of their physical sex they were born with. A trans* man is a man physically born female but identifies as male. A trans* woman was born male but identifies as female. Transgender is an umbrella term for transvestites, transexuals, gender-queers, and those who identify as neither a man nor a woman. Transgender is not a sexual orientation. Trans* people may have any kind of sexual orientation, and although they may fall under the trans* category, the person may not identify as such.

What is the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality?
Do not lump these two orientations together. Someone who is bisexual is attracted to two genders or two sexes, but not necessarily equally. This definition could be seen as inaccurate, as their are more than two genders and two sexes. A person who is pansexual is fluid in sexual orientation, gender and/or sex identity. When someone tells you they're pansexual, take their word for it. Don't call them bisexual when they didn't tell you they were. It's disrespectful and invalidates their orientation.

What is polyamory?
Multiple open relationships of love and respect. For example: Betty, Susan, Kevin and Bob are all in intimate relationships simultaneously. Not to be confused with polygamy (a man married to more than one woman) or polyandry (a woman married to more than one man).


What's asexual?
Someone who has no sex organs, and may also refer to a person who isn't sexually active or sexually attracted to people.

What's a "twink" and what's a "bear"?
Both are slang terms for gay men. A "twink" is a young man and a "bear" is a large, and often, hairy man. A "cub" is therefore a young "bear". I included this question because I've been asked by straight men what a "twink" was.

What's a "fag hag"?
A slang term for a woman whose friends are mostly gay men. Also another question asked by a straight man.


Why a rainbow flag?
The rainbow flag symbolises the diversity of the LGBTQI community. It originated in 1978 in San Fransisco, USA. It was originally made up of eight colours: hot pink (sexuality), red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), turquoise (magic/art), indigo (serenity/harmony), and violet (spirit). After fabric shortages and other changes, the rainbow flag didn't include hot pink or turquoise.

Does "queer" mean "gay"?
"Queer" is an umbrella term for LGBTQI. It doesn't just mean a homosexual man.

Did the Nazis really give queer people symbols for their orientations? 
Oh, yes. Queer men and women were persecuted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Gay men were forced to wear pink triangles, lesbians (or just women perceived as such because they didn't follow the social expectations of their gender) wore forced to wear black triangles. Gay Jewish men were forced to wear a yellow triangle with a pink triangle on top. It is estimated between 5,000 - 15,000 gay men alone perished in concentration camps. It wasn't until 2002 that the German government apologised to the LGBTQI community.

What do tell if someone is LGBTQI (or other)?
You usually can't "tell". You're not supposed to. This is never your business to know. It's not up to you to define another person's gender or sexual orientation. You can't tell anyone if they're "normal" or not. "Normal" went out the window the moment humans started existing. How you identify yourself is all you need to ever do, and sometimes, that doesn't matter either. In other words, don't be so fucking judgmental.