The Beginner’s Guide to the LGBTQ+ Community

We compiled easy-to-understand online resources about LGBTQ+ people that you can use to educate yourselves. This isn’t just for queer folks; it can help you and your friends learn how to be a good ally as well. As the title of the article suggests, this is just an introduction to LGBTQ+ terminologies, identities, issues, history, and media. It’s always best to go out and learn more about the world of the rainbow warriors! 🏳️‍🌈

Pride Month may have ended in June, but if you think about it, the fight for equal rights is far from over. School’s out anyway, so do you really have anything better to do?

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Difference Between Sex, Gender & Everything Else (SOGIESC)

The words sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression may be confusing for some. In most cases, we tend to actually interchange them. Hell, I still get confused sometimes too! Here is a quick video that shows you what they all mean in a nutshell:

Takeaway: While gender is a term that refers to how society expects us to behave and act, sex is mainly biological.

The Different Sexualities and Labels

Have you ever come across someone identifying themselves as demisexual, but never knew what they meant? It’s a small victory that most people already know what the letters in LGBT stand for, but there’s a reason the community uses a rainbow flag as its symbol. Sexuality is a spectrum, and in it, you’ll find lots of colorful terms that members of the community use to empower themselves!

Unite UK’s A-Z List of Sexualities covers most common terms people use to describe their sexuality. Healthline’s 46 Terms That Describe Attraction, Behavior and Orientation is a great dictionary to learn more about terminologies used within the community. But don’t feel pressured to fit into the labels in those websites. You do you, boo!

Takeaway: “Queer” is an umbrella term for people who aren’t homosexual. It used to have a negative connotation, but the community is reclaiming it.

Pride Month Origin and History

Now let’s delve deeper into how Pride Month started, because it’s a good reminder to us all that gender is intersectional. This means that we can’t tackle it without considering other factors like race and class. Why do I mention that? Because two black trans women, Marsha P. Johnson and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy were at the forefront of the gay rights movement. However, it is an unfortunate fact that BIPOC transwomen nowadays are more susceptible to discrimination and hate crimes. Some white gay men even shun them out of the community!

Bobby Berk’s short write-up tells us a little bit more about Johnson and Griffin-Gracy, the Stonewall Riots, and the origin of Pride Month. Refinery29’s From Stonewall to Pride 50 succinctly tells us about what happens after!

Takeaway: Our trans brothers and sisters are just as important as everyone else in our community. Period.

Straight Privilege

In the same way that white privilege exists, straight people don’t realize the luxuries that they are afforded just for being born straight. It’s Pronounced Metrosexual lists over forty examples of heterosexual or straight privilege in action. If you are reading this article as an ally, it’s a great way to realize how your queer friends’ lives are harder just for being themselves. This article on Bustle is a great addition to the topic, going into more detail.

Takeaway: If you’re straight and can’t wrap your head around why Straight Pride is wrong, then recognize that you already enjoy so many privileges. Straight Pride is unnecessary AF.

LGBTQ+ Issues and Hate Crimes

Unfortunately, we can’t talk about LGBTQ+ community without acknowledging the issues that we face on a micro- and macro-level. For every topic in the list, I linked a short article. Just a note that there are endless articles for these issues because they are more complex and needs more reading to fully understand. This whole list is just a starting point to learn more about them. Safe to say that these should not be read if you do not feel comfortable.

• LGBTQ Youth and Suicide
• LGBTQ Youth, Family Conflict & Homelessness
• LGBTQ Killings & Murders
• LGBTQ Hate Crimes
• LGBTQ Workplace Discrimination
• LGBTQ Healthcare Discrimination
• LGBTQ Discrimination in Media
• Same-Sex Marriage Issues in the World
• Trans Bathroom Access
• Gay Conversion Therapy

Takeaway: With the amount of shit that the LGBTQ+ community faces every day, we are some of the bravest people to walk this earth.

LGBTQ+ Film Recommendations

There are plenty of LGBTQ movies to watch, including documentaries. The content is endless! I mean, just look at Rotten Tomatoes‘ list of the 200 best LGBT movies of all-time. Or if you feel like you’ve watched all the popular ones already, you could always check out The Guardian‘s list of best queer films you haven’t seen. If you’re bummed out that the Pride March was cancelled due to coronavirus (she’s homophobic), you can always make it feel like Pride at home! Just stream your movie of choice and let the laughter and tears roll.

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I hope that these resources gave you a deeper insight into yourself, the people around you, and the larger LGBTQ+ community. Remember, all of our experiences are different, but in the end, we are all just human. No matter what your sexuality is and what you identify as, it’s everybody’s responsibility to take care of each other as decent human beings. And educating yourself on the issues is what will give you the empathy that you need to do just that.

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Featured Image: Gotta Be Worth It on Pexels