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This increasingly popular term, however, is a gender-netural alternative to Latina/o and which many have used in the past to acknowledge the gendered (masculine/feminine) nature of the Spanish language. If you've seen references to "Latinx" individuals or communities online, you may have initially thought the word contained a typo. The word “transsexual” appears on this microsite within the context of the history of medicine, including the work of Dr. “Transgender” is a term coined by Virginia Prince (the publisher of Transvestia who identified as a transvestite) in 1970, and is used as an umbrella term to describe transexuals, transvestites, and other non-gender conforming identities. "Transsexual” is a term that physicians employed in the early to mid-twentieth century to describe individuals who identified with and wanted to physically become members of the opposite sex. The word “homosexual” appears in this microsite within a historical context or when discussing significant LGBTQ locations that talk about the study of homosexuality within the medical field. The shift in language reflected the growing connection that lesbians felt to the experiences and struggles of heterosexual feminists, often outweighing their identification with gay men.
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It wasn’t until the 1970s that many queer women began to identify specifically as lesbians. This changed in the 1960s, when LGBTQ activists politicized the word “gay” in an effort to obtain civil rights and access to social services.
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The term was widely used throughout the twentieth century yet used predominantly by heterosexuals in the second half of the century.įrom the 1930s through the 1960s, LGBTQ individuals increasingly used the word “gay” to describe all non-heteronormative individuals. “Homosexual” refers to an individual who engages in same-sex sexual behaviors. When used as a noun, “queer” continues to have a negative connotation. Within the microsite, we use “queer” as an adjective rather than a noun to describe communities of individuals who are non-heteronormative. Unlike the word “homosexual,” “queer” embraces a broad range of identities, including bisexual individuals. “Queer” as an Umbrella Termīy contrast, “queer” is often used to describe all non-heteronormative individuals.īefore the 1990s, when “queer” was reclaimed by LGBTQ activists and scholars as a term that was all-inclusive and empowering, it was a pejorative word used to insult and demean those who were non-heterosexual and non-gender conforming.Īmong younger LGBTQ individuals, who commonly do not identify with a specific LGBT+ label, “queer” is a popular term because it acknowledges the fluidity of gender and sexuality. “Non-heteronormative” refers to individuals who do not adhere to these expectations. When this term is used on the microsite, it references the broad range of traditional sexual and gender identities and expressions within American society. Under this paradigm, social expectations around gender align (and often conflate) with Western ideals of the heterosexual male and female.
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The term “heteronormativity” (or heteronormative) originated among scholars of queer theory and is used to describe the commonly held perspective that heterosexuality is the normal, preferred, and default sexuality of individuals within a society.
GAY DEFINITION HISTORY PLUS
Though not used broadly here, the plus sign (+) acknowledges all non-heteronormative identities that are not specifically mentioned or that are yet to be articulated. This version of the LGBTQ+ acronym allows the microsite to change and evolve as the stories of lesser-known people and places come to light. The “LGBTQ” acronym is a relatively recent development in queer activism and scholarship.ĭespite its limitations, our microsite uses this contemporary framework to discuss LGBTQ historic places, events, and people. Though the terminology continues to evolve, we chose to use the acronym LGBTQ-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning and/or Queer-because we feel that it most broadly incorporates members of non-heteronormative communities. We welcome your feedback as we expand on our work to promote and preserve LGBTQ historic places. We recognize that there are many different interpretations of, and a sensitivity to, various terms and how they are applied. Words that are common among community members and scholars today may have had vastly different meanings (or not existed at all) in the past. One of the key challenges in understanding LGBTQ history is deciphering changes in word choice and language over time.