Watch BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat’s animated video guide to the meaning behind LGBTQQIAAP.
We know what LGBT stands for but there are many other terms people now identity with, giving us the acronym LGBTQQIAAP.
The 10 terms cover the different ways people define their gender and sexuality, but the list is not exhaustive.
Some people may also identify with more than one of these descriptions.
Pride in London, which takes place this year on Saturday 27 June, gives the LGBT+ community a platform to campaign for “freedoms” to have true equality.
LGBT+ is an “inclusive” way to represent all the different identities in the longer acronym but here’s a breakdown of what each of the letters in LGBTQQIAAP mean.
L – lesbian: a woman who is attracted to other women
G – gay: a man who is attracted to other men or broadly people who identify as homosexual
B – bisexual: a person who is attracted to both men and women
T – transgender: a person whose gender identity is different from the sex the doctor put down on their birth certificate
Q – queer: originally used as a hate term, some people want to reclaim the word, while others find it offensive. It can be a political statement, suggest that someone doesn’t want to identify with “binaries” (e.g. male v female,
homosexual v straight) or that they don’t want to label themselves only by their sexual activity
Q – questioning: a person who is still exploring their sexuality or gender identity
I – intersex: a person whose body is not definitively male or female. This may be because they have chromosomes which are not XX or XY or because their genitals or reproductive organs are not considered “standard”
A – allies: a person who identifies as straight but supports people in the LGBTQQIAAP community
A – asexual: a person who is not attracted in a sexual way to people of any gender
P – pansexual: a person whose sexual attraction is not based on gender and may themselves be fluid when it comes to gender or sexual identit
Legal Instruments
An Act for the recognition and registration of the gender of a person and to regulate the effects of such a change, as well as the recognition and protection of the sex characteristics of a person (Act No. XI of 2015)
This act recognizes the gender of a person and regulates the effects of such a change, as well as the recognition and protection of the sex characteristics of a person.
Legal Cases
LGBTQI+ Right to Housing in the United States
The Law The United States’ Fair Housing Act (FHA) 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619 Section 3604(b) states that “…it is unlawful [t]o discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith, because of race, colour, religion, sex, […]
Resources
Denied Work: An Audit On Job Discrimination On The Basis Of Gender Identity In South-East Asia
This report looks into employment discrimination faced by transgender people while seeking employment in four countries in South-East Asia– Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand, and Viet Nam. The findings from this study provide direct evidence of discrimination against trans people in job hiring practices in the region.
Equal Access to Public Restrooms
This brief outlines transgender and gender non-conforming persons’ right to adequate sanitation facilities in public spaces.
Workplace Rights and Wrongs
This brief outlines transgender and gender-noncomforming person’s rights at work.
Implementing Comprehensive HIV and STI Programmes with Transgender People: practical guidance for collaborative interventions
This tool describes how services can be designed and implemented to be acceptable and accessible to transgender women. To accomplish this, respectful and ongoing engagement with them is essential. This tool gives particular attention to programmes run by transgender people themselves, in contexts where this is possible. It is itself the product of collaboration among […].
Guidelines for the Primary and Gender-Affirming Care of Transgender and Gender Nonbinary People
These guidelines aim to address these disparities by equipping primary care providers and health systems with the tools and knowledge to meet the health care needs of their transgender and gender nonconforming patients. Link to Guidelines
Social Protection for LGBT People: Challenges and good practices
How does social protection address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people? How can a rights-based approach be used to ensure that their needs are fully taken into account? In this video, Andrés Scagliola from the Social Development Department of the City of Montevideo discusses challenges and successes in mobilizing human rights instruments […]
Policy Perspective: Linking Social Protection and Human Rights
How can governments fulfil their obligation to provide social protection and respect the rights of all? Andrés Scagliola from the Government of the City of Montevideo, Uruguay, describes his experience developing and implementing policy that safeguards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people’s right to social protection
BISEXUAL
A person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of another gender.
People may experience this attraction in differing ways and degrees over their lifetime. Bisexual people need not have had specific sexual experiences to be bisexual;
in fact, they need not have had any sexual experience at all to identify as bisexual.
TRANSGENDER
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms— including transgender.
Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps,
and a transgender identity is not dependent upon physical appearance or medical procedures.
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) persons face specific obstacles when it comes to accessing many of their rights, including their right to social protection.
The terms lesbian, gay, bisexual and pansexual refer to people’s sexual orientation, that is, who they experience sexual attraction towards; while transgender refers to gender identity,
that is, “someone whose gender differs from the one they were given when they were born”.
Terms like genderqueer and non-binary refer to people who fall outside the construction of gender as male or female.
Intersex people are born with physical or biological sex characteristics such as reproductive or sexual anatomy, hormones or chromosomes that do not seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.
This is not an exhaustive list of terms: different cultures, both historically as well as today,
have used diverse language which express the wide range of sexual orientations
and gender expressions, such as “Two-Spirit”, which refers to Native American and First Nations people who fall outside Western gender norms,
while “hijra” typically refers to South Asian individuals who were assigned male at birth, but identify as women or as a third gender.
LGBTQI people are entitled to the enjoyment of all the rights outlined in international, regional and domestic human rights law. Yet, due to strongly held cultural
and social norms surrounding gender expression and sexuality, LGBTQI people are often excluded. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex
Association (ILGA) recognizes this, stating that “social and legal discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and intersex, is pervasive”.
However, recently, some nations have passed legislation to help protect some of these communities’ and individuals’ right to social protection.
A human rights-based approach to social protection, and the development of social protection floors, can transform the lives of LGBTQI people,
helping making all societies inclusive ones in which all members fully participate, and in which no one is left behind.
Support for LGBTIQ+ mental health
Mind is here for anyone experiencing a mental health problem. But we know that those of us with LGBTIQ+ identities may face extra challenges around getting the right support. And we sometimes have extra needs or concerns.
The tips on this page may help.
Remember that different things work for different people at different times. Only try what you feel comfortable with, and try not to put too much pressure on yourself.
It might feel hard to start talking about how you are feeling. But many people find that sharing their experiences can help them feel better. It may be that just having someone listen to you and show they care can help in itself.
If you aren’t able to open up to someone close to you, there are several LGBTIQ+ helplines you can call, such as Switchboard. See our useful contacts page for other suggestions.
Self-care means things we do for ourselves to help improve our mental and physical health.
Internalised homophobia, biphobia or transphobia might mean you struggle to be kind to yourself. But practising self-care can help boost your self-esteem. We have included some ideas below which may help.
Try joining an LGBTIQ+ specific group
This could be anything from a community project to a hobby group. The important thing is to find an activity you enjoy to help you feel motivated. LGBTQ Meetups is one way you can find such groups.
Try volunteering
Volunteering can make you feel better about yourself and less alone. You could volunteer for an organisation supporting the LGBTIQ+ community. Or you could volunteer for any other cause you feel passionately about.
Sexual health is an important part of your physical and mental health. Poor mental health can contribute to you taking risks with your sexual health.
But this can have long-term health consequences. Living with a long-term health condition can also affect your mental health. For example, depression is more common among those of us living with HIV. You can find more information and support from the LGBT Foundation and the Terrence Higgins Trust.
Do I have to tell them I’m LGBTIQ+?
Opening up to a doctor about your personal thoughts and feelings isn’t easy for anyone. Being LGBTIQ+ can make it feel even harder. There are lots of reasons to not want to come out as LGBTIQ+ to your doctor when you talk to them about your mental health. And lots of reasons you might feel anxious about what will happen if you do.
You don’t have to tell your doctor that you’re LGBTIQ+ to get their help. But if you do, they they might find it easier to get you the right support.
If you do decide to tell them, you could rehearse what you will say first with someone you trust. An LGBTIQ+ helpline such as Switchboard could also help you practise this conversation.
What if my doctor is unhelpful?
Unfortunately, you might not get the help you need right away. Bad experiences of healthcare staff can be discouraging. But no matter your background, sexuality or identity, you deserve support.
QUEER
An adjective used by some people whose sexual orientation is not exclusively heterosexual.
Typically, for those who identify as queer, the terms lesbian, gay, and bisexual are perceived to be too limiting and/or fraught with cultural connotations they feel don’t apply to them.
Some people may use queer, or genderqueer, to describe their gender identity and/or gender expression.
Once considered a pejorative term, queer has been reclaimed by some LGBTQ people to describe themselves; however, it is not a universally accepted term even within the LGBTQ community.
QUESTIONING
Sometimes, when the Q is seen at the end of LGBT, it can also mean questioning.
This term describes someone who is questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity.
G.I.T.C
