Sexuality and gender identity became topical in the 1990s, and people used the term LGBT for people who have lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender orientations. The term LGBTQIA is a spin-off from the initial term and stands for Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (one’s sexual or gender identity), intersex, asexual, and agender or aromatic.
The + sign in both terms may signify heterosexual supporters of the gay community. You may be hearing these terms LGBTQIA+ or LGBT+ and have tried to understand what they mean. Let us define what they stand for and explain the meaning of each letter.
LGBTQIA+ letter meanings
We begin with explanations of what these letters mean so that if you hear them again, you will know what they mean. That knowledge about these words will let you regard people having different sexual orientations from you decently.
- L stands for Lesbian. Lesbian means a female attracted to other females. This person prefers going out with another female instead of a man.
- G stand for Gay. Being gay means people of the same gender attract you. A male gay person is homosexual, while a female gay is lesbian.
- B represents Bisexual. Bisexual means more than one gender appeal to you.
- T stand for transgender. Transgender means you are questioning the gender you were born into based on male or female genitals. The label of being male or female does not match their gender identity.
- Q stands for Queer or Questioning your sexual or gender identity. Queer meant a changeable identity. Lately, people identify themselves as queer.
- “I” stands for Intersex. Intersex means you were born with both male and female attributes. You have both male and female reproductive organs.
- “A” means asexual, aromantic, or agender. Asexual means you don’t have a sexual attraction to others or lack sexual desire.
The gay community uses + to include heterosexual or cisgender people supporting the extensive transsexual and gay community
LGBT+ letter meanings
Just like the explanations of those acronyms above, LGBT+ means the same things as those above.
- L stands for Lesbian. Lesbian means a female attracted to other females.
- G stand for Gay. Gay means people of the same gender attract you.
- B stands for Bisexual. Bisexual means people of more than one gender appeal to you.
- T stand for transgender. Transgender means you are questioning the gender you were born into, identified by male or female genitals. The male or female does not match your gender identity.
The + is used to embrace heterosexual people who support the large transsexual and gay community.
Using LGBT+ or LGBTQIA+ a real difference?
There is no difference when you use the word LGBT+ LGBTQIA. You refer to the same community of people having different sexual identities from heterosexual people.
As of date, most people know those terms, and there is no use complicating their use for ordinary people in the streets. Let’s keep things simple for everyone as the acronyms get longer by the day.
Meaning LGBTQQIP2SAA to go further
The words LGBTQQIP2SAA are longer than others, but are derived from LGBT and signify the following. L stands for Lesbian, G stands for Gay, B means Bisexual. Others are Transgender, Q for Questioning and Queer, and I represents Intersex.
The rest of these terms include P for Pansexual, 2 for two-spirit, and A for Ally, while the last A stands for Asexual. The length of the LGBTQQIP2SAA acronym shows you can’t have all gender identities or spectrum of the community fit into one word LGBT.