Acro-Nimwits

I'm sorry, but this is just fucking retarded:

"As more LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, queer] people have children, there is an inherent tension between preserving that adult community and shifting towards a culture that includes children - and in some ways that means altering the meaning of the Castro to include the needs of children."

I don't mean that what's happening to the Castro is retarded, but what's happening to our language.

I know I've used "GLBT" before, but I'm more than a little concerned that the activists are Balkanizing us by acronym.  We really must stop looking for differences between us, or inventing new ones.  (Listen up, Mike Rogers!)

Apparently feeling that no letter of the alphabet should go unused, some of the more militant among us are even trying to elbow "LGBTQQIP" into the vernacular.  Is anyone aware of even longer acronyms?  (There is even a subtle and objectionable statement of political correctness in putting the "L" in "LGBT" first, even though there are roughly twice as many gay as lesbians.)

As an American, I have internalized the "Melting Pot" from a very early age.  I am always more interested in that which unites, rather than divides, us.

So from now on, when I mean "gays," I will say "gays."  When I mean "lesbians," I will say "lesbians."  When I mean "bisexual" or "transgendered," I will say "bisexual" or "transgendered."  And if I slip up, please sic the language cops on me!

Comments

[Toby]

I just pick one acronym and stick with it: GLBT. It won't please everyone, because a lot of transgender people don't consider themselves to be gay, lesbian or bisexual and therefore don't want to be associated with them.

To be honest, "queer" is the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard. For all intents and purposes, it's meaningless, no?

[Robbie]

I was just going to ask, how exactly is queer different from any of the other things? A superfluous Q. It's very Eddie Izzard.

But you spell through THRU, and I’m with you on that, ‘cause we spell it "THRUFF," and that’s trying to cheat at Scrabble.

“How can we get that 'OU' sound?”

“Well, a 'U' will work,”

“What about an 'O' as well?”

“We don’t need it, we’re fine.”

“No, I think an 'O' in.”

“Well, all right.”

“And a 'G' as well.”

“What?!”

“Yes, a 'G' would be good. We need a silent 'G' in the background, in case of any accidents or something.”

“Well, all right.”

“And an 'H' as well.”

“Fucking ‘ell! Hang on.”

“An 'H' in case some herbs come along.”

“All right…”

“And a Q, and a P, and a Z… Look it’s a word in Scrabble that’s 480 points!”

[Mike]

Gay/lesbian - same thing, no?

[Brian]

Don't shoot the messenger. It's weird, I was talking to one of my friends about the "Q" (because I thought, it's weird if it meant QUEER.. since that is synonymous with GAY). But then he said it meant "QUESTIONING" (or confused). I actually thought this might be an interesting use of the Q. Since there are a lot of people out there who are questioning their sexuality, but are afraid to label themselves (you know, kids these days).

[Rob Byrnes]

If I may quote myself (from the not-yet-released novel When the Stars Come out, in bookstores around Labor Day):

"He toyed with the idea of not answering, but then curiosity got the better of him. Maybe, he thought, it was an interviewee, suddenly infused with gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered/two-spirited/questioning/whatever-else-had-been-added-that-week pride, who wanted to speak on the record. The sudden thought of an openly gay homosexual in Washington filled Noah with hope."

Eh. Forget that last sentence. It probably sounds too Mike Rogers-ish for this discussion...

[Queer Conservative]

G.B. Shaw suggested, for example, that we should spell 'fish' as 'ghouti': the 'gh' as in 'rough'; the 'ou' as in 'neighbour'; and the 'ti' as in 'sensation'.

Actually Queer is quite accurate for those who are "differently sexual." It means unexpected, a deviation from the norm; strange or unconventional. It's certainly more on target than "gay."

[Jamie]

Kinda tangential, I know, but I'd like to see the empirical data that shows there are "roughly twice as many gay as lesbians."

I find it very interesting how we can't even agree on what "gay" is, but we're all supposed to lump ourselves in with the label. We don't agree with the "mainstream gay culture," but that's the only choice we get?

I say we get rid of the labels altogether, or change it to something both simple and inclusive. How about OTS? Other Than Straight?

[Malcontent]

Jamie, start here and here. That percentage holds true across most surveys I have seen.

So why would "L" be first? It's not alphabetical, so it must be PCism, white-male guilt, etc.

[Jamie]

Hmm. I don't know how much I believe those statistics, even though they're probably the best ones available. I never trust "self-reporting" about anything. I don't think we'll ever have a real, truly accurate measure. Too many people in the closet, in denial, "down low," etc. It is interesting to see those results, though. Thanks, Mal.

Honestly, I think whoever writes a given article, or edits it, decides whether to put the G or L first. Since lesbians tend to be more vocal (yeah, just opinion, no stats there), I bet they get asked what the "proper way" to write it is. I think gays put the G first, dykes put the L first.

But that's just my pure opinion.

[Tommy]

Yah, I don't see any difference between LGBT and GLBT.

"Questioning"? Questioning what, whether they have any sexuality at all? (before I get jumped on, I know they are questioning what their sexuality is but they would still be covered by GLBT, unless they're asexual)

And like one of the other posters, I at one time thought Gay was gender nuetral, like homosexual, but I've never really liked "Gay" to begin with.

[Tommy]

I meant to say: "they are questioning if they have a minority sexuality"

[Jamie]

Just had another thought about this: since Kinsey and other studies indicate that most people are "in the middle" but pick either "gay" or "straight," and in keeping with what Malebranche has said before about the propensity of most people to "be able" to live life as a heterosexual, shouldn't the B be first?

Boy, wouldn't that throw people into a shitfit.

Tommy--"minority sexuality" makes me think: Ambidextrous Asexual African-American Little People.

[Tommy]

Yah, I don't see nay difference with BTLG, either.

[Tommy]

Jamie, Interersting . . . whatever gets you off.;-)

[Tommy]

Although, BLTG would be a sandwich with gaucamole.

[Malcontent]

I never trust "self-reporting" about anything.

Sho' nuff, but my hunch is that if you took "self-reporting" out of the picture and could get accurate, empirical data, I bet that it would drive the gay-to-lesbian ratio even higher. Without a doubt, there is a greater societal stigma to be identified as gay man than there is to be a lesbian, which most straight men find "hot."

[el polacko]

.. but what's happening in the castro IS retarded ! the porn shop there that has had tastefully HOT window displays for the last several decades is suddenly under attack because the new baby-fetishists are upset that strolling down the castro is not "kid-friendly". next it will be the bars, and then i suppose a disney store and a toys r us can move in to replace them and every last vestige of anything remotely gay will be gone and nobody will have to worry about any LGTBetc. crapola because san francisco will be indistinguishable from peoria.

[Tommy]

Oh, now. Everyone knows what is changing the Castro is the expense of living there. The story I read is that these kind of complaints have happened every so often throughout the history of the store.

Oh, and there are even some who think, hope and want a day when there is unqualified assimilation between San Francisco and Peoria.

[Jamie]

el polacko--

Well, while "tasteful" is subjective, "Legal" is less so. If those businesses keep being patronized, I don't see what the problem is. Let the free market play. The "baby-fetishists," as you call them, don't have a right to not be offended. This seems like a no-brainer to me. If the "community" of the Castro believes this type of stuff belongs, then y'all can organize, petition, vote, etc, to keep your community, zoning laws, etc as you like it. Local discretion at work, man.

Although I don't agree with your statement about what constitutes "every last vestige of anything remotely gay."
To me, "gay" is my inclination, not my actions. I don't associate "gay" with angel wings, a speedo, and glitter, but I hear that a lot of people do.

Peoria? No one even wants Peoria to be like Peoria.

[Aatom]

yes, if families, be they gay or straight, do not want their children exposed to excessive sexuality, then DON'T MOVE TO THE FREAKING CASTRO. i mean, really, people, get a clue. But the same thing is happening in Chelsea, as the inevitable wave of straight yuppie families swoops in to capitalize on all of our hard work gentrifying a trendy urban neighborhood. it's only a matter of time before they have to close the Blue Store.

it's funny, I just finished an article for a gay mag, and the first sentence had this in it:

"I was invited to attend a weekend workshop recently at the Gay (as well as L, B, T, and sometimes Q) Center in the West Village"

I was totally kidding about the Q! I'm like, psychic!

keep in mind though, that the word "queer" has a very specific and political meaning for those gay men that grew up during the Stonewall era. Many older gay men still refer to themselves as Queer instead of gay (they use the term "mary" a lot as well). Sounds funny to me, since 'gay' (happy) sounds less negative than 'queer' (strange), but who am i to judge?

[Malcontent]

Like Aatom said, gentrification is not unique to the Castro, just because some people want to stake some sort of beatific claim on it. In DC, it has been happening as the "gayaspora" moves from Dupont to Logan to Columbia Heights, Shaw and Capitol Hill.

There's no use in raging against the dying of the day. We'll just go elsewhere and continue making the world a beautiful place, one neighborhood at a time.

[Jamie]

That's what this blog needs. A throw-pillow.

[Tommy]

Robbie would be glad to know its the revenge of the "shanty irish" who lived in the Castro before the "gentle people" took over (Hows that for anachronistic terminology?).

[Robbie]

My people always win =)

[John in IL]

I like Peoria. Then again, I also like Taylor Hicks.