Get the lowdown on GLBT ABCs

By Ruth Schneider | The Olympian • Published September 19, 2008

• Comments (0)

During a recent conversation with a co-worker, I used the term "queer."

He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Now, I know, that is not an OK word," he told me.

I explained that it is now an umbrella term for the entire gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

But the conversation sparked ideas about how words change through time.

Some words, such as queer, have a long history.

"Johnny Are You Queer?" was a hit song in the '80s, and the word was used in a derogatory manner — "Johnny, are you weird boy?" — that does not resonate well with the GLBT community.

In L. Frank Baum's "Wizard of Oz" tales, written at the turn of the 20th century, queer is often used to describe odd or quirky things. Often, a character will exclaim "How queer!" in tales of Oz.

Incidentally, gay people often are identified as "friends of Dorothy."

Appropriately enough, GLBT club scenes often decorate in Oz themes — one wall at Jake's on 4th in downtown Olympia is dedicated to an Oz mural.

"It's a kind of iconic thing in the gay community," said Rob Cameron, co-owner of Jake's.

Whether people are queer or friends of Dorothy, this space allows me a good opportunity to provide a queer lexicon — so here is my GLBT ABCs.

AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, a condition that affects the immune system. Individuals can carry the HIV virus that causes AIDS but not have AIDS.

Breeder: A derogatory term for straight people.

Cross-dresser: Term for someone who wears clothing generally designed for the opposite sex. Cross dressing is not necessarily tied to sexual orientation. Many cross-dressers identify as straight.

Don't ask, don't tell: The military policy, instituted in 1993 by then-President Clinton, ordering military service members to not tell others about their sexual orientation. The full phrase is, "Don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass."

Elbow: An ABC book I grew up with said "E is for Elbow. Uncle John says if I kiss my elbow I will turn into a boy." I spent many years of my childhood trying to kiss my elbow. I never found out whether it's myth or reality because I was unsuccessful in my quest.

FTM: Acronym for female to male. This is a transgender person who has the biological identity of a female, but a gender identity of a male. There are both "pre-op" and "post-op" FTMs (and conversely MTFs, male to female).

GLBTIQ: Sometimes referred to as alphabet soup, the acronym stands for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning. That's what makes a word such as queer so handy.

Heterosexism: The belief that heterosexuality is universal and/or superior to homosexuality. Heterosexism leads to discrimination and bias against the GLBT community.

In the closet: A statement for someone who has not told their family and friends that they are not straight. Someone is "out" if they have informed others of their sexual orientation. Occasionally, people get "outed" by others without expressed consent. That is a GLBT no-no.

Jerry Falwell: Televangelist who outed Tinky-Winky, the purple Teletubby, and Velma (of "Scooby-Doo" fame). He also blamed gays for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He is not well-liked by the GLBT community.

King: Drag kings are women dressing up and performing as men, in the tradition of drag queens. Being a drag king or queen does not necessarily reflect sexual orientation. While they are in drag, refer to them by their proper pronouns: Queens are she; kings are he.

Lesbos: A Greek Island in the northeastern Aegean Sea that was home to a tribe of women. The term lesbian comes from the poems of Sappho, born on Lesbos, which contain powerful emotional themes directed toward other females.

Metrosexual: A term coined by a British journalist in 1994 for well-groomed, straight men. The term can be perceived as derogatory because it reinforces stereotypes that all gay men are fashion-conscious and materialistic.

Navratilova: For Martina Navratilova, tennis player and gay rights activist. In 1992, Navratilova filed a lawsuit against Colorado's Amendment 2 which would have denied legal protections against discrimination for gays and lesbians. A few years later, in 2000, the Human Rights Campaign awarded her the National Equality Award.

Openly: Although some say I am openly gay, I have never heard anyone claim to be openly straight. What gives?

Pride: Celebrated generally in June to mark the Stonewall riots. Rallies, marches and parades mark advances in GLBT rights.

Questioning: People who are unsure of their sexual orientation.

Rainbow: Commonly found on gay pride flags, the colors of the rainbow signify the diversity in the GLBT community.

Stonewall: The Stonewall Inn, a Greenwich Village bar, was the site of riots in June 1969 after New York police targeted establishments frequented by the GLBT community. The Stonewall riots are commonly cited as the birth of the modern gay rights movement.

Triangle: A lesser-know symbol for gays and lesbians. During World War II, when gay men were sent to concentration camps, a pink triangle was affixed to their uniforms.

Uncomfortable: What every queer person experiences at some point in their life. A teen might feel uncomfortable discovering he is gay. A lesbian might feel uncomfortable coming out to her parents. It is the commonality of the queer community.

The View: The ABC morning TV show that served as the scene of the infamous showdown between Rosie O'Donnell, the one out host the show has had, and Elizabeth Hasselbeck, a notoriously anti-gay host.

Wimmyn: A term used by some lesbian uber feminists to avoid using "man" in their gender identity. And as much as I agree with many feminist ideals, there are greater battles to be waged than ones over spelling.

X-rated: The first thing that comes to mind for many people when they think of same-sex marriages. Those discussions invariably lead to the threat of allowing pedophilia and bestiality. For the record, gay sex can be quite boring. And does not lead to bestiality or pedophilia any more than straight sex does.

Yestergay: A gay who has converted to being heterosexual.

Zero tolerance: What I have to intolerance.

Ruth Schneider's job revolves around alphabet soup. Contact her at rschneider@theolympian.com or call 360-704-6873.