LGB Without The “T”?

There have always been those who didn’t want the “T” to be part of the “LGB” both trans people and gays and lesbians. This article on Out just resurfaced on Facebook

Taking the 'T' out of LGBT
Author Nicola Jane Chase argues for an amicable separation of LGB and T.
By OUT.COM Editors
THU, 2015-06-25

It has taken time, but now the public has more appreciation for what the T in LGBT stands for. They may still have some way to go in understanding what it actually means to be transgender, however considerable progress has been made. We can partly thank Caitlyn Jenner for expanding that conversation and allowing the T to be equally relevant in the line up of letters. Yet I would argue that the T doesn’t belong there at all.

The L, G and B are about sexual identity; the T is about gender. Lumping the four initials together only enhances the misperception that they are interchangeable terms. They are not.

I wish it was that simple, but it’s much more complicated than that.

Like anything in nature there are no binaries. Being gay or lesbian is not as simple as sexual orientation, but it also includes feminine gays who face discrimination because they do not fit into the gender norm. They are not trans they are just very feminine, however they face discrimination because of their looks or behavior, while gays who can integrate in to society face a lot less discrimination. The same is true for lesbians who do not pass as straight women.

So sexual orientation has a component of gender identity and expression.

In addition, most of the bigotry we face is not directed at gays or lesbians or trans people but rather most people do not see a difference between us and their hatred is directed at all of us. We equally get called “faggots.”  When someone is being beaten by a baseball bat the attacker doesn’t see any difference between us.

LGBT is not about sexual orientation or gender identity but rather it is about crossing the “gender norms”