If old enough, one can remember the general time period when GLB  started popping up.  Before the internet, during the 70’s once in a blue moon GLB would jump out from the television or newspaper…perhaps a magazine now and then.  Slowly, and then more quickly, GLB became the term for the gay rights movement and entered the realm of a commonly known household term.  And, just a few years later, certainly by the late 80’s, I think there were few in America who could not identify that GLB equated with gay rights in general, the homo/bisexual rights movement specifically. 

GLBT took a similar path. 

About the time that most on the planet recognized GLB on sight, occasionally one would see GLBT .  I remember the first time I saw the T  added to GLB.  That had to have been at least 15 years or so ago.  No one I knew really put much thought into, or really cared, why  GLB all of a sudden became GLBT .  It must be noted that contrary to popular belief, transgender was not  associated with transsexuality in the 80’s and early 90’s.  It was an umbrella term then for sure, but was one that captured the different degrees and intensities of crossdressers.  Initially, it had nothing to do with transsexuals at all.  If one saw any association at all in print, it was written as “…transgender and transsexuals” or “…transsexuals and transgender” and more often than not, each term was defined.  No one, but no one in the early 90’s – not transsexuals, not the therapists, not even the transgender themselves  equated transgender with transsexuality.  Everyone who was engaged with gender issues on any level had a very firm grasp on transsexuality (and had for years); the term transgender initially came about to differentiate between the two, not merge them. 

I will say straight up, that if anyone disagrees with the above history they may as well quit reading right now.  Those statements above are not the ranting of the World According to Susan  but simply how it was and to believe otherwise is to deny the reality of the past. 

Like the evolution of the GLB, however, very quickly, certainly by the end of the decade, GLBT  more and more became associated with the GLB movement until they were joined as one.  And now, as was the case with the GLB model, there are few informed people who do not recognize and understand what GLBT is and represents. 

There have been more than a few editorial satires written about how the GLB acronym has grown as well as speculation on where it might end up.  You’ve seen them:

“Why not GLBTSMPBWQH…Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Sadist, Masochist, Pizza Workers, Black, White, Queer, Highway Builders?”

…or something equally absurd.  The point being why were there people grouped together that have no association.  I won’t go there; others have covered that comedic angle sufficiently.  But over the last couple of years it does appear the GLB is morphing once again. 

Consider GLBITQ …Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Intersexed, Transgender, Queer. 

I most recently came across the use of GLBITQ HERE.

But more and more GLBITQ is coming of age.  You can see it HERE in my own blog.  In this comment by Zythyra, of whose comment was offered up seriously and of which I addressed in the same manner, says: 

“Recently I’ve seen some younger folks using LGBTTIQQA, etc. In that umbrella listing, transgender is one of the Ts, and transsexual is the other T. ”

There are a couple of interesting things that must be pointed out, I think.  First whether it is GLBITQ, GLBTQ, LGBTTIQQA (honestly I don’t know what all of those letters stand for) or any other different combination of letters it is apparent that GLBT is growing.  And secondly, one reason it is growing is because of the influence of the younger (either younger by age, or recently transitioned or “out”) transgender. 

Is this a good thing to continue adding letters to a catch all acronym in order to catch all ? 

I don’t think it is. 

People are passionate about their identity.  On a macro scale, for example, different religions have different histories, beliefs, and traditions…they don’t want to be all lumped together, even though they all fall under the category of religion.  Certainly different nations fall into the same category and are fiercely independent; the United States, for example, is not going to allow Mexico to annex it for any  reason, much less simply because they are both nations.  It is not hard to see that as the scale of individuality shrinks, the independence one group feels with regard to another barely changes.  For example substitute the independence of one of the United States into the analogy…or, going even further, drop down to the city level.  Independence and identity are powerful forces.  And assuredly, the debate over the different letters either confirmed or proposed in the morphing GLBT acronym tap those forces. 

I recently got into an online debate with a fairly young (26 years old), confirmed non-op, recently “out” (one year) transgender libertine.  As one might imagine, it didn’t go well.  The exchange took the usual and predictable downhill turns.  This young lady held the obligatory militant transgender position, i.e., I am a woman…don’t need to have GRS to be one…I demand  the same rights as any other woman…ENDA will cure my employment issues…post ops are “trannier than thou” (her exact words)…society discriminates on me…we are all the same…you (referring to me) are a man and always will be…blah, blah, blah.  It didn’t take but a moment to see the vast majority of her opinion was formed by the internet blogs.  You’ve all heard it before.  Somewhere in her undisguised anger, she made the statement, while referring to her position: 

“Wake up…I’m the younger 21^st century transgender.” 

It may surprise everyone…but I think she had a very good point.  She is, in fact, the younger 21^st century transgender.  She is in the exact same vein of person that Zythyra mentions above.  She is one who advocates a LGBTTIQQA type position…a group that comprises all people, advocating for all rights, for any and everyone whose life even tangentially touches on gender. 

And that is a bad thing. 

Most gays don’t have gender issues, though many with gender issues identify as gay even though a huge faction within the GLB want nothing to do with them.  Most transgender are not gay, yet they are grouped with the GLBT.  Many who are intersexed feel their issue has nothing to do with transsexuality.  Queers, as in GLBTQ, feel we’re all gay to one extent or the other, including the intersexed.  Crossdressers are happy just to be associated with anybody, though one of the largest of their organization, Tri-Ess, specifically bills itself as a heterosexual group that is specifically not  transsexual.  No one understands the Questioning, an absurd concept at best.  The Androgynies and Gender Queer are all over the place.  And the vast majority of post op transsexuals simply want to have their surgery and merge with their mainstream counterparts. 

How does the acronym keep growing?  Who knows.  I think one reason is because outspoken people like Zoe, Zythyra, the vast majority of the trans activists and others actively throw it out there.  Why they do, I haven’t a clue.  I think one reason is because they accept that there is a gender/sexuality spectrum  that binds all of us together and of which we all should not only identify with, but actively support .  Technically, they are correct.  Everyone has a sexuality and everyone has a gender.  Unfortunately, this mindset ignores the fact that within that context, each of us is also fiercely independent and possessive with our individual identity.  No consideration at all is given to the fact that many heterosexual post operative transsexuals can’t identify with homosexuals…and feeling that way is doesn’t make us homophobic, just heterosexual.  No consideration at all is given to the fact that many intersexed refuse to accept classic transsexuality into their ranks.  No consideration at all is given to the fact that a huge, huge faction within the GLB themselves can’t for the life of themselves understand how the transgender, on any level, entered their ranks in the first place. 

In spite of the dilemma, an outspoken and relative small group continues to increase the ranks of the GLB…adding one group after the other…one at a time…kicking and screaming…whether the captured group as a whole concedes or not. 

GLBITQ, or a variation of it, is following in the same footsteps as GLBT, further blurring the lines between gender and sexual orientation, all the while diluting the individuality of everyone within it. 

And that is not a good thing. 

Though, it is  the 21^st century transgender way. 

 

Fed up with the non-sense? 

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