Video: Legüera ProduAcciones/Agencia Presentes

What does the acronym LGBTIQ+ mean? It is a universal acronym that represents different gender identities and expressions, and sexual orientations.

These are the initials for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Transvestite, Intersex, Queer and other identities not included in the above.

LESBIAN

"Lesbians desire erotic-affective encounters with women or lesbians. Not all lesbians feel like women. Lesbianism can be an orientation of desire, but it can also be an identity. For some, it is a political and collective identity."

GAY

"When we talk about gay, we are referring to the emotional or sexual attraction of one man to another man. The terms 'marika' or 'puto' can be used in our region since the term 'gay' comes from the English language."

BISEXUAL

"Bisexuals are people who are emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to others of the same or different genders. In turn, there are people who are attracted to others, regardless of their gender identity. They are pansexuals."

TRANS

"The term trans encompasses transvestites, transsexuals and transgender people, that is, people whose self-perceived gender identity does not match the sex assigned at birth."

INTERSEXUALITY

“Intersexuality is a form of bodily diversity. Intersex people are born with variations in their sex characteristics. This means that from the moment of birth, our bodies are different from average male or female bodies. Intersex people can have all kinds of sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions,” says Mauro Cabral.

QUEER

It's an umbrella term that represents people whose gender expression, identity, or sexual orientation defies definition. Once queerness can be defined, it ceases to be queer.

*

Sometimes we use the asterisk or the plus sign to refer to all those identities that are not identified with the previous ones. For example, non-binary people.

NON-BINARIES

More and more people are stepping outside of traditional gender roles, whether female or male, or trans woman or trans man, and identifying as non-binary. They may feel represented by the neutral pronoun (e), as they (feminine), but also as she or he. It's a personal decision. The activism to make this identity visible is based on each individual's experience.

How do you spell the acronym?

It is a dynamic acronym that can be used flexibly. The order of the letters can vary depending on the community or country. It is related to highlighting an identity or a struggle at a specific time.

Why is May 17th commemorated as the Day Against LGBTIQ*Hate?

On May 17, 1990, 30 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases. For this reason, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia is commemorated every year on this date.

Hate toward the LGBTI+ community leads to murders and assaults. But it's also hate when people attack their identity and orientation on social media, when the media perpetuates prejudice and stigma, when rights are denied, and more. Today we also say: Stop LGBTI-hate!

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