GLBTQISH

GLBTQISH,  what does it all mean?  The following is an easy way to remember and explain some of these terms.  These are NOT clinical terms, or definitions that you are likely to see anywhere else.

Gay, a man who identifies sexually as a homosexual.

Lesbian, a woman who identifies sexually as a homosexual.

Bisexual, a man or woman who identifies as both a homosexual and a heterosexual.

Transgender, a man or a woman who identifies as the opposite gender that they were born.

Questioning, a man, woman or transgender who is questioning their sexual preference or gender.

Intersex, a person who is born with both male and female organs.

Supportive, any one who accepts and supports another person.

Heterosexual, a man or woman who identifies sexually as heterosexual.

Pretty clear as mud don’t you think.  I know I don’t understand it all the time.  I really think that society has to try and pigeon hole people into categories.  Every one has to have a label and everyone has to fit into some group.

When doing HIV/AIDS prevention, you never refer to a person as gay, they are MSM this is a man who has sex with another man.  The reason for this is the person may not identify themselves as gay, homosexual, or even bisexual.  The man may lead a very full fulfilling life with a wife and kids, yet may just like to occasionally, for whatever reason, have a sexual encounter with another man.  So, where does this person fit into the above descriptions?

Another term is Sex Worker.  I really like this one.  This is a term used for a man or a woman who engages in sexual acts for some form of compensation.  This may mean that the individual engages in sexual acts for a place to live, food to eat, or maybe for some assistance with paying their bills.  Where do they fit in, they may be engaging in male to male sexual acts to survive, yet they have no homosexual tendencies.

The one term that I personally like to use that covers all of the above situations and the many that I have not covered is HUMAN.  We are all part of the human race and why can’t we just accept people as human and leave it at that.  Why is there a need to pigeon hole people into groups so that they are classified like a filing system?

People are human we are all human, try and be more accepting of each other and enjoy the life lessons that you are able to get.  I would like to see all of you who read this to go out and say Hello to one person who you do not know this week.  Hopefully, you will choose someone who needs a friend or just someone who needs a warm fuzzy or a lift.

I sent an email to a person who I barely knew.  They responded with a very warm and heartfelt email saying thank you for the compliment.  They were having a rough day and needed a lift.  I was the lift.  This person has friends, a local support group and coworkers that he could rely on, however, the fact that I researched to find his email and sent him the email.  That touched him, and it touched him at the right time.

Try to be more understanding and caring.

Curtis.