We know what LGBT means but here’s what LGBTQQIAAP stands

We know what LGBT stands for but there are many other terms people now identify with, giving us the acronym LGBTQQIAAP.

The 10 terms cover the different ways people define their gender and sexuality, but the list is not exhaustive.

Some people may also identify with more than one of these descriptions.

LGBT+ is an “inclusive” way to represent all the different identities in the longer acronym but here’s a breakdown of what each of the letters in LGBTQQIAAP means.

L — lesbian: a woman who is attracted to other women

G — gay: a man who is attracted to other men or broadly people who identify as homosexual

B — bisexual: a person who is attracted to both men and women

T — transgender: a person whose gender identity is different from the sex the doctor put down on their birth certificate

Q — queer: originally used as a hate term, some people want to reclaim the word, while others find it offensive. It can be a political statement, suggesting that someone doesn’t want to identify with “binaries” (e.g. male v female, homosexual v straight) or that they don’t want to label themselves only by their sexual activity

Q — questioning: a person who is still exploring their sexuality or gender identity

I — intersex: a person whose body is not definitively male or female. This may be because they have chromosomes that are not XX or XY or because their genitals or reproductive organs are not considered “standard”

A — allies: a person who identifies as straight but supports people in the LGBTQIA community

A — asexual: a person who is not attracted in a sexual way to people of any gender

P — pansexual: a person whose sexual attraction is not based on gender and may be fluid when it comes to gender or sexual identity

EORTV is India’s first LGBTQ-focused platform and supporter, here you will find positive stories of the LGBTQ community.