What does LGBTQI+ stand for? 

L   |   Lesbian: sexual orientation: women attracted to women.
G   |   Gay: sexual orientation: men attracted to men.
B   |   Bisexual/non-binary: Sexually attracted to any gender.
T   |   Transgender: someone whose gender differs from the one they were assigned at birth/the genitals they were born with.
Q   |   Queer/questioning/gender-fluid: People who fall outside the strict construction of gender as male or female.
I   |   Intersex: people born with physical or biological sex characteristics such as chromosomes, genitals, internal reproductive organs, or hormone levels that do not fit within the typical binary notion of male or female. Does not refer to sexual orientation/gender identity.
+   |   Refers to the fact that the above is not an exhaustive list of terms to express the wide range of sexual orientations and non-conforming gender expressions that exist.
Gender identity is about who you are. Sexual orientation is about who you love – which can be fluid over a lifetime.

Gender identity and sexual orientation are not necessarily related.

Cisgender is someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. More information? Search for Terminology Surrounding Gender Identity and Expression at www.outrightinternational.org

Language is always a placeholder for a culture’s evolving understanding of itself; the space in which we work out our concepts as we learn how to think about them in learning how to speak of them.

– Maria Popova

Are homosexual or non-binary gender identities a fad or a trend?

No. Many ancient cultures acknowledged more than two gender identities and sometimes as many as eight. Descriptions of androgynous or trans priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna date as far back as 3000 B.C. In the Philippines, the Bakla, who transcend the duality between men and women, have been historically renowned as community leaders. Native Americans have long recognised two-spirit people, who identify as having both feminine and masculine spirits. The first documented gay marriage took place on 16 April 1061, between two men at the Monastery of San Salvador de Celanova in Spain.

Only the human mind invents categories and tries to force facts into separated pigeon-holes. The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects.

 – Alfred Kinsey

Is being lesbian or gay un-African?

Between 5–10% of people anywhere on earth are lesbian, gay or gender diverse. Same-sex marriages and same-sex relationships have been documented in many African cultures long before white people ever came to Africa. What is un-African are the anti-gay laws which were imposed by Britain in all its former colonies. Britain has apologised for introducing these anti-homosexuality laws which were long ago abolished in England, but the damage was done. So, it turns out that homophobia, not homosexuality, was imported from the West.

Are there homosexual animals?

Yes. Same-sex pairing is not just normal in the animal kingdom – it is common among all animals in every geographic region of the world.

What causes homosexuality?

Scientists agree that sexual orientation is a lot more variable and fluid than people realise and that it often changes, over time. Studies show that in any population group there are MORE individuals with bisexual attractions (to both sexes) than with exclusive same-sex attractions. We have just been socialised to not acknowledge this.

What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart? Oh no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.

 – Tennessee Williams

Can lesbian and gay people be cured? 

The question implies that being lesbian or gay is an illness, but the medical profession does not consider it an illness. The fact that sexuality can be fluid does not mean that therapists, priests, sangomas or family can influence same-sex attractions. There is nothing to be cured. Study after study has shown that it does not work and that it does immense psychological damage.

Perhaps instead of arguing that gay/lesbian/bisexual individuals deserve civil rights because they are powerless to change their behaviour, we should affirm the fundamental rights of all people to determine their own emotional and sexual lives.

 – Lisa Diamond

Does religion forbid homosexuality?

There are seven texts cited by some Christians to condemn homosexuality. But if you want to take the Bible literally, then you should give everything you own to the poor. The point is that you cannot selectively interpret scripture. Doing that justified apartheid, while the real message of the Bible is that God is love.

In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, and there is neither male nor female.

 – From the Christian Bible: Galatians 3:28

Sources:  blogs.scientificamerican.com   |   www.hrc.org   |   www.nationalgeographic.com   |   www.outrightinternational.org   |   www.theatlantic.com   |   www.wikipedia.com

Image credits: Christopher Campbell | Unsplash