Fun With Terms

The other day I posted this image on my own Facebook page after seeing it on the wonderful page Have A Gay Day. I asked if anyone knew what each flag represented. My sister didn't and asked me to name them. Once I had, she told me she didn't know what half those terms meant. That got me thinking. I didn't even know many of these until this last year, and I saw myself as an LGBT ally. So I started wondering how many other supporters out there didn't realize how many groups actually are represented in the LGBT community, and what the terms mean. There are many more flags in the LGBT community then these, but we'll just talk about these seven for now to keep it simpler.

(Left to Right)

1. Pansexual flag. Pansexual means you are attracted to everyone. Not just men and women but transgender men and transgender women as well as those who identify as having no gender.

2.  Transgender flag. Transgender means the gender you are is not the one you were born physically. FTM means female to male transgender (born female but identify as male) while MTF means male to female transgender (born male but identify as female).

3. Asexual flag. Asexual means you have no sexual attraction. This is often seen as the opposite of pansexual because instead of being sexually attracted to everyone you are sexually attracted to no one.

4. Homosexual flag. Homosexual means you are attracted to people the same sex as yourself.

5. Genderqueer flag. Genderqueer is a broad term that contains all the genders besides male or female. This could include people who identify as both male and female (bigender), neither (genderless), or who move between genders (genderfluid).

6. Bisexual flag. Bisexual means you are attracted to both men and women.

7. Intersex flag. Intersex is a person who has either the physical features of both genders or has a combination. Intersex plants and animals are often called hermaphrodites.

Now these terms are all really just umbrellas for more sub-terms. However, these are just the broad, basic terms and definitions just to start. I encourage you to look up the ones you aren't familiar with and learn something new!

These days we don't live in a black and white colored world. We live in a bright, vibrate world with all kinds of people. It's important to remember that it doesn't matter what someone looks like, but who they are inside. Let's show support for every part of the LGBT community, and help educate people on the groups of people that aren't as well known.

I hope this was educational and interesting to read! Also, if you are something other then one of these seven, I am so sorry I didn't mention you. I'm still learning new terms and info everyday. 

xoxoxo