Most people are familiar with the term LGBT—lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. The acronym increasingly includes the letter Q, LGBTQ, referring to queer and/or questioning individuals. The terms queer and questioning are important because they encompass a larger number of individuals who identify as having same-sex attraction and behaviors.
Queer, when applied in an affirming manner, is an umbrella term to describe sexual orientation or gender identity that does not conform to dominant societal norms (e.g., straight/heterosexual) and does not match conventional labels like gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
Questioning refers to individuals in the process of determining their sexual orientation and/or gender identity—questioning the default presumption of heterosexuality in U.S. society.
Queer may encompass a many different identities, for example, pansexual, genderqueer, and asexual, among others. Pansexual is an identity label used by individuals who are attracted to multiple genders. Some pansexual people may consider themselves part of the bisexual community. Genderqueer is an umbrella term used by some individuals to describe gender identity that does not conform to the male-female gender binary. Asexual is term used by people who do not experience sexual attraction.
Asexual is also an umbrella term (the asexual spectrum) that encompasses a range of identities. Grey-asexual describes someone who falls in between sexual and asexual. Aromaticism describes people who do not experience romantic attraction, distinct from the experience of sexual attraction. These are just a few examples. While many different identity labels may seem extreme, Morgan Pasquier explains the value in a recent blog bog for GLAAD:“For many people having these identities is extremely important…. It helps them to find communities that they identify with. If someone finds a microlabel that fits the experience they haven’t been able to qualify or quantify, it can alleviate feelings of brokenness or unbelonging.”
One common concern with the term queer is whether it is a slur. While queer has historically been used as a slur, it has been reclaimed by the queer community to focus less on labels and more on breaking binaries. If someone uses a word like queer to describe themselves, ask what that label means to them. A helpful rule for using the word is to say someone "identifies as queer," instead of saying that a person "is queer."
Sexual orientation, feelings of attraction and sexual behavior may be complicated and may not fit into traditional categories. They may also change over time. There is no specific age when people question their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It is essential to validate someone’s identity, no matter their age or how they previously identified.
Mental Health Care
Like other minority groups, including the LGBT community, questioning and queer people are often misunderstood, overlooked, and underrepresented in the health care system.
Experiencing prejudice, bias, and discrimination within society can contribute to worsening mental health. LGBTQ individuals are significantly more likely than heterosexual individuals to have a mental health disorder in their lifetime. The rate of suicide attempts is four times greater for lesbian, gay and bisexual youth and two times greater for questioning youth than that of heterosexual youth.
Questioning/queer people are likely to experience sexual orientation identity and/or gender identity-related discrimination in health care settings. Such experiences can lead to delay in receiving care and worse health outcomes. Questioning/queer people are more likely to be denied services or treated unequally compared with gay/lesbian and bisexual individuals.
Research shows that when same-sex oriented individuals talk about their sexuality with health care providers, it tends to have a positive impact on their health. However, the outcomes depend on how the health care provider responds.
PFLAG is the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. Our People. Our Team. Board & Regional Directors.
National uses the letter “Q” to denote both “Queer” and “Questioning.” We define these separate terms as follows: Queer: A term used by some people—particularly youth—to describe themselves and/or their community.
Queer is often used as an umbrella term for people who are not straight or who don't identify with their assigned sex at birth. People may also identify as queer if they don't feel that the terms lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans fully represent them. The “Q” can also stand for questioning.
lgb: lesbian, gay, bisexual. lgbtiq: people who have identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or questioning. non-binary is used to describe genders that do not fall into binary definitions of male or female.
Q Pride is a 501c3 all-volunteer organization. The great City of Quincy is known for its bold historic traditions, and Q Pride proudly contributes to that legacy.
LGBTQ: The first four letters of this standard abbreviation are fairly straightforward: “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.” The Q can stand for “questioning” -- as in still exploring one's sexuality -- or “queer,” or sometimes both.
Most people are familiar with the term LGBT—lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. The acronym increasingly includes the letter Q, LGBTQ, referring to queer and/or questioning individuals.
She/her/hers (for someone who might identify as female) They/them/their (for someone who might not identify as male or female, these pronouns are 'gender neutral'; they are also used when referring to multiple people).
This is commonly written as he/they, they/she, xe/she, fae/he, he/she/they or any combination of two or more pronouns. If this is the case, you should alternate between the pronouns when you are talking about the person, unless they give you more specific instructions.
The GSCC primarily uses the acronym “LGBTQIA2S+.” This acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and trans, queer and questioning, intersex, asexual or agender, and two-spirit. This plus-sign signifies additional identity terms.
Within the community, “questioning” has come to mean anyone who hasn't yet self-defined their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or some combination of the three. Simply put: they have a feeling they might be different, but are still in a process of exploration.
A person whose gender identity is different from the sex placed on their birth certificate. “Q” stands for Queer. Queer is an umbrella term often time used to categorize the entirety of the LGBTQ2+ community. Next, we have the “2”. It's for Two-Spirits.
Queer or questioning: The term “queer” has been traditionally used as a slur against same-sex people, but some have reclaimed the term as an issue of pride; others prefer the Q to mean “questioning,” people who are unsure of their sexual orientation and/or their gender identity, and who are in the process of exploring ...
"T" stands for Transgender: Those whose gender identity and/or expression differs from cultural expectations. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Some non-binary people identify as trans, while others do not.
The acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and the + holds space for the expanding and new understanding of different parts of the very diverse gender and sexual identities.
Queerplatonic – Refers to a relationship that has the sort of intensity, closeness, and emotional connection expected of a. romantic relationship, but is not romantic. Often abbreviated to QP, with QPR meaning a QP relationship and QPP standing for QP partner.
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Queer, when applied in an affirming manner, is an umbrella term to describe sexual orientation or gender identity that does not conform to dominant societal norms (e.g., straight/heterosexual) and does not match conventional labels like gay, lesbian, or bisexual.