Portal:LGBT


	The LGBTQ+ Portal

Introduction

LGBT is an initialism that stands for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender". It may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual, non-heteroromantic, or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The variant LGBTQ adds a Q for those who identify as queer (which can be synonymous with LGBT) or are questioning their sexual or gender identity, while LGBTQ+ adds a plus sign for "those who are part of the community, but for whom LGBTQ does not accurately capture or reflect their identity". Many further variations of the acronym exist, such as LGBT+ (simplified to encompass the Q concept within the plus sign), LGBTQIA+ (adding intersex, asexual, aromantic and agender), and 2SLGBTQ+ (adding two-spirit for a term specific to Indigenous North Americans). The LGBT label is not universally agreed to by everyone that it is generally intended to include. The variations GLBT and GLBTQ rearrange the letters in the acronym. In use since the late 1980s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for marginalized sexualities and gender identities.

The earlier initialism LGB began to replace the term gay (or gay and lesbian) in the late 1980s to reference the broader community. When not inclusive of transgender people, the shorter LGB is still used. (Full article...)

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Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 36 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% of the world's population). The most recent country to legalise same-sex marriage is Greece. Two more countries, Liechtenstein and Thailand, are set to begin performing same-sex marriages in late 2024 or in early 2025.

Adoption rights are not necessarily covered, though most states with same-sex marriage allow those couples to jointly adopt as other married couples can. In contrast, 35 countries (as of 2023) have definitions of marriage in their constitutions that prevent marriage between couples of the same sex, most enacted in recent decades as a preventative measure. Some other countries have constitutionally mandated Islamic law, which is generally interpreted as prohibiting marriage between same-sex couples.^{[original research?]} In six of the former and most of the latter, homosexuality itself is criminalized. It is legally recognized in a large majority of the world's developed democracies; notable exceptions are Italy, Japan, South Korea and the Czech Republic. It is not yet recognized in any of the world's Muslim-majority states, though first steps are being taken in Kosovo. Some countries, such as China and Russia, restrict advocacy for same-sex marriage. (Full article...)

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Photo by Tee Corinne, 1983

Ann Weldy (born September 15, 1932), better known by her pen name Ann Bannon, is an American author who, from 1957 to 1962, wrote six lesbian pulp fiction novels known as The Beebo Brinker Chronicles. The books' enduring popularity and impact on lesbian identity has earned her the title "Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction". Bannon was a young housewife trying to address her own issues of sexuality when she was inspired to write her first novel. Her subsequent books featured four characters who reappeared throughout the series, including her eponymous heroine, Beebo Brinker, who came to embody the archetype of a butch lesbian. The majority of her characters mirrored people she knew, but their stories reflected a life she did not feel she was able to live. Despite her traditional upbringing and role in married life, her novels defied conventions for romance stories and depictions of lesbians by addressing complex homosexual relationships.

Her books shaped lesbian identity for lesbians and heterosexuals alike, but Bannon was mostly unaware of their impact. She stopped writing in 1962. Later, she earned a doctorate in linguistics and became an academic. She endured a difficult marriage for 27 years and, as she separated from her husband in the 1980s, her books were republished; she was stunned to learn of their influence on society. They were released again between 2001 and 2003 and were adapted as an award-winning Off-Broadway production. They are taught in women's and LGBT studies courses, and Bannon has received numerous awards for pioneering lesbian and gay literature. She has been described as "the premier fictional representation of US lesbian life in the fifties and sixties", and it has been said that her books "rest on the bookshelf of nearly every even faintly literate Lesbian". (Full article...)

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“

There is some sort of perverse pleasure in knowing that it's basically impossible to send a piece of hate mail through the Internet without its being touched by a gay program. That's kind of funny.

”

—Eric Allman (1955–), on Sendmail, his widely used email routing software

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Current events

October 5: Supreme court of Mauritius rules the colonial era law criminalizing homosexuality unconstitutional
August 5: DaBaby Levitating remix losing US radio audiences after the rapper's comments on HIV/AIDS
May 19: Taiwan's legislature first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage
February 1: Toronto serial killer Bruce McArthur pleads guilty to eight murders
October 30: 22nd annual ILGA-Europe conference meets in Brussels: in pictures
October 30: In pictures: thousands attend 16th annual Taiwan Pride

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14 May 1928 issue of German lesbian periodical Die Freundin ("Girlfriend")

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... that the Heian period Japanese story Torikaebaya Monogatari is the tale of a man who lives as a woman and his sister who lives as a man, who eventually swap places in order to lead happy lives?
... that in his 1999 book The Trouble With Normal, gay author Michael Warner argued that same-sex marriage is an undesirable goal for the gay rights movement?
... that the 2009 book Unfriendly Fire argues that bans on gays in the military were based on prejudices and fears, not empirical data?
... that sexual activism group Sex Panic! criticized the efficacy of 1990s US anti-HIV campaigns that, they argued, demonized public sexual culture?

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This month's birthdays

1 – Charles Laughton (1899–1962), English-American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director
1 – Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme (1654–1712), French military commander
1 – Orlando Cruz (1981–), Puerto Rican professional boxer
2 – Daniel Kowalski (1975–), Australian freestyle swimmer
2 – Liane de Pougy (1869–1950), French cabaret artist/dancer and courtesan
2 – Johnny Weir (1984–), American figure skater, 2008 World Bronze Medalist
2 – Sylvia Rae Rivera (1951–2002), Civil Rights activist who advocated for Transgender rights
4 – Stephen Boyd (1931–1977), British actor
4 – Steven Cojocaru (1970–), Canadian fashion critic/TV personality
5 – Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), French poet, artist, and director
5 – Megan Rapinoe (1985–), American professional soccer midfielder
5 – Hein Vos (1903–1972), Dutch politician and economist, first gay member of Cabinet of the Netherlands
6 – Merv Griffin (1925–2007), American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul
6 – Frida Kahlo (1907–1954), Mexican artist
7 – George Cukor (1899–1983), American film director
7 – Kirsten Vangsness (1972–), American actress
8 – Silvia Modig (1976–), Finnish politician, radio and TV journalist
9 – David Hockney (1937–), English painter and photographer
9 – Kelly McGillis (1957–), American actress
9 – Vanessa Selbst (1984–), American hedge fund manager and professional poker player
10 – Marcel Proust (1871–1922), French novelist
10 – Fiona Shaw (1958–), Irish actress and theatre-opera director
10 – Zoe Dunning (1963–), American retired naval officer, and LGBTQ activist
10 – Alexandra Hedison (1969–), American photographer and actress
10 – Angel Haze (1991–), American rapper and singer
11 – Giorgio Armani (1934–), Italian fashion designer
11 – Leisha Hailey (1971–), American actress and musician
11 – Dorothy Wilde (1895–1941), Anglo-Irish socialite, niece of Oscar Wilde
12 – Van Cliburn (1934–2013), American pianist
12 – Michelle Rodriguez (1978–), American actress
12 – Kyrsten Sinema (1976–), American congresswoman (Arizona)
13 – Mary Emma Woolley (1863–1947), American educator, peace activist & women's suffragist
14 – Randy Boissonnault (1970–), Canadian politician
14 – Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1610–1670), Italian aristocrat
14 – Jane Lynch (1960–), American actress
15 – David Cicilline (1961–), American Democratic congressman (Rhode Island)
15 – Allison Brewer (1954–), Canadian social activist and politician
15 – Olly Alexander (1990–), British singer (Years & Years)
16 – Reinaldo Arenas (1943–1990), Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright
16 – Tony Kushner (1956–), American playwright and screenwriter
17 – Charles Lapointe (1944–), Canadian business executive and politician
18 – Elio Di Rupo (1951–), Prime Minister of Belgium
18 – Lillian Faderman (1940–), American scholar, historian and writer
19 – Joseph Hansen (1923–2004), American crime writer and poet
19 – Jaiyah Saelua (1988-), Samoan international football player
20 – Roberta Achtenberg (1950-), American federal politician & civil rights attorney
20 – Rokas Žilinskas (1972-2017), Lithuanian journalist and politician
21 – Rufus Wainwright (1973–), American/Canadian singer-songwriter
22 – Emily Saliers (1963–), American singer-songwriter and member of Indigo Girls
24 – Gus Van Sant (1952–), American director
24 – Anna Paquin (1982–), Canadian-New Zealander Actress
25 – Christine Quinn (1966–), American politician, former Speaker of the New York City Council
26 – Nikki Sinclaire (1968-), English politician, UK's first openly transgender parliamentarian
28 – Judy Grahn (1940–), American poet
28 – Imke Duplitzer (1975–), German épée fencer
29 – Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961), Swedish diplomat & 2nd Secretary-General of the U.N.
29 – Paul Taylor (1930–), American choreographer
30 – Sean Patrick Maloney (1966–), American Democratic congressman (New York)
30 – Pascal Smet (1967–), Belgian politician
31 – Susan Flannery (1939–), American actress
31 – Barbara Gittings (1932–2007), American gay rights activist