Initialism for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer”. The acronym was first used in the United States in the 1980s in the form of “LGB” and has been changing as new sexual identities are claimed and included, for example, “LGBT” was popularized in the 1990s(1). Some of the different formations include LGBTIQ, which includes Intersex identities and “Queer”. The formulations continue to expand and change depending on who is using them and for which purpose. Some of the longer uses include adding a second Q for Questioning (signifies a person who has not chosen a specific sexual orientation), GQ for Gender Queer (persons who do not identify neither as men or women and reject the gender binary), or P for Pansexual (a person who is sexually attracted to persons from all across the gender spectrum), or 2S for Two-Spirit (a Native American conception that refers to persons who have the roles of both genders), etc.
These configurations can be as long as “LGBPTTQQIIAA+” wherein groups such as Allies (heterosexual and cisgender supporters of LGBT rights) are included(2). To shorten the acronym often the configuration “LGBT+” is included instead, or the term “queer” can be employed as an umbrella term for all non-heterosexual, non- cisgender, and non-cisexual identities (See Queer definition). The fact the acronym can be expanded continuously points not only to the vast diversity in sexuality and gender configurations, but also to the consistent molding and categorization of such genders and sexualities on the basis of identities as opposed to practices, acts, etc.
In Lebanon, several sexual rights organizations use the term LGBTIQ or LGBT, despite not having agendas that directly address Bisexual, Trans and/or Intersex persons and issues, and despite the fact that local communities do not always form around sexual or gender identities. For example, “intersex” issues as such are absent from all (visible) groups’ agendas and public debates, and the very identity categorization does not exist in this form locally. This is not to say that persons born with a combination of hormones, genitals, and internal sex/reproductive organs that do not match the pattern of male and female do not exist. Rather, that such bodies and persons are not categorized in the same way they are in the U.S. and Europe. In this sense then, the term reflects the organizations’ affiliation with a particular transnational set of sexual identity politics, projects, and funds (see NGOization).
At the same time, some local groups follow queer politics instead in order to highlight a separation from the identity-based approach and politics(3).
It is important to note that a “queer” approach to politics is still affiliated with U.S. based and European debates as the history of the term itself demonstrates (see Queer). In addition, what can be observed is an increased interest from foreign embassies and transnational donors and NGOs in the creating of the term LGBTI as an “aid category” which comes alongside increased militarized interventions in the region. As a consequence of these dynamics, some persons are beginning to use “LGBT” as an identity category in itself (as opposed to identifying as “Gay” or “Transgender”, they mention they are “LGBT” to donor organizations and NGOs).
The acronym traditionally begins with “L” instead of “G” in order to reflect a commitment to feminist stances (in English and Arabic writing, the masculine grammatical form is usually given primacy before the feminine form). This does not mean however that LGBT movements are free of sexism, racism, or transphobia. Indeed, the American LGBT rights movement has been consistently criticized for prioritizing gay men’s issues – such as the right to military service and to marriage; two normative demands that reflect a normative definition of belonging, specifically one that does not challenge a heterosexuality and imperialism (see heteronormativity)(4). Similar dynamics and criticism has been prevalent among sexuality rights groups in Beirut, which included critiques of male-dominance, sexual harassment in several groups, exclusion of lesbian women from gay male spaces and exclusions based on class and race, and reproduction of structures of oppression inside activist spaces(5).
Lesbian: The English term traces its roots to the Greek “Lesbos”; and today it refers to women who are sexually attracted to women. The term was popularized again in the 60s and 70s in the U.S. and is used in some circles in Beirut in its English form. In Arabic, the term “suhaq” has been employed to refer to lesbianism – however, it is viewed as a derogatory term and has been replaced by the general term for homosexuality “mithliyya jinsiyya” (see the term “Sexuality”). Joseph Massad explained that contrary to common belief, “suhaq” does not derive from the Arabic root s-h-q, which literally means “to crush”(6). Instead, he argued the term most likely has a Greek origin “sapphikos”(7). Academics such as Samar Habib analyzed “female homosexuality” in the Middle East and debated the representations of same-sex love and attraction among women in literary sources(8), while a group of Lebanese activists published a collection of personal accounts and stories from women who are attracted to other women in the short book “Bareed Mista3jil”(9).
Gay: is a term that today refers to men who are sexually attracted to other men. The term’s exact meaning is “happy” and was employed differently across US history in the 20th century. It became popular among gay men as they opposed the use of the word “homosexual” due to its emergence from the medical field and its connotations with otherness. In the United States, “gay” is often used as an umbrella term for LGBT as well and can refer to lesbians and queer men. Often, transnational organizations also use it when referring to queer sexual rights as “gay rights”. However, gay and lesbian studies in the US also point to a multiplicity of local usages inside queer communities, where sometimes transgender persons use the category to denote gender difference(10). Lebanese uses of the term are common among circles of activists, NGOs, middle and upper class Beirutis, and those exposed to specific transnational flows of media, online chat rooms, pornography, and cell-phone applications. Organizations such as Helem and Meem pushed for the use of “mithli” as a politically correct term in Arabic, and “mithliyya” for homosexuality (see “sexuality” for more historical use).
Bisexual: The term refers to a person who is sexually attracted to both men and women. Bisexuality in U.S. and European narratives often faces an erasure because it is seen as a temporary state in a linear process of “coming out” wherein a person may first choose to suggest that they are interested in both genders to ease their acceptance in their environment. Thus, because it retains the possibility of sexual attraction to the opposite gender, bisexual people are sometimes criticized by some queer persons or communities for being part of the heteronormative system, and at the same time pushed to become part of it by the heterosexual society (see heternormativity). While it can be argued that bisexuality reaffirms the gender binary in as much as all sexual identity categories, it also opens space for examining sexual fluidity.
Transgender: is an umbrella term for persons who were assigned a gender and sex identity at birth that is inconsistent with the gender they identify with. On this basis, a transgender man or transman was assigned as female at birth and given the gender identity of a woman/girl which does not correspond to how he identifies (as a man). Similarly, a transwoman is a person who was assigned male sex at birth and defined by society as a boy/man, which does not match how she identifies (as a woman). Despite being an umbrella term itself, the term transgender is sometimes represented with the term “trans*” in order to include an even wider variety of persons who do not fall on either end of the gender binary and whose identities, bodies, and performances include multiple movements across the gender spectrum.
Transgender persons might sometimes choose to surgically transition from the sex they were assigned into another. Thus, the term “transsexual” denotes this transition. However, every person’s transition is different and does not have to entail a full transition nor follow the same process.
In Lebanon, the term transgender is often used in its short form “Trans” among some transgender persons. Some transwomen and transwomen sex workers often employ terms such as “shemale” and “ladyboy” in referring to each other and when identifying their roles. NGOized discourses find these terms derogatory, but it is central to examining how they manifest themselves inside the communities and not force an identity term on persons simply because it is more accepted in the transnational NGOized discourses and/or global LGBT politics. Lastly, sex-reassignment surgeries are possible in Lebanon, but require a very long procedure which is often the main obstacle(11).
