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 upon 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. Some prefer the catch-all term queer.

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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A Gay Girl in Damascus (February 2011 - June 2011) was a blog purportedly authored by Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari. Omari was, in fact, a hoax persona created by the American citizen and then-student of the University of Edinburgh, Thomas Jarvis MacMaster. During the 2011 Syrian uprising, a posting on the blog, purportedly by "Amina's" cousin, claimed that the girl had been abducted on June 6, 2011. This sparked a strong outcry from the LGBT community and was covered widely in mainstream media.

In the wake of the reports, questions arose regarding the possibility that Arraf al Omari was an elaborate hoax. On June 7, 2011, author/blogger Liz Henry, Andy Carvin (a journalist with National Public Radio in Washington, D.C.), and others raised doubts about the identity of the blogger. The photos purported to be of her were proven to be a Croatian woman residing in Britain, with no relation to Syria, the blog, or the ongoing protests in the country. On June 12, Ali Abunimah and Benjamin Doherty of the website The Electronic Intifada conducted an investigation that pointed to a strong possibility that the identity of Amina was MacMaster, an American living in Edinburgh. Hours later, MacMaster posted on "Amina's" blog and took responsibility for it and the false reports of the girl's capture. He was accused of creating a second hoax persona to defend his first one. MacMaster is currently a history professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He has since written two e-novels and has come to the defence of Rachel Fulton Brown, an academic accused of white supremacy. (Full article...)

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Dennis-Benn in 2016

Nicole Dennis-Benn (born c.1982) is a Jamaican novelist. She is known for her 2016 debut novel, Here Comes the Sun, which was named a "Best Book of the year" by The New York Times, and for her best-selling novel, Patsy, acclaimed by Time, NPR, People Magazine, and Oprah Magazine. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She is a notable out lesbian and feminist author who explores themes of gender, sexuality, Jamaican life, and its diaspora in her works. (Full article...)

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“

In truth, the term "gay community" is just a figure of speech, meaning not much more than "all the gay people in this area." There is no "gay community" per se. What there is is a large number of different and overlapping smaller gay communities each centered on a specific interest or activity, from square-dancing to playing bridge, from choral singing to political activity, from S/M to theater.

”

—Paul Varnell

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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

See also: 2024 in LGBT rights

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Helmut Kolle was a German modernist painter who emigrated to France where he lived together with art collector Wilhelm Uhde for the rest of his life (which was unfortunately cut short by heart disease). Kolle's paintings almost exclusively feature males—at the start of his career rather effeminate-looking boys, sometime later muscular men, particularly sailors, toreros, and soldiers, usually in poses that are rarely overtly homosexual but certainly suggestive, at least to gay viewers. In this painting from about 1927 a torero puts his hand softly on the shoulder of a picador.

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... that when Dan Savage's book Savage Love was published, his advice column of the same name had 4 million readers?
... that Anita Bryant's participation in Save Our Children, a coalition working to overturn gay rights ordinances in Miami and other cities in 1977 and 1978, destroyed her career?
...that the GayFest of 2005 was the first LGBT pride parade in Romania?
... that African American civil rights activist Mel Boozer was the first openly gay person nominated for the office of Vice President of the United States?
... that the first same-sex kiss on an American soap opera was between fictional characters Lena Kundera and Bianca Montgomery in 2003, who were also American soap opera's first lesbian couple?

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This month's birthdays

1 – Yves Saint Laurent (1936–2008), French fashion designer
2 – James Baldwin (1924–1987), American novelist
4 – Walter Pater (1839–1894), English essayist and art critic
4 – Marcus Urban (1971–), German footballer and diversity adviser
4 – Rudi van Dantzig (1933–2012), Dutch choreographer, ballet dancer, and writer
4 – Sapphire (1950–), American author & performance poet
5 – Heward Grafftey (1928–2008), Canadian politician and business executive
6 – Jim McGreevey (1957–), American seminarian & politician, former Governor of New Jersey (2002–2004)
6 – Carole Pope (1950–), Canadian rock singer-songwriter
6 – Andy Warhol (1928–1987), American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker
8 – Michael Urie (1980–), American actor, television producer, and director
9 – Michael Kors (1959–), American fashion designer
10 – Andrew Sullivan (1963–), English author and political commentator
11 – Quinn (1995–), Canadian professional soccer player, first transgender Olympic gold medalist
11 – Angus Wilson (1913–1991), English novelist and short story writer
12 – Gladys Bentley (1907–1960), American blues singer
12 – Cara Delevingne (1992–), English model and actress
12 – Merikukka Forsius (1972–), Finnish politician
12 – Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943), English writer and poet
13 – Gluck (1895–1978), English painter
13 – Herb Ritts (1952–2002), American fashion photographer
13 – Jennifer Pritzker (1950–), American investor, philanthropist, and former Lt. Col. in U.S. Army
13 – Domenico Dolce (1958–), Italian fashion designer (Dolce & Gabbana)
13 – Sam Champion (1961–), American TV personality and weather anchor
13 – Andrea Gibson (1975–), American spoken word poet
14 – Jill Bennett (1975–), American actress
14 – Horst P. Horst (1906–1999), German-American fashion photographer
14 – Mark Pocan (1964–), American Democratic congressman (Wisconsin)
16 – Rina Sawayama (1990–), Japanese singer, actress and model
18 – Marcel Carné (1906–1996), French film director
19 – Malcolm Forbes (1919–1990), American magazine publisher
19 – Renée Richards (1934–), American ophthalmologist, author and former professional tennis player
20 – Maria Louise Pool (1841–1898), American writer
21 – Luisa Isabel Álvarez de Toledo, 21st Duchess of Medina Sidonia (1936–2008), Spanish aristocrat
21 – Miguel Vale de Almeida (1960–), Portuguese anthropologist, LGBT activist, professor, and politician
22 – Diana Nyad (1949–), American author, journalist, motivational speaker, and long-distance swimmer
24 – Stephen Fry (1957–), English actor, screenwriter, comedian, and television presenter
24 – Marsha P. Johnson (1945–1992) Gay Liberation Activist
25 – Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845–1886), King of Bavaria
25 – Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990), American conductor, composer, music lecturer, and pianist
26 – Christopher Isherwood (1904–1986), English novelist
27 – Tom Ford (1961–), American fashion designer and film director
28 – Nancy Kulp (1921–1991), American actress
29 – Jean Lorrain (1855–1906), French poet, novelist, and dandy
29 – Meshell Ndegeocello (1968–), American singer-songwriter, rapper and musician
29 – Jeanette Winterson (1957–), English writer, broadcaster and activist
31 – Alex Blackwell (1983–), Australian cricketer