LGB, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQIA, and I'm Confused! (Updated from 10/16/2014)

"For these people, labels are not only a means of self-expression but also an instrument for self-advocacy and empowerment."

-- Adrienne Sigeti, "Important Truths About Labeling Sexuality" 

This will not be my first post concerning the LGBT community; however, this may be construed as my least tolerant.  

I think we all know the acronyms, but I'll run through them again:

LGB:  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual

LGBT:  add Transgender

LGBTQ:  add Queer

LGBTQIA: add Intersex and Asexual
LGBTQIAQ:  add Questioning

LGBTQIAQC:  add Confused

Okay, I'll admit that the last one is my own acronym contribution.  I am confused.  I mean, really.  How long does an acronym have to be?  I guess that depends on the LPD, the "League of the Perpetually Dissatisfied."  The who?  I look at the LPD as a splinter group of the "League of the Perpetually Offended." What in the world would make me think of LPD involvement?  Well, without taking up this entire post plagiarizing Wikipedia, take a ride on these two links and see what you think about trying to please everyone:  LGBT and What Does LGBTQIA Mean?

So, hopefully, you followed the two links.  Hopefully, you also learned something.  What is your opinion of the LGBT community?  I'm not demanding your opinion be "acceptant," but I hope it is, at least, tolerant.  I really enjoyed the "Variants" and "Criticism of the Term" sections of the links.  Like Republicans and Democrats, it seems they can't come together on the issue of a name without pissing off some other faction of their own community, like the LPD or the LPO, by leaving others out, offending, or unintentionally disrespecting them.

"I'm as much of a homophobe as Jesus was. The people who are participating in homosexual behavior, they need to know that I love them."

-- Phil Robertson

Now, I opened this post by stating it may be "construed as my least tolerant" concerning this community of people.  Understand that my intolerance isn't concerning their desire to be accepted and recognized, for who, what, or why they are.  Even in this last sentence, in my effort to be all-encompassing, I will certainly fall far short of describing their desires and pissing someone off.  I try to live without expectations, but the League of the Perpetually Offended perpetually never fails me.  Let's be real about our expectations, shall we?

Author Adrienne Sigeti wrote the article "Important Truths About Labeling Sexuality".  In her article, she states, "For these people, labels are not only a means of self-expression but also an instrument for self-advocacy and empowerment."  This is true for professional people and for leadership; I'm just not so sure this is what you want to say about yourself.  I don't need to utilize a label as an instrument to assist me in being my own best advocate.  Nor do I need a label to use as an instrument to empower me.  I'm my best advocate because I pay attention and try not to take what I hear at face value.  As far as empowerment, I am who I am and if you don't like it that's your loss, not mine.  If you find the need to judge someone, get a pen and a blank notebook and then have a good look in a mirror.  Try to care about who you see.

"I say every slur on the planet - racial, homosexual, everything to do with every ethnic group on the planet - and guess what? I will never apologize for that because I know why I do it, and it is to make a valid point about ignorance in this society."

-- Lisa Lampanelli

Of all the gay men and lesbians I've met, and there have been quite a few, most of the lesbians seem to have a need to impress me with how offended they are.  I'm never quite sure why they feel constantly offended.  It seems they are content to go through life with a scowl toward men that equates to a dare for any heterosexual, man or woman, to knock the chip off their shoulder.  Gay men on the other hand, unless they're "flamboyantly" gay, tend to blend into the crowd.  They seem more content to fight the good fight without pissing everyone else off.  This attempt to not alienate everyone around you seems to be a much better tactic, in my view.  But, again, this is just my opinion gleaned from the attitudes of those LGBT folks I met growing up around Monterey, Carmel, San Francisco, and, of course, all through my military and civilian life.  I have never judged their lifestyle, despite their attempts to make me do just that, and I will not start now.  So what, then, is my point?

Have you heard of the case involving the lesbian Mayor of Houston and Texas pastors?  Check out: City of Houston Demands Pastors Turn Over Sermons and Pastors to Mayor: Don't Mess With Texas Pulpits.

The articles showed up on Facebook, and I have included my comment (below) on that article which is really the crux of this post, to wit:

"This is a two-pronged problem. The mayor is a member of the "League of the Perpetually Dissatisfied."  She has a chip on her shoulder because, well, she feels being a lesbian gives her that right.  The pastors, on the other hand, find it constantly necessary to ridicule the LGBT community because they find it hard to come to grips with the fact that their Bible might need some tweaking so we, actually, interpret it to reflect what it preaches - love, understanding, tolerance, forgiveness, and love.  Yes, I said "love" twice; cop a clue.  We have to stop baiting each other and find some middle ground. The LGBT community is not going away.  How about pastors start preaching about Ebola? And Madam Mayor, how about you worry about if your hospitals are up to the task.  Both the pastors and the mayor should just SHUT UP!" 

I took a hit from a fellow Christian on Facebook for a "tweaking" comment.  Her critique evidenced that she focuses on minutia and totally missed the point of my comment when she came back with, "Are you, God, now?"  So, she's another Christian who believes you must be God in order to write scripture, not men?  What?  There must be a parable I missed where God, or an angel, handed down the "Holy Bible" to mankind.  Who received it, originally?  Where?  When?  This is what we always do when faced with obviously "correct" answers to issues we don't want to address or can't come to grips with.  I suppose I could have responded with, "Are you judging me?" A Christian judgment?  What was I thinking? 

Christian leadership, for the most part, would have us buy into the fact that scripture was written by God through men. Really?  I like to think my God is smarter than to rely on mankind to get it right.  No, I think it is historically evident that scripture is inspired by God, by mankind's belief in a supreme being, even though God wrote His laws across our hearts and our minds because God understood man does nothing but screw up what God wants.   

Even the biblical stories are coming more and more into question as scholars discover they are more parable than fact.  It doesn't detract from the message, but it does make it difficult to interpret the tolerance, peace, love, and understanding, which were the true message of Jesus, especially when His words are being rewritten to put forward some warped human agenda.  This kind of misinterpretation is exactly what Islam is now facing.  

But, I digress... yet, again.

"The fact that a person loves one particular person is what is important; the life lesson, whether you are homosexual or heterosexual, is that you not be promiscuous, and true to one person."

-- Loretta Devine 

As I said in my comment, above, LGBT (et al) are not going away.  Right or wrong they will, in all probability, continue to grow as more people accept this alternate lifestyle.  I wish I could find fault with the lifestyle, but I can't.  Is it contrary to the bible?  Depends on which interpretation you choose to believe.  But, if the bible was written by a man with the agenda to quell a rising tide of homosexuality in a society suffering from high infant mortality, this might make sense if they wanted the proliferation of religious philosophy to continue.  If homosexuality is wrong, and I'm not saying it is or isn't, why do we constantly hear how gay marriages work out better than hetero, and gay parents show a greater propensity toward parenting, and their children evidence the better parenting?

Unless we plan on repeating a dark history by donning white sheets and riding around the nation hanging LGBT members by the neck, maybe it's time to show some quiet tolerance, sweet reasonableness, understanding, and forgiveness for each other, which one might find spiritually.  Maybe it's time to "live and let live" and stop fighting amongst ourselves over philosophical differences that pale in the face of scourges like COVID-19, Ebola, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, China, Russia, and the humanitarian crisis occurring on our own southern border.  We need to get our eyes back on target and get our minds straight.  We need to quit being offended by insignificant bullshit that does nothing for us as an intelligent society.

As for LGBT, etc., etc. acronyms, I am confused.  If you can't get a grip on which you identify with, how in God's name are the rest of us supposed to?  Why not try something like A.I.L. (All Inclusive Lifestyle).  Oh, but then, gee, hetero would be included in that group as well, right?  God knows that would surely piss off the League of the Perpetually Offended.

Wouldn't it be a shame to actually practice what we preach?  Why can't we just love each other for who, what, and why we are?  Why do we need labels, and why do we find the need to care about labels?  Does "Holy Scripture" (the Bible) need some "tweaking" to clarify the message?  Probably, I don't really know, and it wouldn't happen anyway.  "Organized" religion is all about control and money.  It would be admitting that organized religion is fallible, man is fallible, and God... well, let's not open that can of worms.  

Even though faith is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof, I still have faith.

"No, I am not a homosexual. If I were a homosexual, I would hope I would have the courage to say so. What's cruel is that you are forcing me to say I am not a homosexual. This means you are putting homosexuals down. I don't want to do that."

-- Ed Koch (1924-2013)

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com