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LGBT community

The LGBT community, LGBTQ community, or GLBT community, also referred to as the gay community, is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, LGBT organizations, and subcultures, united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality. LGBT activists and sociologists see the LGBT community-building as a counterweight to heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexualism, and conformist pressures that exist in the larger society. The LGBT community is diverse in political affiliation. Not all people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender consider themselves part of the LGBT community.

LGBT communities may organize themselves into, or support, movements for civil rights promoting LGBT rights in various places around the world.

Terminology
The term pride or sometimes gay pride expresses the LGBT community's identity and collective strength; pride parades provide both a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the general meaning of the term.

LGBT, or GLBT, is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB, which was used to replace the term gay about the LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s.

The initialism, as well as common variants such as LGBTQ, have been adopted into the mainstream in the 1990s as an umbrella term for use when labeling topics about sexuality and gender identity. For example, the LGBT Movement Advancement Project termed community centers, which have services specific to those members of the LGBT community, as "LGBT community centers" in comprehensive studies of such centers around the United States.

The initialism LGBT is deliberate to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. It may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Recognize this inclusion as a popular variant that adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual identity; LGBTQ has been recorded since 1996.

Symbols
The gay community is frequently associated with certain symbols, especially the rainbow or rainbow flags. The Greek lambda symbol ("L" for liberation), triangles, ribbons, and gender symbols are also used as "gay acceptance" symbol. There are many types of flags to represent subdivisions in the gay community, but the most commonly recognized one is the rainbow flag.

Rainbow flag
The rainbow flag became a popular symbol internationally to acknowledge the LGBT community. In 1978 Gilbert Baker created the prototype of the flag, taking inspiration from many resources to create a seal that would represent the gay community. The 8 line flag was sewn and hand-dyed by Baker and several volunteers. Two prototypes of the flag were presented at the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in San Francisco in 1978. As the flag caused a sensation at the parade, Baker decided to take the prototype to the Paramount Flag Company in San Francisco so the flag would be produced in large quantities for the community to have in the next year's parade.

According to Gilbert Baker, each color of the flag represents a value in the community:


 * Pink = sexuality
 * Red = life
 * Orange = healing
 * Yellow = the sun
 * Green = nature
 * Blue = art
 * Indigo = harmony
 * Violet = spiritLGBT Flag.JPG

Later, pink and indigo were removed from the flag due to the lack of commercial color, resulting in the present-day flag which was first presented at the 1979 Pride Parade. Other flags include the Victory over AIDS flag, the Leather Pride flag, and the Bear Pride flag.

Lambda symbol
The lambda symbol was originally adopted by Gay Activists Alliance of New York in 1970 after they broke away from the larger Gay Liberation Front. Lambda was chosen because people might confuse it for a college symbol and not recognize it as a gay community symbol unless one was actually involved in the community. "Back in December of 1974, the lambda was officially declared the international symbol for gay and lesbian rights by the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland."



Triangle
The triangle became a symbol for the gay community after the Holocaust. Not only did it represent Jews, but homosexuals who were killed because of German law. During the Holocaust, homosexuals were labeled with pink triangles to distinguish between them, Jews, regular prisoners, and political prisoners. The black triangle is similarly a symbol for females only to represent lesbian sisterhood. The pink and yellow triangle was used to label Jewish homosexuals. Gender symbols have a much longer list of variations of homosexual or bisexual relationships which are clearly recognizable but may not be as popularly seen as the other symbols. Other symbols that relate to the gay community or gay pride include the gay-teen suicide awareness ribbon, AIDS awareness ribbon, labrys, and purple rhinoceros.

In the fall of 1995, the Human Rights Campaign adopted a logo (yellow equal sign on the deep blue square) that has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The logo can be spotted the world over and has become synonymous with the fight for equal rights for LGBT people.

One of the most notable recent changes was made in Philadelphia, PA on June 8, 2017. They added two new stripes to the traditional LGBT+ flag, one black and one brown. These were intended to highlight members of color within the LGBTQIA community.

Human and legal rights
The LGBT community is represented by a social component of the global community that is believed by many, including heterosexual allies, to be underrepresented in the area of civil rights. The current struggle of the gay community has been largely brought about by globalization. In the United States, World War II brought together many closeted rural men from around the nation and exposed them to more progressive attitudes in parts of Europe. Upon returning home after the war, many of these men decided to band together in cities rather than return to their small towns. Fledgling communities would soon become political at the beginning of the gay rights movement, including monumental incidents at places like Stonewall. Today, many large cities have gay and lesbian community centers. Many universities and colleges across the world have support centers for LGBT students. The Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, the Empowering Spirits Foundation, and GLAAD advocate for LGBT people on a wide range of issues in the United States. There is also an International Lesbian and Gay Association. In 1947, when the United Kingdom adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), LGBT activists clung to its concept of equal, inalienable rights for all people, regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation. The declaration does not specifically mention gay rights but discusses equality and freedom from discrimination. In 1962, Clark Polak joined The Janus Society in Philadelphia, PA. Only a year after, he became president. In 1968, he announced that the Society would be changing their name to Homosexual Law Reform Society; “Homosexuals are now willing to fly under their own colors” (Stewart, 1968).

Same-sex marriage
In some parts of the world, partnership rights or marriage have been extended to same-sex couples. Advocates of same-sex marriage cite a range of benefits that are denied to people who cannot marry, including immigration, health care, inheritance and property rights, and other family obligations and protections, as reasons why marriage should be extended to same-sex couples. Opponents of same-sex marriage within the gay community argue that fighting to achieve these benefits using extending marriage rights to same-sex couples privatizes benefits (e.g., health care) that should be made available to people regardless of their relationship status. They further argue that the same-sex marriage movement within the gay community discriminates against families that are composed of three or more intimate partners. Opposition to the same-sex marriage movement from within the gay community should not be confused with opposition from outside that community.

Same-sex adoption
The adoption of a child by a same-sex couple is a right that the LGBT community has. Same-sex adoption is legal in twenty-seven countries, allowing the community the opportunity to start a family. If someone from the LGBT community wants to adopt, it is not mandatory to have a partner to do so as there is also the option to adopt individually. Only court decisions determine that LGBT people can be single parents or in pairs depending on their lifestyle or social situation. Many people disagree with same-sex couples adopting a child as they believe they would not be a good parenting model for the child. Scientific studies show that same-sex couples can fulfill the same function as heterosexual parents by supporting their children and providing them with a healthy environment where they feel comfortable.

Adoption centers determine if the applicants are capable or incapable of adopting a child since the center evaluates the emotional, social, economic, and family stability to satisfy the interests of the child and guaranteeing that they have a stable environment where they can grow.

Same-sex parenting
LGBT people can become parents without necessarily being in a relationship as there are different ways for people of the same-sex to have the opportunity to start a family. Some of the options they have are adoption, foster care, sperm donor for insemination, and surrogacy. Scientific studies show that same-sex parents are just as capable as heterosexual parents of raising a child in a healthy and supportive environment. These studies show that children raised in a same-sex environment do not affect their emotional functioning, self-esteem, well-being, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Good parenting, regardless of sexuality, requires consistency and security to have a comfortable and healthy family environment.

On the other hand, LGBT parents are worried about their children being teased for having parents of the same-sex. This situation concerns them because their child gets bullied just for the fact that both of his parents are the same-sex and not opposite-sex like the traditional way in which this kind of situation can affect their children's emotional state and self-esteem.

Media
Media can be a powerful and significant tool as society regards it as the primary source of information. However, the media has such a strong influence on individuals' beliefs, attitudes, and behavior in society. The most promising criticism they made towards the platform media was the representation of the LGBT community that was considered an influential impact on the general opinion of the people. The present lesbian and gay community has a growing and complex place in the American & Western European media. Lesbians and gay men are often portrayed inaccurately in television, films, and other media.

Over the decades, the LGBT community has found acceptance in the media through the representation of various platforms such as movies, television shows, and music. Description in the media, in general, has been significant in promoting greater acceptance from the community by giving them a voice and a center of attention.

LGBT representation on TV
There is currently a widespread ban of references in child-related entertainment, and when references do occur, they almost invariably generate controversy. The LGBT community is often described as many stereotypes, such as gay men being portrayed as flamboyant and bold. Like other minority groups, these caricatures are intended to ridicule this marginalized group.

The restrictions for the representation of the LGBT community began in 1930 with the Hollywood Production Code, which lasted until 1983 as it was replaced by the Code of Practice for Television Broadcaster. Both codes did not prohibit LGBT characters, but they were very strict on how those characters should be and how they should act. This restriction about how LGBT people were represented in the media was very convincing for the American public to believe that people in the LGBT community were child molesters and villains, simultaneously showing that if you had a sexual preference, you could reach a fatal death. In 1997, when American comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet on her popular sitcom, many sponsors, such as Wendy's fast-food chain, pulled their advertising. Also, a portion of the media has attempted to make the gay community included and publicly accepted with television shows such as Will & Grace or Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. This increased publicity reflects the Coming out movement of the LGBT community. As more celebrities came out, more shows developed, such as the 2004 show The L Word. These depictions of the LGBT community have been controversial, but beneficial for the community. The increase in visibility of LGBT people allowed the community to unite to organize and demand change, and it has also inspired many LGBT people to come out.

In the United States, gay people are frequently used as a symbol of social decadence by celebrity evangelists and by organizations such as Focus on the Family. Many LGBT organizations exist to represent and defend the gay community. For example, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in the United States and Stonewall in the United Kingdom work with the media to help portray fair and accurate images of the gay community.

As companies are advertising more and more to the gay community, LGBT activists are using ad slogans to promote gay community views. Subaru marketed its Forester and Outback with the slogan "It's Not a Choice. It's The Way We're Built", which was later used in eight U.S. cities on streets or in gay rights events.

LGBT important events
For decades, the LGBT community has faced discrimination, exclusion, bullying, and many unfortunate series of events by society. This community has been fighting for their human rights and for equality to create a space where they can feel safe without having to be harassed. Over time, society has been able to tolerate, accept, and respect the sexual differences of other people in society. The LGBT community has a list of events spreading awareness on certain days of the year in respect of sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender, transsexuality, and intersex. Some of the most significant dates in the timeline history of the LGBT community are:

International Transgender Day of Visibility - March 31


 * The International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual awareness celebration of the accomplishment of transgender people while fighting cissexism and transphobia by spreading awareness of the transgender community. Day of Silence 2008 Poland Bydgoszcz.jpg

Day of Silence - April 27


 * The GLSEN Day of Silence is a national student-led demonstration where all students allies around the world to take a day-long vow of silence to protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in schools.

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia - May 17


 * This day celebrates the diversity and protects the human rights of the LGBT community. Every year they have a theme to raise awareness of what this community has to face serious challenges every day of their lives.

LGBT Pride Month - June Pride Month is celebrated every June in tribute to those involved in the Stonewall Riots. During this month, there are different parades in America where the LGBT community gets to show their flag with pride, wear glitter, and extravagant outfits.

Some of these parades are:


 * The New York City Stonewall parade- celebrated the last Sunday of June.
 * Washington, D.C Capital Pride- celebrated at the beginning of June.
 * San Francisco Pride parade- celebrated at the end of the month.
 * Pride Fest in Denver, Colorado- celebrated in June.
 * Key West Pride parade in Florida - celebrated at the beginning of June.

International Lesbian Day - October 8


 * Lesbians from around the world celebrate this day, spreading awareness and a highlight of the discrimination they might still face.

National Coming Out Day- October 11


 * This day is an annual celebration for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer as they "come out of the closet" and that they still matter and deserve equality.

International Pronoun Day - October 17


 * International Pronoun Day seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace. Referring to people by the pronouns, they determine themselves.

Buying power
According to Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc. and Marketresearch.com, the 2006 buying power of United States gays and lesbians was approximately $660 billion and was then expected to exceed $835 billion by 2011. Headlines later stated, "Gay Buying Power to hit $2 trillion by 2012". Gay consumers can be very loyal to specific brands, wishing to support companies that support the gay community and also provide equal rights for LGBT workers. In the UK, this buying power is sometimes abbreviated to "the pink pound" more and more Fortune 500 companies are embracing LGBT/gay community consumers to include "domestic partner benefits, non-discrimination policies, and financial support for organizations working to promote equality."

According to an article by James Hipps, LGBT Americans are more likely to seek out companies that advertise to them and are willing to pay higher prices for premium products and services. This can be attributed to the median household income compared to same-sex couples to opposite-sex couples. "...studies show that GLBT Americans are twice as likely to have graduated from college, twice as likely to have an individual income over $60,000 and twice as likely to have a household income of $250,000 or more."

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Discrimination and mental health
In a 2001 study that examined possible root causes of mental disorders in lesbian, gay and bisexual people, Cochran and psychologist Vickie M. Mays of the University of California explored whether ongoing discrimination fuels anxiety, depression, and other stress-related mental health problems among LGBT people. The authors found strong evidence of a relationship between the two. The team compared how 74 LGBT and 2,844 heterosexual respondents rated lifetime and daily experiences with discrimination so as not to be hired for a job or being denied a bank loan, as well as feelings of perceived discrimination. LGBT respondents reported higher rates of perceived discrimination than heterosexuals in every category related to distinction, the team found. However, while gay youth are considered to be at higher risk for suicide, a literature review published in the journal Adolescence states, "Being gay in-and-of-itself is not the cause of the increase in suicide." Rather the review notes that the findings of previous studies suggested the,"...suicide attempts were significantly associated with psychosocial stressors, including gender nonconformity, early awareness of being gay, victimization, lack of support, school dropout, family problems, acquaintances' suicide attempts, homelessness, substance abuse, and other psychiatric disorders. Some of these stressors are also experienced by heterosexual adolescents, but they are more prevalent among gay adolescents." Despite recent progress in LGBT rights, gay men continue to experience high rates of loneliness and depression after coming out.

General
LGBT multiculturalism is the diversity within the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community as a representation of different sexual orientations, gender identities—as well as different ethnic, language, religious groups within the LGBT community. At the same time as LGBT and multiculturalism relation, we may consider the inclusion of the LGBT community into a larger multicultural model, for example in universities, such multicultural model includes the LGBT community together and equal representation with other large minority groups such as African Americans in the United States.

The two movements have much in common politically. Both are concerned with tolerance for real differences, diversity, minority status, and the invalidity of value judgments applied to different ways of life.

Researchers have identified the emergence of gay and lesbian communities during several progressive periods across the world including the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and modern Westernization. Depending on geographic location, some of these communities experienced more opposition to their existence than others; nonetheless, they began to permeate society both socially and politically.

European cities past and present
City spaces in Early Modern Europe were host to a wealth of gay activity; however, these scenes remained semi-secretive for a long time. Dating back to the 1500s, city conditions such as apprenticeship labor relations and living arrangements, abundant student and artist activity, and hegemonic norms surrounding female societal status were typical in Venice and Florence, Italy. Under these circumstances, many open-minded young people were attracted to these city settings. Consequently, an abundance of same-sex interactions began to take place. Many of the connections formed then often led to the occurrence of casual romantic and sexual relationships, the prevalence of which increased quite rapidly over time until a point at which they became a subculture and community of their own. Literature and ballroom culture gradually made their way onto the scene and became integrated despite transgressive societal views. Perhaps the most well-known of these are the balls of Magic-City. Amsterdam and London have also been recognized as leading locations for LGBT community establishment. By the 1950s, these urban spaces were booming with gay venues such as bars and public saunas where community members could come together. Paris and London were particularly attractive to the lesbian population as platforms for not only socialization but education as well. A few other urban occasions that are important to the LGBT community include Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia, as well as the various other pride parades hosted in bigger cities around the world.

Urban spaces in America
In the same way, in which LGBT people used the city backdrop to join together socially, they were able to join forces politically as well. This new sense of collectivity provided somewhat of a safety net for individuals when voicing their demands for equal rights. In the United States specifically, several key political events have taken place in urban contexts. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

The Society of Humans Rights - first gay right group organization


 * First gay rights group organization founded by a German immigrant Henry Gerber in Chicago in 1924. It produce the newsletter, "Friendship and Freedom" the first American publication for homosexuals.

Independence Hall, Philadelphia - gay and lesbian protest movement in 1965


 * Activists led by Barbara Gittings started some of the first picket lines here. These protests continued on and off until 1969. Gittings went on to run the Gay and Lesbian Task Force of the American Library Association for 15 years.

The Stonewall Inn, New York City – the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement in 1969


 * For the first time, a group of gay men and drag queens fought back against police during a raid on this small bar in Greenwich Village. The place is now a national historic landmark.

Castro Street, San Francisco – mecca for LGBTQ folks since the 1970s


 * Almost of equal importance as Christopher Street (site of Stonewall Riot) when it comes to historic landmarks, this urban spot was an oasis of hopefulness. Home to the first openly gay elected official Harvey Milk and the legendary Castro Theater, this cityscape remains iconic to the LGBT community.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell - United State policy on military service


 * Was the official U.S policy on the military service by gay, bisexual, and lesbians. It was established by Clinton Administration on February 28, 1994 until September 20, 2011.

Cambridge City Hall, Massachusetts – site of the first same-sex marriage in U.S. history in 2004


 * In the years following this event, attempts by religious groups in the area to ban it has been stifled and many more states have joined the Commonwealth.

AIDs Activities Coordinating Office, Philadelphia – an office to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDs


 * An office that's goal is to provide proper administrative components, direct assistance, and education on HIV/AIDs

During and following these events, the LGBT community subculture began to grow and stabilize into a nationwide phenomenon. Gay bars became more and more popular in large cities. For gays particularly, increasing numbers of cruising areas, public bathhouses, and YMCAs in these urban spaces continued to welcome them to experience a more liberated way of living. For lesbians, this led to the formation of literary societies, private social clubs, and same-sex housing. The core of this community-building took place in New York City and San Francisco, but cities like St. Louis, Lafayette Park in WA, and Chicago quickly followed suit.

City
Cities afford a host of prime conditions that allow for better individual development as well as collective movement that are not otherwise available in rural spaces. First and foremost, urban landscapes offer LGBTs better prospects to meet other LGBTs and form networks and relationships. One ideal platform within this framework was the free labor market of many capitalistic societies which enticed people to break away from their often damaging traditional nuclear families to pursue employment in bigger cities. Making the move to these spaces afforded them new liberty in the realms of sexuality, identity, and also kinship. Some researchers describe this as a phase of resistance against the confining expectations of normativity. Urban LGBTs demonstrated this push back through various outlets including their style of dress, the way they talked and carried themselves, and how they chose to build community. From a social science perspective, the relationship between the city and the LGBT community is not a one-way street. LGBTs give back as much, if not more, in terms of economic contributions (i.e. "pink money"), activism and politics too.

Intersections of race
Compared to white LGBT individuals, LGBT people of color often experience prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination based on not only their sexual orientation and gender identity, but also based on race. Nadal and colleagues discuss LGBTQ people of Color and their experience of instructional microaggressions which target various aspects of their social identities. These negative experiences and microaggressions can come from cisgender and heterosexual white individuals, cisgender and heterosexual individuals of their race, and from the LGBT community themselves, which is usually dominated by white people.

Some LGBT people of color do not feel comfortable and represented within LGBT spaces. A comprehensive and systematic review of the existing published research literature around the experiences of LGBT individuals of color finds a common theme of exclusion in largely white LGBT spaces. These spaces are typically dominated by white LGBT individuals, promote White and Western values, and often leave LGBT individuals of color feel as though they must choose between their racial community or their gender and sexual orientation community. In general, Western society will often subtly code “gay” as white; white LGBT folks are often seen as the face of LGBT culture and values.

The topic of coming out and revealing one’s sexual orientation and gender identity to the public is associated with white values and expectations in mainstream discussions. Where white Western culture places value on the ability to speak openly about one’s identity with family, one particular study found that LGBT participants of color viewed their family's silence about their identity as supportive and accepting. For example, collectivist cultures view the coming out process as a family affair rather than an individual one. Furthermore, the annual National Coming Out Day centers white perspectives as an event meant to help an LGBT person feel liberated and comfortable in their skin. However, for some LGBT people of color, National Coming Out Day is viewed in a negative light. In communities of color, coming out publicly can have adverse consequences, risking their sense of safety as well as that of their family and communal relationships. White LGBT people tend to collectively reject these differences in perspective on coming out, resulting in possibly further isolating their LGBTQ siblings of Color.

Criticism of the term
The LGBT acronym has brought problems over the years. Frank Kameny, a gay rights activist, fought for the rights of this community. He always used the term gay whenever he was referring to the LGBT community to cover the full range never used the term LGBT to address this community. This did not mean that one sexuality was better than another.

On the other hand, bisexual and transgender people could sometimes feel marginalized by lesbian and gay people. Because of this, they perceived that they did not belong to the community since they faced discrimination and ignorance by the same people of the LGBT community. Over time this acronym grew as activists began to list identities and groups and realized that people of different sexual orientations that were not in the acronym could feel excluded. To solve this situation, they decided to add more letters to the acronym to expand the list so that no one felt left out.

Eleanor Formby writes that the notion of the LGBT community is problematic because community belonging is not a given just because people share a gender or sexual identity. Formby cites an interviewee who argued that "The idea doesn’t exist, it’s a kind of big myth – a bit like saying there’s a brown-eyed community or a blonde community." According to Formby, research shows that many LGBT individuals do not at all feel there is a real "LGBT community," as they keep experiencing discrimination from other LGBT people relating to their age, body, disability, ethnicity, faith, HIV status, or perceived social class. Formby clarifies that she does not suggest abandoning the phrase altogether, but that using "LGBT people" would be more accurate in most instances, and would not risk alienation felt by an already (at times) marginalized group of people.