This page was created to make sure every Flinker feels represented and comfortable in their environment. As Flink is now a big community of people all around the world and from different backgrounds, we feel it’s extremely important to provide our communities with the opportunity to connect and grow together.
If you’re interested in staying in touch with fellow employees who identify as LGBTQIA+ or are an ally, check out the Slack channel #Flink_Queer, and stay updated on upcoming events and exciting news!
What does it mean to be “queer”?
Today, we use the word “queer” to refer to any person who is not straight, or isn’t cisgender. Cis or cisgender refers to a person whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.
In general, “queerness” is an umbrella term that is both an orientation and a community for those on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Therefore, people who identify as queer generally fall outside of the heterosexual norm.
First originated as a derogatory term, queer belongs to be many words which has been reclaimed by the LGBTQIA+ community. Used in history as synonymous to “odd”, “peculiar” or “not quite right”, the word has now become a term of empowerment for those who have been othered by social norms and customs, and by outdated notions of gender.
LGBTQIA+
For many years, the LGBTQIA+ community was simply referred to as “gay” or “the gay community”. Although the first abbreviation, consisting of only L, G, B and T was inclusive in spirit, many were quick to realise that it was just as hard to define themselves with one of the four. As time went on, the abbreviation has also went on to gain a few more letters and a plus at the end. But what do these letters actually stand for?
The extended version of this abbreviation can differ from source to source or person to person, which shows again that gender and sexual identity is very personal.
First two letters stand for “L”esbian and “G”ay, which were terms coined after the word “homosexual” become increasingly medical and pejorative. Towards the end of the 70s, the word “gay” would become the umbrella term for what we today know as “queer”, and, as what was then called the gay liberation movement gained steam, the phrase “gay and lesbian” became more popular as a way to highlight the similar-yet-separate issues faced by women in the fight for tolerance. Today, “gay” can still be used as an umbrella term however also just referring to homosexual men.
“B” stands for “B”isexual, which is by definition someone who is attracted to people of their gender and other than their gender. Since the term was first coined, a major struggle faced by bisexual people is that their sexuality is a facade for covering up the fact that they are homosexual, or a transition state between being heterosexual and being homosexual. Many people who are bisexual have had to fight for the legitimacy of their sexual orientation.
“T”ransgender people are people whose gender identity or gender expression differs from the biological sex they were assigned at birth. It’s important to remember that transgender people do not have to have transitioned or have started their transition in order to be considered transgender! Transgender is an identity, and it isn’t limited through the physical attributes of a person.
Sometimes the word transgender is shortened to just trans, trans, or trans male/trans female. It’s always best to use the language and labels that the person prefers.
“Q” can refer to “queer”, as we defined above, or “Q”uestioning” for those who aren’t sure of their gender or sexual identities just yet, or have recently started questioning themselves. As coming out or accepting their sexual preferences could be harder to do for some based on their families, the people they are surrounded with, etc., it is important to show everyone that they are valid, even if they aren’t sure of their identity.
“I” stands for intersex, who are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns or genitals. They do not conform to the binary notions of female and male bodies. In our, sex categories get simplified into male, female, and sometimes intersex, in order to simplify social interactions and maintain order, although “sex” chromosomes can vary. So nature doesn’t decide where the category of “male” ends and the category of “intersex” begins, or where the category of “intersex” ends and the category of “female” begins. This differentiation is done by mostly doctors. But a lot more people than that are born with subtler forms of sex anatomy variations, some of which won’t show up until later in life.
“A” stands for “asexual” or “ace” for short, refers to people who experience none or close-to-none sexual attraction towards others. Not to be confused with “aromantic” which refers only to people who do not experience romantic attraction towards others. These two terms are not mutually inclusive or mutually exclusive.
Finally, the “+” in the abbreviation stands for anyone else who has not been covered through the explanations above.
Although not in the abbreviation, another very well-known example is pansexuality. Pansexual people are people who attracted to others regardless of their gender identity, or as someone who is attracted to others purely on their qualities or personality.
But even since, there have been more and more terms which have gained prominence, and they very useful to know to create an inclusive work environment.
Pronouns: Why they matter
If you’ve set up your email signature or updated your profile on Slack, you may have noticed that they both provide you with a section on pronouns. Stating your pronouns are an easy way to let others know how you would like to be addressed, and know how to address another person in a way that they are comfortable with.
We usually use pronouns when we are talking about people in third person, so it reinforces our view of them and their identity. Gender identities can be unknown or invisible in the office, we have to remember that it is not always possible for a person to express themselves authentically in a work environment. This means, that the way a person is presenting themselves does not correlate to their gender identity or how they would prefer to be addressed. Remember that any of your colleagues in the office can identify with any pronoun.
e encourage everyone to add their pronouns in their profiles, regardless of how they identify themselves, so we can create a work environment where everyone feels equally and openly supported. When you add your pronouns to your profile, you show that you’re an ally because it tells those who belong to the transgender and genderqueer communities that you have thought about gender and its complexity and you are open and supportive to being approached about this topic.
If you don’t know or aren’t sure of someone’s pronouns, just ask them! It shows that you want to respect their identity and you care. We have to remember to consider gender as not strictly binary, therefore we must also consider non-binary pronouns or gender-neutral pronouns.
Glossary
Not all of us go through the same experiences, but it doesn’t stop us from trying to understand! We collected some words and terms which are useful to know when having conversations around being queer.
Coming out: When a person first tells someone/others about their orientation and/or gender identity.
Deadnaming: Calling someone by their birth name after they have changed their name. This term is often associated with trans people who have changed their name as part of their transition.
Gender dysphoria: Describes when a person experiences discomfort or distress because there is a mismatch between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity. This is also the clinical diagnosis for someone who doesn’t feel comfortable with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Gender expression: How a person chooses to outwardly express their gender, within the context of societal expectations of gender. A person who does not conform to societal expectations of gender may not, however, identify as trans.
Gender identity: A person’s innate sense of their own gender, whether male, female or something else (see non-binary below), which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.
Gender reassignment: To undergo gender reassignment usually means to undergo some sort of medical intervention, but it can also mean changing names, pronouns, dressing differently and living in their self-identified gender.
Non-binary: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.
Outed: When a lesbian, gay, bi or trans person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is disclosed to someone else without their consent.
Spectrum: A term used to cover a variety of identities that have a root commonality or shared experience.
Transitioning: The steps a trans person may take to live in the gender with which they identify. Each person’s transition will involve different things. For some this involves medical intervention, such as hormone therapy and surgeries, but not all trans people want or are able to have this.
Transitioning also might involve things such as telling friends and family, dressing differently and changing official documents.
The History of Pride Month
In the 1960s, the New York police regularly raided gay bars and got violent with their visitors. Any bar with a homosexual audience would be outed, and would become a target for police.
On the night of the 27th of June, 1969, the police went to bust down another bar, Stonewall Inn which was located on Christopher Street at the corner of 7th Avenue in Greenwich Village, NY. There, the residents inside the bar would resist against the police and the discrimination and the unfair treatment they had faced so far, and solidarity developed among the gays and lesbians in Greenwich Village through the riots continued for several days.
A new movement of emancipation was born, so that at the end of July the "Gay Liberation Front" was formed in New York, which for the first time fought in public for tolerance towards homosexuals.
If you’re interested to learn more about the history of Christopher Street and the Liberation Front, please go here and here.
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