Ribes


	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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The Washington Blade is an LGBT newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The Blade is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the Philadelphia Gay News and the Gay City News of New York City. The Blade is often referred to as America's gay newspaper of record because it chronicled LGBT news locally, nationally, and internationally. The New York Times said the Blade is considered "one of the most influential publications written for a gay audience."

The paper was originally launched as an independent publication in October 1969 with a focus on bringing the community together. In 2001, the Blade was purchased by Window Media LLC, a group of gay-oriented newspapers circulated throughout the United States with a staff composed of professional journalists, becoming a leading source of news for the readers both in Washington and around the nation. The paper publishes weekly on Fridays and celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2019. (Full article...)

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Photo by Tee Corinne, 1983

Ann Weldy (born September 15, 1932), better known by her pen name Ann Bannon, is an American author who, from 1957 to 1962, wrote six lesbian pulp fiction novels known as The Beebo Brinker Chronicles. The books' enduring popularity and impact on lesbian identity has earned her the title "Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction". Bannon was a young housewife trying to address her own issues of sexuality when she was inspired to write her first novel. Her subsequent books featured four characters who reappeared throughout the series, including her eponymous heroine, Beebo Brinker, who came to embody the archetype of a butch lesbian. The majority of her characters mirrored people she knew, but their stories reflected a life she did not feel she was able to live. Despite her traditional upbringing and role in married life, her novels defied conventions for romance stories and depictions of lesbians by addressing complex homosexual relationships.

Her books shaped lesbian identity for lesbians and heterosexuals alike, but Bannon was mostly unaware of their impact. She stopped writing in 1962. Later, she earned a doctorate in linguistics and became an academic. She endured a difficult marriage for 27 years and, as she separated from her husband in the 1980s, her books were republished; she was stunned to learn of their influence on society. They were released again between 2001 and 2003 and were adapted as an award-winning Off-Broadway production. They are taught in women's and LGBT studies courses, and Bannon has received numerous awards for pioneering lesbian and gay literature. She has been described as "the premier fictional representation of US lesbian life in the fifties and sixties", and it has been said that her books "rest on the bookshelf of nearly every even faintly literate Lesbian". (Full article...)

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“

Fuck off, I'm gay.

”

—Actor Sir Ian McKellen, written response to UK Home Secretary Michael Howard's autograph request, at the end of an unsuccessful 1988 visit to persuade the politician to change his stance on Section 28.

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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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The Transgender Pride flag was designed by Monica Helms, and was first shown at a pride parade in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) in 2000.

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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?

More did you know facts

This month's birthdays

1 – Charles Laughton (1899–1962), English-American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director
1 – Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme (1654–1712), French military commander
1 – Orlando Cruz (1981–), Puerto Rican professional boxer
2 – Daniel Kowalski (1975–), Australian freestyle swimmer
2 – Liane de Pougy (1869–1950), French cabaret artist/dancer and courtesan
2 – Johnny Weir (1984–), American figure skater, 2008 World Bronze Medalist
2 – Sylvia Rae Rivera (1951–2002), Civil Rights activist who advocated for Transgender rights
4 – Stephen Boyd (1931–1977), British actor
4 – Steven Cojocaru (1970–), Canadian fashion critic/TV personality
5 – Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), French poet, artist, and director
5 – Megan Rapinoe (1985–), American professional soccer midfielder
5 – Hein Vos (1903–1972), Dutch politician and economist, first gay member of Cabinet of the Netherlands
6 – Merv Griffin (1925–2007), American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul
6 – Frida Kahlo (1907–1954), Mexican artist
7 – George Cukor (1899–1983), American film director
7 – Kirsten Vangsness (1972–), American actress
8 – Silvia Modig (1976–), Finnish politician, radio and TV journalist
9 – David Hockney (1937–), English painter and photographer
9 – Kelly McGillis (1957–), American actress
9 – Vanessa Selbst (1984–), American hedge fund manager and professional poker player
10 – Marcel Proust (1871–1922), French novelist
10 – Fiona Shaw (1958–), Irish actress and theatre-opera director
10 – Zoe Dunning (1963–), American retired naval officer, and LGBTQ activist
10 – Alexandra Hedison (1969–), American photographer and actress
10 – Angel Haze (1991–), American rapper and singer
11 – Giorgio Armani (1934–), Italian fashion designer
11 – Leisha Hailey (1971–), American actress and musician
11 – Dorothy Wilde (1895–1941), Anglo-Irish socialite, niece of Oscar Wilde
12 – Van Cliburn (1934–2013), American pianist
12 – Michelle Rodriguez (1978–), American actress
12 – Kyrsten Sinema (1976–), American congresswoman (Arizona)
13 – Mary Emma Woolley (1863–1947), American educator, peace activist & women's suffragist
14 – Randy Boissonnault (1970–), Canadian politician
14 – Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1610–1670), Italian aristocrat
14 – Jane Lynch (1960–), American actress
15 – David Cicilline (1961–), American Democratic congressman (Rhode Island)
15 – Allison Brewer (1954–), Canadian social activist and politician
15 – Olly Alexander (1990–), British singer (Years & Years)
16 – Reinaldo Arenas (1943–1990), Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright
16 – Tony Kushner (1956–), American playwright and screenwriter
17 – Charles Lapointe (1944–), Canadian business executive and politician
18 – Elio Di Rupo (1951–), Prime Minister of Belgium
18 – Lillian Faderman (1940–), American scholar, historian and writer
19 – Joseph Hansen (1923–2004), American crime writer and poet
19 – Jaiyah Saelua (1988-), Samoan international football player
20 – Roberta Achtenberg (1950-), American federal politician & civil rights attorney
20 – Rokas Žilinskas (1972-2017), Lithuanian journalist and politician
21 – Rufus Wainwright (1973–), American/Canadian singer-songwriter
22 – Emily Saliers (1963–), American singer-songwriter and member of Indigo Girls
24 – Gus Van Sant (1952–), American director
24 – Anna Paquin (1982–), Canadian-New Zealander Actress
25 – Christine Quinn (1966–), American politician, former Speaker of the New York City Council
26 – Nikki Sinclaire (1968-), English politician, UK's first openly transgender parliamentarian
28 – Judy Grahn (1940–), American poet
28 – Imke Duplitzer (1975–), German épée fencer
29 – Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961), Swedish diplomat & 2nd Secretary-General of the U.N.
29 – Paul Taylor (1930–), American choreographer
30 – Sean Patrick Maloney (1966–), American Democratic congressman (New York)
30 – Pascal Smet (1967–), Belgian politician
31 – Susan Flannery (1939–), American actress
31 – Barbara Gittings (1932–2007), American gay rights activist