Portal:LGBTQ


	The LGBTQ+ Portal

Introduction

LGBTQ (also commonly seen as LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, and LGBTQIA+) is an initialism of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. It is an umbrella term, broadly referring to all sexualities, romantic orientations, and gender identities which are not heterosexual or cisgender.

In the 1990s, gay, lesbian, and bisexual activists adopted the term LGB, supplanting narrower terms such as "gay or lesbian". Terminology eventually shifted to LGBT, as transgender people became more accepted within the movement. Around that time, some activists began to reclaim the term queer, seeing it as a more radical and inclusive umbrella term, though others reject it, due to its history as a pejorative. In recognition of this, the 2010s saw the adoption of LGBTQ, and other more inclusive variants.

Some versions of the term, such as LGBT+ and LGBTQ+ add a plus sign, to represent additional identities not captured within the acronym. Many further variants exist which add additional identities, such as LGBTQIA+ (for intersex, asexual, aromantic, and agender) and 2SLGBTQ+ (for two-spirit), or which order the letters differently, as in GLBT and GLBTQ.

The collective of all LGBTQ people is often called the LGBTQ community. These labels are not universally agreed upon by everyone that they are intended to include. For example, some intersex people prefer to be included in this grouping, while others do not. Various alternative umbrella terms exist across various cultures, including queer, same gender loving (SGL), Gender, Sexual and Romantic Minorities (GSRM). (Full article...)

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Homosexuality has been documented in China since ancient times. According to one study by Bret Hinsch, for some time after the fall of the Han dynasty, homosexuality was widely accepted in China but this has been disputed. Several early Chinese emperors are speculated to have had homosexual relationships accompanied by heterosexual ones.

There exists a dispute among sinologists as to when negative views of homosexual relationships became prevalent among the general Chinese population, with some scholars arguing that it was common by the time of the Ming dynasty, established in the 14th century, following homophobia entrenched in the Mongol empire and the Yuan dynasty, and others arguing that anti-gay attitudes became entrenched during the Westernization efforts of the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China in the 19th and 20th centuries. For most of the 20th century homosexuality in China had been legal, except for a period between 1979 and 1997 where male anal sex was punishable as "hooliganism". (Full article...)

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Turing in 1936

Alan Mathison Turing OBE FRS (/ˈtjʊərɪŋ/; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist. He was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of a general-purpose computer. Turing is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science.

Born in London, Turing was raised in southern England. He graduated from King's College, Cambridge, and in 1938, earned a doctorate degree from Princeton University. During World War II, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking centre that produced Ultra intelligence. He led Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. Turing devised techniques for speeding the breaking of German ciphers, including improvements to the pre-war Polish bomba method, an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the Enigma machine. He played a crucial role in cracking intercepted messages that enabled the Allies to defeat the Axis powers in many crucial engagements, including the Battle of the Atlantic. (Full article...)

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“

I hear the word 'tolerance'—that some people are trying to teach people to be tolerant of gays. I'm not satisfied with that word. I am gay, and I am not seeking to be 'tolerated'. One tolerates a toothache, rush-hour traffic, an annoying neighbor with a cluttered yard. I am not a negative to be tolerated.

”

—Chely Wright

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14 May 1928 issue of German lesbian periodical Die Freundin ("Girlfriend")

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... that during action by the UK Gay Liberation Front (GLF) to disrupt a Christian morality campaign in 1971, a GLF "bishop" began an impromptu sermon urging people to "keep on sinning"?

... that the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of official mental illnesses in 1973? And that the American Psychological Association followed suit in 1974?

... that Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became the world's first openly gay head of state in the modern era on February 1, 2009?

... that Men who have sex with men are not currently allowed to donate blood in the United States, Austria, Sweden, Finland, or Denmark?

... that in her 1992 documentary film Nitrate Kisses Barbara Hammer filmed an elderly lesbian couple making love as part of an exploration of the repression and marginalization of LGBT history?

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This month's birthdays

1 – Klaus Wowereit (1953–), German politician and former Governing Mayor of Berlin
2 – Annie Leibovitz (1949–), American portrait photographer
3 – Erik Bruhn (1928–1986), Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, artistic director, actor, and author
3 – Eleonora Duse (1858–1924), Italian actress
3 – Gore Vidal (1925–2012), American author, essayist, and political activist
4 – Alan L. Hart (1890-1962), American physician, radiologist, tuberculosis researcher, and novelist
4 – Terri L. Jewell (1954–1995), American author, poet and Black lesbian activist
4 – Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (1942–), Icelandic politician, former Prime Minister of Iceland, world's first openly gay head of government
5 – Chevalier d'Éon (1728-1810), French diplomat, spy, and soldier
5 – John Addington Symonds (1840–1893), English poet and literary critic
6 – Bruno Balz (1902-1988), German songwriter
6 – Karol Szymanowski (1882–1937), Polish composer and pianist
7 – Dan Savage (1964–), American sex advice columnist
8 – Kristanna Loken (1979–), American model and actress
10 – Wade MacLauchlan (1954–), Canadian politician, Premier of Prince Edward Island
11 – Jerome Robbins (1918–1998), American theater producer, director, and choreographer
11 – Matt Bomer (1977–), American actor
11 – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962), former First Lady of the United States and human rights activist
12 – Xulhaz Mannan (1976–2016), Bangladeshi magazine editor and LGBT activist
13 – Ian Thorpe (1982–), Australian freestyle swimmer, five-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2000 & 2004)
14 – Isaac Mizrahi (1961–), American fashion designer & TV presenter
14 – Ben Whishaw (1980–), English actor
15 – Michel Foucault (1926–1984), French philosopher
15 – Jenna Talackova, Canadian beauty pageant contestant, model and TV personality
16 – Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), Irish writer, poet, and aesthete
16 – Cressida Dick (1960–), British police commissioner
17 – Montgomery Clift (1920–1966), American actor
17 – Mark Gatiss (1966–), English actor, screenwriter and novelist
17 – Ryan McGinley (1977–), American photographer
17 – Laura Nyro (1947–1997), American songwriter, singer, and pianist
18 – Uzi Even (1940–), Israeli professor, former politician and first openly gay member of Israeli parliament
18 – Brittney Griner (1990–), American basketball player
18 – Martina Navratilova (1956–), American tennis player
19 – George Nader (1921–2002), American actor
19 – Robert Reed (1932–1992), American actor
20 – Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891), French poet
21 – William Dale Jennings (1917–2000), American LGBT rights activist, playwright, and author
21 – Peter Mandelson (1953–), British Labour politician and former European Commissioner for Trade
21 – Megan Smith (1964–), American technology corporate executive, and former Chief Technology Officer of the United States (2014-2017)
21 – Andrew Scott (1976–), Irish actor
22 – Brian Boitano, American figure skater, 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist
22 – Saffron Burrows (1972–), English actress
22 – Lord Alfred Douglas (1870–1945), British poet and translator
22 – Marc Shaiman (1959–), American film/TV/theatre composer, lyricist & arranger
23 – Jean Acker (1893–1978), American actress
23 – Ireland Baldwin (1995–), American model
23 – Lilyan Tashman (1896–1934), American actress
24 – Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois (1895–1964), French aristocrat & Monegasque royalty
24 – August von Platen-Hallermünde (1796–1835), German poet
25 – Claude Cahun (1894–1954), French artist, photographer, and writer
25 – Chely Wright (1970–), American country singer-songwriter
26 – Liliane Maestrini (1987–), Brazilian beach volleyball player
26 – Glen Murray (1957–), Canadian politician, world's first openly gay mayor of a major city (Winnipeg, MB)
27 – Katherine Bradley (1846–1914), English poet
28 – Francis Bacon (1909–1992), Irish painter
28 – Caitlyn Jenner (1949–), American TV personality & Olympic Gold Medalist in Decathlon (1976)
28 – Frank Ocean (1987–), American singer-songwriter
29 – Michelle Brooke-Marciniak (1973–), American business executive and former WNBA basketball player
29 – Ann-Marie MacDonald (1958–), Canadian playwright, novelist, actress & broadcast journalist
30 – Timothy Findley (1930–2002), Canadian novelist & playwright
31 – Natalie Clifford Barney (1876–1972), American playwright, poet and novelist