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[–]SedateApe 19 insightful - 1 fun19 insightful - 0 fun20 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I came out, kind of, when I was 17 back in 1978. But I was in the military for the next six years so I was kinda closeted until my time was up in 1984. That's when I kicked that door right off it's hinges 😀

At this time the "LGB" was just getting it's act together as a social and political voice. There was no T in the beginning, no matter what "other" want to tell us.

Everyone has to remember that back in those days there wasn't an internet or cell phones. All this cross country organizing had to be done my postal mail, phones with cords and wires, and if they worked...early fax machines.

Talk about adding the T started hitting the Philly area, where I lived, in the early 90s I think. There were huge arguments about having the T added. See, back them the T stood for transvestites not transgenders. Transvestites were gay men who dressed as women for "work." And that work was as street prostitution. The T was finally agreed upon when it was said to include straight cross dressers, Drag Queens, and Drag Kings along with the transvestites.

It wasn't until around 2005 that the T got turned into meaning transgender people. This was done without checking first with the LGB community, nor those the T was originally meant for.

[–]bellatrixbells[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Very interesting, and this ending isn't surprising at all. Thank you !