RantThe faux-historical, anachronistic use of LGBT

submitted by JulienMayfair from self.LGBDropTheT

I've been watching a few gay history documentaries lately, and it always bugs me when someone talks about "LGBT History" or "the LGBT community" at a time when such a thing really didn't exist, and it's so clear that so many of them are making a point to use that term very deliberately. Even lesbian and gay male history are fairly distinct prior to the 1940s/1950s due to differences in how men and women moved in social spaces. For example, there were times when homosexual men were being actively rounded up by the police while, in the eyes of the law, it was as though lesbianism didn't really exist (e.g., under British law).

The modern transgender movement is almost entirely an invention of the medical profession, arising, interestingly enough, at around the same time that psychiatry was promoting the idea of homosexuality as a contagious disease.

So fine -- talking about trans history. Talk about lesbian history. Talk about gay male history. But they're not all the same thing. There is no "LGBT" history.

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[–]yousaythosethingsFind and Replace "gatekeeping" with "having boundaries" 16 insightful - 1 fun16 insightful - 0 fun17 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Totally agree. If I make substantive and impactful contributions to this discourse, one or the primary areas will be through highlighting and explaining the historical revisionism involved. “LGBT(Q) community” just became a thing in recent years. It’s even more obvious in the UK where Stonewall didn’t even add the T until 2014. How interesting though that the acronym ends after T or Q when talking about history. That’s an implicit recognition that current “community” we are deemed to be a part of is a recent invention, so why should it be worthy of censure and censorship to point out that TQ were also latecomer additions added from the top down.

But what really confuses me is the people who have been participating in the gay community and frequenting gay spaces and involved in gay orgs long enough to know there were not these hetero trans, non/binaries, or even this amount of homosexual trans in those spaces even a decade ago. They know they never socialized with such people and such people were not beside them in the fight for gay rights. So where so they think they came from? When did they start noticing them there? When did they start saying “LGBT” instead of “gay” or “same sex?” When did they hear the phrase “gender identity” for the first time. When did they start noticing their gay friends and community members transitioning or changing pronouns? I can forgive the youngest for lacking the personal knowledge and for being saturated with this propaganda from an early age.

The problem is we are not like other minority groups. We don’t come from gay families. We don’t have gay families to retreat to. We don’t have gay parents to tell us about gay history. We get lumped together with a bunch of unrelated things like no other group, and unlike other groups we are not allowed to talk openly about our own experiences. We must be subservient to others and prioritize their needs and “their truth.” No one is deferring to gay people on gay issues. We are told we have no unique issues. That we have everything we need and are privileged now. And because we were born into gay families, we overly depend on this community from whom we seek role models and support. Our institutions were ripe for the taking and our communities were ripe for cannibalization and misappropriation by outside interests.

[–]xanditAGAB (Assigned Gay at Birth) 12 insightful - 2 fun12 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

They know they never socialized with such people and such people were not beside them in the fight for gay rights. So where so they think they came from?

I've heard them say its that trans people didn't have the language to describe themselves back then, which is why marsha never said she was trans. Also, they can now say any GNC person is actually under the huge T umbrella, even if they were just lgb.

[–]yousaythosethingsFind and Replace "gatekeeping" with "having boundaries" 17 insightful - 1 fun17 insightful - 0 fun18 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

So they lacked the words and didn’t feel a life-dependent need for hormones and various cosmetic procedures? And giving them the words created a life or death need for hormones and plastic surgery? Maybe we should phase out those words. . . .

[–]SuperGayIsOkay 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's basically trans astroturfing; they're making up hero figures to worship, since none otherwise exist.

[–][deleted] 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

That Marsha thing is not true. The term transsexual was recognized, and was used as such by well-known transsexuals at the time like Miss Major. Marsha could’ve called himself as such, but he didn’t.

As for the heterosexual trans-identified people, yeah, the way everyone pretends their inclusion isn’t a recent invention is beyond me.

[–]our_team_is_winning 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I've heard them say its that trans people didn't have the language to describe themselves back then

"I've always been trans. I just didn't know what it was called."

How about working from the other direction? Aromantic demigirl pansexual blah blah blah didn't exist until some made-up words were written to describe it.

[–]divingrightintowork 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Even according to them they weren't part of it! "This is a gay bar, and it's not drag night." Them: "we're women."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81fm9Kmu4pc

[–]gummybear 14 insightful - 1 fun14 insightful - 0 fun15 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

And on top of that, none of it even makes sense. It erases everything and everyone and even distorts and breaks history. Pretty soon it'll be LGBTQQIP2SAA history and people will be wondering what the hell straight girls who are "asexual" have anything to do with any of this. It's just appropriating history and they know it. And you know when they'll come to their senses? Because theyre not stupid. It's when we start "queering" transexuals. So they know it's malicious and it's strategic on their part.

[–]Uranian 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I'm old enough to remember when Pride was just Lesbian and Gay Pride, and had a meaning other than parading your kink to the world. It's sad how this movement and this event have been destroyed by what are, essentially, heterosexual people.

[–]SuperGayIsOkay 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The reality is the current generation is so coddled and focused on trivial identity politics that they really don't see that LGB rights still are in a sad state globally. It's dreadful that the movement that everyone is embracing with open arms is inherently homophobic and basically exists to destroy everything the movement's founders have worked to build.

[–]chazzstrong 12 insightful - 2 fun12 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

I can visibly tell when someone gets "triggered" by my use of the term 'LGB'. I intentionally leave the 'T' out when discussing the history of same-sex attraction, and the eye twitches and fingers tightening always make me chuckle.

Even more egregious is the conflation of transsexualism with transgenderism. Two totally different issues involving two totally different approaches.

[–]GreykittymommaMagical lady 💜 9 insightful - 2 fun9 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Spot on. LGB makes sense being together.

I'm a GNC bisexual woman and half of the TRA can't decide if that makes me secretly trans or an enemy tErF. God I hate those assholes.

[–]usehername 6 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

iF yOu DoN't HaVe A gEnDeR iDeNtItY uR aGeNdEr