Tag: lgbtqia

LGBTQIA+ Breaking Down the Acronym

In recent years, more and more letters have been added to the acronym. But what do they mean? ACCENT sat down with Matthew Campbell, the co-chair of LGBT Equities committee, to discuss what exactly goes into LGBTQIA+.

By: Alexa Smith

Almost everyone has heard the acronym LGBT at some point and understands what it means. In recent years, more and more letters have been added to the acronym. But what do they mean? ACCENT sat down with Matthew Campbell, the co-chair of LGBT Equities committee, to discuss what exactly goes into LGBTQIA+. 

“You have the standard LGBT; Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender. Q is for queer or questioning. I for Intersex. A for Asexual. And then the plus goes on to add more. So we have nonbinary, nonconforming, pansexual.” Says Campbell, then went on to say how the acronym even includes more than that. He recommended a couple of resources that give an extensive view of all the different identities included under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. Campbell shared this article from The New York Times as well as this article from Human Rights Campaign. With all the recent additions, it can be hard to understand what falls under the LGBT Acronym. Campbell described it this way, “Some things that normally hadn’t been under LGBT are now starting to fall under it more. This is my way of looking at it; if it doesn’t fit a heteronormative of a man and a woman then it is grouped under LGBT. That’s one of the things I love about  being so active in the LGBT community. It is so open and so giving and so caring that when these things don’t fall under standard man to woman we’re like ‘You know what, come on over here.’” 

Campbell was one of the original members of ACC’s LGBT Equity committee. He says, “being a gay male myself the committee was very close to my heart. Being a very active member of the community I felt it was a really good thing…Our students and our faculty and staff need something like this so they know they have someone at the college they can talk to.” The LGBT Equity committee came out of the Gay Straight Alliance, which was a student organization. Now that they are a committee they are able to offer more resources to more students. The LGBT Equity committee offers ally training for faculty and staff, hosts events, and provides resources to ACC Students. The LGBT Equity committee has tons of opportunities for students to get help or even connections. You can check out their website here to see what resources and online events they offer. 

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Four ways Austin Celebrates LGBTQIA+ Pride During A Pandemic

Written by Emily Pesina

During times like these where staying indoors could potentially save your life and others; many public events, restaurants, and social gatherings have moved to a virtual platform. One of the largest annual traditions to be affected this year is Pride Month. With this year marking the 50th anniversary of the nationally recognized celebration members of the LGBTQIA+ community and others make every effort to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. Which is considered a tipping point for this movement in the United States, according to the Library of Congress. 

In previous years, you could find people celebrating in colorful pride parades, parties, and other large social gatherings. However, with more than two million people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States, alternative options have been made to still celebrate Pride as well as keep people safe and healthy. Here are four ways the Austinites have celebrated Pride month this year local events, nationally, and globally.

Thee Gay Agenda

Check out Thee Gay Agenda (TGA), a queer art collective based in ATX. TGA has hosted virtual events through Zoom such as “Thee Stay Homo Series”, a variety of queer creatives that call for bringing the LGBTQIA+ community closer while in quarantine. Thee Gay Agenda also focuses on uplifting LGBTQIA+ voices by sharing artwork of various local artists. TGA described this as “a culmination of expression and a celebration of queerness in the face of objection.” in order to combat hate comments sometimes left on their page.

Currently, TGA and Austin Black Pride have been working together to create “Thee Learning Factory Fund: a set of funds that are allocated to subsidize the cost of materials and classes for Black and queer individuals who wish to participate. This includes journals, tarot decks, jump rings, stained glass materials, and more.” in order to help those who want to participate in their series. If you’re interested in this unique, interactive, and knowledgeable fun group, check them out at their Instagram @thee.gay.agenda or website, https://www.theegayagenda.com/, for Pride events in June.

UT Austin Lavender Graduation and ACC LGBTQIA+ Pride Demonstrations

While many graduating students completed their final courses behind a screen rather than on campus this academic year, the University of Texas at Austin formed a Lavender Graduation ceremony. On May 20, UT Austin held this ceremony on Facebook Live to honor the achievements of graduating Longhorns who are also a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. The event included speeches from UT faculty, staff, and students, a care package that included a Lavender Graduation Certificate, a rainbow tassel, and a virtual cupcake.

“One of the ways you can celebrate pride is by owning a rainbow look. Whether that is owning a flag or wearing a pin,” said Whitney Stone, ACC dance Major. Like many others, Stone also plans on celebrating Pride Month virtually this year.

#IDAHOBIT

Annually, May 17 marks International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Intersexphobia (IDAHOBIT). Usually, a day where people come out for marches of Pride and awareness-raising events about the harassment that the LGBTQIA+ community faces, this year people stayed in while being openly-queer on social media. Connected through the hashtag #IDAHOBIT, the community united globally as people went from sharing selfies with rainbow-painted cheeks to raising awareness of discriminatory-attitude events.

“I try to celebrate the accomplishments of LGBT, but it’s more of not just in June, but throughout the year,” said ACC graduate, Margo DeAlva.

DeAlva is the creator of ACC’s LGBTeQuity, AND an award-winning LGBT star award for her courageous achievements such as her self-made documentary Transtastic. 

“It’s important for everybody in this time, whether for pride month or throughout the year, to reminisce over your accomplishments,” DeAlva added, “It’s not selfish to talk to your loved ones about it and just be like “Hey, how did you feel when I first told you I was this or that, and what do you think about it now?” Although many societies around the world have progressed in acceptance and inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community, there remain battles left to fight.” DeAlva said. 

@virtualpride2k20 on Instagram

@Virtualpride2k20, an Instagram account founded by Kiara Fox, is hosting a month-long virtual event taking place in June that strives to unite the LGBTQIA+ community in providing not just community, but a youth-driven grassroots movement. 

On their Instagram page, various social media stars such as Eugene Yang from the Try Guys, Raquel Bagwell, a well-known content creator for the app Tik Tok, and many others share their experiences being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as host self-care days, and history about this community. To participate in this global event you can tune in to @virtualpride2k20’s EST Instagram/Twitch live streams, and post on social media with the hashtag corresponding to the day’s activity.