LGBTQ&A

How do you identify your sexuality?

Straight	24.0%	[ 31 ]
Bisexual	19.4%	[ 25 ]
Pansexual	7.0%	[ 9 ]
Gay	9.3%	[ 12 ]
Lesbian	8.5%	[ 11 ]
Questioning	7.0%	[ 9 ]
Queer	6.2%	[ 8 ]
Asexual	15.5%	[ 20 ]
Other - tell me about it!	3.1%	[ 4 ]
Total Votes:			[ 129 ]

[IllustratedJai]

Asleep right now! Will answer any questions when I wake up! Feel free to answer each other!

I've recently started a youtube series I call LGBTQ&A - about once a month, I'll upload a video where I answer questions people have sent me about various LGBTQ topics.

So, I guess I'm kind of just plugging that here. To make this a worthwile thread, instead of just me plugging my youtube channel, let's have a Q&A thread! (I also welcome critique and requests for clarification about the videos!)

Part of my goal with doing this video series is to answer every question that comes my way as a serious request for information. I think the best way for me to do what I can for the community is to spread as much information and education as I can; the more people know about us, and understand us, the less likely they are to debase and create legislation against us.

A little bit about me, to let you know where I come from with a lot of my answers:
I'm mid-twenties, Canadian and Genderqueer. I've recently finished my bachelor's degree in Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies, where I focused my studies on trans(*) and queer issues, primarily.

Any questions asked in this thread I'll answer here, but I might also borrow some of them to answer in a video in a few months' time. If you REALLY don't want me to use your question, let me know!

There are a number of awesome folks who'll answer your questions besides me! We're all very friendly, but we do know trolling when we hear it!

Please be polite and recognise and respect everyone's different experiences and identities.
If someone's truly being an asshat, report the s**t outta them.*

*By asshat, I do not mean 'someone i disagree with', but 'someone who is degrading/insulting an individual or being generally homophobic'.

[IllustratedJai]

The first video, if anyone just doesn't want to click the link. This one's just an introduction.

[IllustratedJai]

This is the second video, on the topic of pronouns.

[IllustratedJai]

This one's about resources/sources and supportive parents.

[IllustratedJai]

This one's about Genderqueer Experience, Bathrooms and Sex Toys. Not all in the same question!

[IllustratedJai]

This is the most recent one, about the difference between Bisexuality & Pansexuality.

[I Shall Give You NoMercy]

yo gay person here
What's the difference between gay and queer?
Arn't they the same thing...?
Or did I miss something.

[IllustratedJai]

I Shall Give You NoMercy

yo gay person here
What's the difference between gay and queer?
Arn't they the same thing...?
Or did I miss something.

Queer gets used as both an umbrella term which includes all lgbtq identities, but also as a separate identity which is sort of... "I'm kinda like lgb, but not really."

I personally use it because I don't really feel like categorising my sexuality, and because I've only been with one person, who is pretty much the only person I want to have sex with, but I also have aesthetic attraction to a huge range of people - but I don't want to have sex with them.

...Okay, that was confusing. One sentence answer: Queer is basically "I'm some kinda lgb&c, but I don't know/don't care to say which kind."

(Altho', some older folks do still consider it a slur, so some folks don't use it for that reason.)

[Toxilicks]

Gay here;
What is it like to be LBGT and living in Canada?

[IllustratedJai]

Toxilicks

Gay here;
What is it like to be LBGT and living in Canada?

I can't speak for the entirety of the country - just like in the states, there are different legislations and experiences depending on where you live - but I've had a pretty good time of it to this point.

I grew up in a suburb of a major city, and there was at least mention of lgb identities in my school sex ed classes growing up. I didn't get any info about trans experiences and identities until high school, and then, obviously, in university.

I grew up near Vancouver, which has one of the biggest Gay Pride events in North America (not the biggest, though, but we're up there!), and a really well thought of gay neighbourhood. (Two actually.)

Canada protects sexuality under its charter of human rights and freedoms, which is pretty great, and we've had marriage equality since the early '00s. Gender identity unfortunately still isn't protected, but we're working on that.

Overall, the only times I've had bad experiences being queer/trans have been when I've been visiting other parts of the world.

So, yeah, Canada is one of the best countries to live in for LGBT rights, as far as I'm concerned. We're not the best, but we're pretty good. And if you can be living in a big city, all the better. (Tho' that's true in most of the world.)

[IllustratedJai]

Even tho' I've only had a few questions, I'm really enjoying watching the numbers change on the poll at the top! Obviously, the people that click on the topic self-select, but it's still interesting to see what the numbers are for folks checking this thread out. :3

[spacekitten]

Okay, quick question (which I don't think needs a whole vid): Are there gender-neutral versions of aunt/uncle or niece/nephew?

[IllustratedJai]

spacekitten

Okay, quick question (which I don't think needs a whole vid): Are there gender-neutral versions of aunt/uncle or niece/nephew?

I don't know if there are any pre-existing gender neutrals for those in English - I know some other languages have them! - but I've seen "Nuncle" and "Nibling" used for aunt/uncle and niece/nephew respecively. (Personally, if my sister ever has kids, i'm totally getting them to call me Nuncle!)

I might at some point do a video about gender neutral versions of usually-gendered nouns, but that's in the future.

(also nibling is just the cutest damn word.)

[Merely]

Is there any advice you'd give to health care providers who would like to be sensitive to trans issues?

[IllustratedJai]

Merely

Is there any advice you'd give to health care providers who would like to be sensitive to trans issues?

The biggest one I'd give is "accept your patient's experiences & identity as valid and true to themselves."

I've heard a lot of stories, from trans folks young and old, about how when they've tried to access medical transition, or, when they were first trying to figure themselves out, they spoke to either their gp, or to another health care professional, and were told that it was just a phase, or asked if they were 'sure' about how they felt. I understand the desire to 'make sure' that no one regrets going through with medical transition, but people's experiences are their experiences, and it's important to their mental and physical well being to treat them like you'd treat anyone else.

From another point in the medical field, if you are a doctor in a hospital (or clinic, or whatever), please respect people's gender presentation. A lot of trans folks either haven't yet or can't change their gender marker on birth certificates and other pieces of documentation. Even if you know the patient was born with a v****a, if the person in front of you expresses themself as a man, please treat them as such.
(I will recognise, however, the value and importance of knowing someone's medical history when it comes to diagnosis of certain conditions and to prescription of many medications. This doesn't mean that you should treat people as something other than what they are!)

Those are the two biggest ones, altho' I'm sure there are a lot of other small things.