[LBTTQQFAGPBDSM][1]
Is FAG intentional?
[1]: http://theweek.com/speedreads/541158/wesleyan-university-creates-allinclusive-acronym-lbttqqfagpbdsm
The link seems to be broken…
fixed, thanks
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Now that I can see it, I smell an onion. Or vandalism, or a hoax, or…
Jeebers, Even Wesleyan University couldn’t be so clueless as to not see the word FAG in the middle of that serving of alphabet soup.
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The long string of letters stands for: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, flexual, asexual, genderf–k, polyamourous, bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism.
Ah, no. You want a college administration where the administration isn’t totally clueless about kinks? Fine. I won’t complain. Probably not a bad thing that the school administration doesn’t start expelling people the second fuzzy handcuffs fall out of someone’s backpack.
Batch those kinks in with minority genders and sexualities in a way that insinuates they’re the same thing … nope, nope, nope.
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The article seems to have consistently omitted the “gay” G.
(Sorry, Ignatius, not aimed at you. Hit the wrong reply button.)
But see, there’s the word FAG right in the middle, they have it covered.
/snark
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No worries. I noticed the acronym looked odd (not just the bad ordering of flexual (which is a new one on me despite being quite … queer), asexual, and genderfu%%) but didn’t catch the missing letter. Dyslexia and all that. In fact, I had to read the article to catch the BDSM at all. 
Apparently—minus the inclusion of BDSM 
—the mistakes are only in the article (think you mentioned this but yeah).
ETA: If urban dictionary (first relevant result in my duck duck go search) is to be believed, my bisexual comrades are likely to be annoyed by flexual. Where is Wesleyan getting its info?
Open House is a safe space for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Questioning, Flexual, Asexual, Genderfuck, Polyamourous, Bondage/Disciple, Dominance/Submission, Sadism/Masochism (LGBTTQQFAGPBDSM) communities and for people of sexually or gender dissident communities. The goals of Open House include generating interest in a celebration of queer life from the social to the political to the academic. Open House works to create a Wesleyan community that appreciates the variety and vivacity of gender, sex and sexuality.
I think The Week neglected the gay letter.
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Serious* question: If “queer” is a legitimate blanket term covering all non-heteronormative forms of sexuality and gender identity then why not just use the word “queer” by itself and ditch the difficult-to-remember-let-alone-pronounce alphabet soup acronyms altogether?
*Also somewhat rhetorical since I know there's not a central authority to appeal to on these kinds of things. Oh well.
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There’s a bit of a divide between those of us who like to reclaim the term and those of us who don’t. The term is salt in the wounds for some of us, so to speak. Additionally there’s the problem of whether those who aren’t queer should be using it to describe anyone at all.
Like a lot of things in our community, we’re in flux. Who knows where we’ll eventually come to rest on the term?
For me, I like the term. But I also understand why not everyone who is entitled to reclaim it would want to.
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I get why there would be a divide as to whether “queer” should be reclaimed, but this organization is clearly comfortable using the term “queer,” as is any organization that puts “Q for queer” in their acronym. So if they’re going to use it anyway why not just keep it simple and ditch the rest for the sake of simplicity?
Admittedly I’m approaching this from a “branding” perspective without having lived through generations of discrimination so I’m not the type of person who should be making that decision anyway. Maybe it would be easier if there was a recognized public figure making the call, like how Jesse Jackson basically got everyone to agree that Americans of Sub-Saharan African descent would now be referred to as “African American.”
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In theory, the members of our community should be the ones defining the term so I guess that’s why the Q is ok in that sense. If we’re calling ourselves LGBTQIA (which we probably shouldn’t be but that’s for another thread probably ), it’s ok (minus the thing I alluded to).
We have tried out a few simpler (and more pronounceable) terms but there have been some pretty compelling reasons why the other things tried so far haven’t gotten traction. I sympathize with the desire to find something simpler. We’re not there yet though.
I think at the moment, it would be pretty difficult to find a recognized public figure who wasn’t extraordinarily controversial in multiple segments of our community. Lavern Cox and Janet Mock would be my suggestions for possible public figures but I’m not sure either of them want to make that call either (and both would be controversial to parts of the community I don’t belong to) .
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Hmm. Maybe the ideal would be to come up with a new word that means the same thing as (the reclaimed use of) “queer,” but without the historical baggage of a former slur. It could be fun! All the stakeholders could vote on a brand new term, like “Zink” or “NonHetNorm” or “Sextabulous.”
Of course in all likelihood what would really happen is that new word would just end up as one more letter on the end of the existing acronym, like LGBTTQQFAGPBDSMZ ("lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, flexual, asexual, genderf–k, polyamourous, bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism, zink)
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Obligatory:
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I really do not think bdsm belongs.
I do think there’s a certain level of appropriation of trans identity, too. Isn’t genderfuck a fashion statement? Wasn’t genderqueer coined by camab trans people, but pretty much taken over by cafab people, sometimes as a fashion statement, to the exclusion of camab people? Doesn’t agender have a whole range of meanings, including people who definitely identify with one end of the spectrum but feel pressured by the system? I used to identify as an agender womon, but in retrospect that wasn’t the right word.
Flexual?
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I’ve sometimes wondered what the radfem version of this is… LPLXH etc.
I’m picturing “when Cirque du Soleil performers get it on.” Which sounds HOT.
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I’m pretty sure some of the acronyms out there are just the result of “civil rights advocate covering for the fact that their cat was sleeping on the keyboard.”
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Admittedly my only source right now is urban dictionary (the only relevant result when I searched) but apparently it’s where you usually lean either lesbian, gay, or straight but you’re flexible about it.
Not to be the old lady shouting “get off my lawn” but I’m thinking this is a term mostly used by people who would otherwise call themselves “straight with exceptions.”
Then again my source was urban dictionary. Why do we not have a facepalm icon?
ETA: Apparently it’s gauche to img link to elsewhere (safe source used heavily on most forums). Sorry, BBS gods. Will upload directly next time.
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