Sunday, May 14, 2017

Too many syllables

Once upon a time my gay friends opted to self-label themselves as LGB friends. Got it, no problem. Then they added "T". Trans, ok, I can adapt. Next came the "Q". This one made me raise an eyebrow because many of the gay folks I knew from my youth viewed 'queer' as a derogatory slur. Times change, I guess I can adapt again. So I'm on-board and I use LGBTQ in conversation, which is quite the mouthful. (yeah, I see the innuendo that slipped out there) (and again) Well apparently, I'm still being exclusive unless I use the new label of LGBTQIA. Yeah, I had to look that one up because adding the IA, as in "Internal Affairs", just didn't seem to fit. Well, maybe kinda sorta if you went down the innuendo path. Anyway, trying to actually verbalize "LGBTQIA" is like trying to say "toy boat" 3 times quickly while pronouncing both words correctly. (try it) So I have a proposed solution.  Let's rearrange the letters of the acronym to something that can be verbalized in a more word-like fashion, like NASA or RADAR. How about BIGTAQL? I like it! Wait, that sounds suspiciously like a football term. Maybe BAQGITL? Hmmm...that sounds too much like a specific sex act that may not apply to all the group members. So, I think I'll propose GLIBTAQ. It doesn't flow quite as smoothly, but it is a mere two syllables and can be easily pluralized for the collective group, as in "the GLIBTAQ community" or just "the GLIBTAQs". Thoughts? ...and were you successful with the 3 'toy boats'?