Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about this… uh… “gay vernacular,” whatever that fancy term means. I ain’t no scholar, ya know, just an old woman who’s seen a thing or two. But I reckon I can talk plain about it.
What’s all this “LGBTQ+” stuff anyway? Seems like every day there’s a new letter added. Back in my day, it was just… well, never mind what it was. It wasn’t talked about much. Now, they got this LGBTQIA+, long as my arm! They say it stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer… and a whole bunch of other things I can’t even pronounce. Sounds like a mouthful, don’t it?
- Lesbian, that’s when womenfolk love other womenfolk.
- Gay, mostly means men lovin’ men, but sometimes women too, I guess.
- Bisexual, that’s when they like both, men and women.
- Transgender, now this one’s a bit trickier. They say it’s when you feel like you’re born in the wrong body. A man feelin’ like a woman, or a woman feelin’ like a man.
- Queer, I hear this one a lot. Seems like a catch-all for anyone who ain’t quite “straight.”
They say it’s all a spectrum. Like a rainbow, I suppose. Not just black and white, or man and woman. Lots of shades in between. And that’s alright, I guess. Folks are folks, no matter who they love or how they feel.
Now, how do you know if you’re “gay” or somethin’ else? That’s their business, not mine. But from what I hear, it’s about who you’re attracted to, who you fall in love with. It ain’t always a choice, they say. It’s just how you’re wired. Like bein’ left-handed or havin’ blue eyes.
There’s all sorts of movies and TV shows about it now. They call ’em “LGBTQIA+ movies.” You can watch ’em on your phone, on your TV, anywhere you want. They show all kinds of stories. Happy ones, sad ones, everything in between. Some of ’em are about young folks just figurin’ things out. Others are about older folks who’ve been together for years. It’s a whole different world than what I grew up with.
I hear there’s some words you shouldn’t say, though. “Terms to avoid,” they call ’em. I reckon it’s like anythin’ else. You gotta be respectful. You wouldn’t call someone a name just ’cause they’re different, would ya? Same goes here. Treat folks the way you wanna be treated, that’s what my mama always said.
This whole “gay vernacular” thing, it’s just a way of talkin’ about love and identity. And ain’t love what matters most? Whether it’s a man and a woman, two women, two men, or anythin’ in between. Love is love, ain’t it? That’s what I say. It ain’t always easy, though. I hear some folks have a hard time of it. Their families might not understand. Their friends might turn their backs. But there’s more support now than there used to be. More people are open-minded. And that’s a good thing.
It’s important to remember, that everyone’s different. And that’s okay. We all got our own ways of livin’ and lovin’. And long as you ain’t hurtin’ nobody, it ain’t nobody’s business but your own. So, whether you’re gay, straight, bi, trans, queer, or somethin’ else entirely, just be yourself. That’s the best you can be. That’s all I got to say on this “gay vernacular” stuff. It’s just folks bein’ folks, far as I can see.
