When it comes to referring to and representing minority groups, labels can be a complicated and divisive matter. Considering the power of language, a name should be inclusive and convenient to use: a point brought up in a recent Reddit post under r/lgbt in a discussion about what umbrella term would be the best option to represent the members of the queer community. In their prompt, they referenced an experience with a professor who claimed that “LGBTQIA+”, the current term used to describe the minority group, should be substituted for more accessible, less convoluted initialism, which sparks an interesting discussion on naming, branding, and the cultural context behind why certain phrases are preferred over others.
Though the suggested replacement, “GRSM”—standing for Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Minorities—may seem more simple and hassle-free, many users contributed to the discussion by offering their opinions against this term. In particular, one cited the historical context behind using a term like “LGBTQIA+” and the importance of the order that queer subgroups were listed: having “L” for “lesbian” first was to honor the immense contribution of the lesbian community in championing the fight against the AIDs crisis in the 1980s, they wrote. To change the terms to something as vague as “GRSM” without mentioning each unique subgroup and highlighting their individuality would be a form of erasure.
The history of the use of “GRSM” may exactly align with the queer community’s values, either. In the past, many pedophiles, zoophiles, rapists, and other groups whose sexual preferences could fall under the idea of being “deviant”—or, in this case, downright criminal—tried to co-opt the term to represent their “identities”. This effort for their inclusion through the “GRSM” acronym makes it much less morally justified compared to a term like “LGBTQIA+” that, though a bit painstakingly, clearly specifics the validity of those people who may be included under this umbrella. “GRSM” has a vagueness that can give way for many dangerous people to attempt to normalize their behaviors.
Others mentioned branding as an important factor to consider. Considering that the “LGBTQIA+” acronym has been used in public spaces for many decades now, the queer community has built a strong association with this term that would be hard to replace on a whim. Simply put, the acronym has a level of fame and recognizability such that changing it might cause complications and blur the clarity surrounding LGBTQIA+ issues.
Maybe it feels unnecessary to some to spell out each different type of sexual orientation and gender identity that falls under the spectrum. Still, the queer umbrella is so vast that different gay subgroups have distinct struggles they face. At OLUV, we honor the diversity in the LGBTQIA+ community and believe that each demographic should be seen in its full glory. Thus, our
