PHOTO: A Colorado pride flag hangs on the west side of the Colorado Capitol on June 15, 2021. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline)
The State of Colorado has a colorful flag that gets hung, on occasion, at the Capitol Building.
The news website where I found this photo states:
Members of the Colorado Democratic LGBTQ Caucus have made their presence known across the Colorado Legislature, spearheading the passage of some of the most progressive legislation in support of the LGBTQ community in the country.
My father once told me that, like many Americans, I was descended from a long line of WASPs.
White Anglo Saxon Protestants.
That was interesting information, but no one should be an Acronym.
Sure, there’s a WASP culture, and it tends to dominate much of American politics, and social interactions, and dietary choices. (Yes, I do like my roast beef with gravy and potatoes.)
But no actual person should be a WASP. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I’m a much more interesting and complicated individual than four letters somehow related to my dead ancestors. And I say that in all modesty.
Okay, even if that did sound arrogant, it’s still how I feel.
So, that’s why the hair stands up on the back of my neck when I hear a person referred to as — or referring to themselves as — LGBTQ.
That’s just as bad as being referred to as a WASP, in my opinion. (We are allowed to have opinions here in the Daily Post.). For one thing, it’s five letters instead of four, which, right there, makes it worse. But mainly, it doesn’t even define any real person.
The letter “L” refers to “Lesbians”, who are (as I understand it) Women. The Letter “G” refers to “Gay Men”. Unless I’m terribly confused about sexual choices, it’s physically impossible to be a “Lesbian” and also a “Gay Man”. So an actual person can’t possibly be a “LGBTQ”.
When we get to the letter “T” things become even more confusing, because a “Transsexual” person started out as a certain biological gender, but switched to a different gender somewhere along the line. So putting this person into the same category like “Lesbian” or “Gay”… how does that work, exactly? If the person was once a Man and then became a Woman, but likes to date Men, are they then “Gay”? I don’t think so.
Don’t get me wrong. Please. (There are enough things wrong with the world without adding me to the mix.). LGBTQ is a suitable acronym for a group of people with the same interest in civil rights. It works fine for a political movement.
But no Person is LGBTQ. It’s just physically impossible. (And that goes double for the acronym when the “+” is added. “LGBTQ+”. How can a person be a “+” ?)
And then we have BIPOC. Black Indigenous People Of Color. Yes, I occasionally come across a person who, due to an unusual family background, might fit that description. But their family background isn’t who they are. . Being Black or Indigenous or Colorful isn’t who you are. It’s might be one aspect of your background, but it’s not you.
For that matter, “Lesbian” is not who anyone is. Or Gay. Or Transsexual. Those are lifestyle choices based on personal preferences. Qualities of a person. And maybe not even the most important qualities. Whether you like your roast beef with gravy, now, that’s an important quality.
Another part of the equity movement has been labeled AANHPI. Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander. In fact, in 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14031 establishing the ‘White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders’.
WHIAANHPI.
Looks a bit like a fake Hawaiian word. Maybe that was the President’s intention. What do I know about politics?
To summarize, I am not a WASP, even if my dad has characterized my ancestors that way. (Especially, I’m not a “P” for “Protestant”. But that’s a story for another day.)
But if we wanted to name a political movement that promotes equal rights for every American, regardless of their family heritage or lifestyle choices, a fine label for that political movement would be (in my humble opinion):
LGBTQBIPOCAANHPIWASPE.
The “E” at the end, stands for “Everyone”.
Because equality is for everyone.