9781422283783

1 GAY COMMUNITIES

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

Out: For an LGBT person, the state of being open with other people about his or her sexual or gender identity. Rainbow flag: A symbol of gay pride and welcome. Minority: A smaller group of people within the larger, majority popula- tion who differ from the majority in race, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristics. Oppression: Keeping another person or group of people in an inferior position. LGBT: An acronym or abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. Sometimes a “Q” is added (LGBTQ ) to stand for “questioning”—which goes to show how much variation there can be in gender identity. “Q” may also stand for “queer.”

When Mike was in his first year at the local community college, he an- nounced to his family that he was gay. Fortunately for him, his family was a loving and supportive one (and his father’s favorite sister, June, was