9781422283837

1 “AM I NORMAL?”

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

LGBT: Short for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, and consid- ered to be more inclusive than just saying “gay.” (Sometimes a Q is added at the end to represent questioning or queer . Discrimination: Treatment of people as different because of a certain characteristic about them, such as race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Harassment: When someone is continually bothered or tormented by another. Homosexuality and gender nonconformity have existed in various cul- tures around the globe for centuries. Despite many efforts to erase LGBT lives and suppress all evidence of their existence we are today more aware than ever of the debt our civilization owes to LGBT individuals. And yet everyone who experiences same-sex attraction or who identifies as transgender still wonders the same thing at some point in his or her life: “Am I normal?”