We’ve all probably heard the term LGBT before, but do we actually know what it means? Well, according to the Heartland Alliance International:

Lesbian – used to describe a woman who is attracted to another woman

Gay – used to describe a man who is attracted to another man or a woman who is attracted to another woman ; Gay can be for

either gender but lesbian is only for women

Bisexual – describes an individual who is attracted to both men and women

Transgender – a term for someone whose gender differs from the one they were given when they were born

Don’t treat transgender people any differently:

•     If a person identifies as a man, he is a man, regardless of the gender he was given at birth.  Use words like he, him, his, etc.
•     If you accidentally say the wrong thing, don’t make a scene. Just apologize and move on with the situation.

There have been many additions to the acronym including the letters Q, P, and A.

Questioning/Queer – refers to people who are unsure about their sexual orientation; is a term for sexual and gender

minorities that are not heterosexual

Pansexual – describes an individual who is attracted to all gender identities and sexes

Asexual – someone who does not feel any kind of sexual attraction to anyone

The Los Angeles LGBT Center has events and ways to help people who are part of the LGBT.