Key points

• The Equality Bill will replace sex with gender on birth certificates. This legalises the fiction of there being more than two sexes, erases same-sex attraction, makes accurate data collection impossible.
• The term “LGBTQIA+” combines many groups with different needs – sexuality, medical conditions and identity
• ‘Transgender’ is a broad term covering three groups with different needs – gay men who appear to be women, heterosexual men who are aroused by the thought of themselves as women and teenaged girls escaping gender roles

What does the LGBTQIA+ acronym stand for? 

This is a broad acronym used to represent Lesbians, Gay men, Bisexuals, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and other identities. 

Broadly, it encompasses sexual orientations and gender identities. This is referred to as SOGI. It also includes “intersex” which is a term used to describe a broad range of conditions where a person is born with anatomy that may not align with typical male or female characteristics, although they can usually be classed as male or female.

Where did it come from? 

While it’s difficult to pinpoint exact dates and times, this can be traced to the start of the 20th century with the campaign to legalise homosexuality. The late 1960s marked a pivotal period when the gay rights movement gained significant momentum in both the USA and UK. 

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, transsexual, gay and lesbian activists recognised the successes achieved by the same-sex equality movement and borrowed new postmodern ideas that challenged universal certainties about sexuality and identity. This led to the addition of the letter “T” to the acronym. Over time, the acronym continued to expand, to include other identities and causes.” 

What is sexual orientation? 

The Equality Bill will redefine sexual orientation to mean homosexuality, bisexuality or asexuality (without reference to heterosexuality). How can we address homophobia and lesbophobia if those terms are rendered meaningless?

Sexual orientation refers to an individual’s emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction, which can be directed toward the opposite sex, the same sex, or both sexes. 

• Heterosexual individuals, often referred to as ‘straight,’ experience exclusive attraction to the opposite sex. 
• Homosexual individuals exclusively experience attraction to the same sex, usually called gay and lesbian.
• Bisexual individuals can be attracted to both sexes. 

Throughout history, sexual orientations other than heterosexuality have often faced marginalization and discrimination.

What is sex? 

The Equality Bill will replace sex with gender on birth certificates. This legalises the fiction of there being more than two sexes, erases same-sex attraction, makes accurate data collection impossible.

Sex is the most basic of human characteristics. In biological terms, it is typically straightforward. It revolves around a binary classification consisting of two sexes: male and female. These classifications are based on the roles necessary for reproduction. 

Sex is determined at conception and cannot be changed. 

What is LGB? 

LGB stands for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual, which are sexual orientations. 

• Lesbians are females exclusively attracted to other females, defining them as female homosexuals. 
• Gay men are males exclusively attracted to other males, defining them as male homosexuals. 
• Bisexuals are individuals attracted to both sexes, experiencing attraction to individuals of both the same and opposite sexes.” 

What is gender?

Gender refers to the socially and culturally constructed roles, stereotypes, and expectations associated with being male or female.

These roles encompass the various tasks, functions, and responsibilities enacted in both public and private. 

Are sex and gender the same thing? 

If your child comes home and tells you they are lesbian or gay, you don’t have to do anything for them to be happy and healthy.

If they say they are transgender, you have to actively affirm through appearance, pronouns and perhaps medical intervention, as does everyone else in the child’s life. Otherwise you could be in breach of The Equality Bill.

No. If you research the history of the word “gender,” you’ll find that historically, both in academia until the 1970s and in the general populace until the 2010s, it held the same meaning as “sex.” Essentially, “gender” was synonymous with “sex.” In written and spoken language, “gender” was often favoured over “sex” because the latter also referred to sexual intercourse. To avoid confusion and any inadvertent associations with sexual activity, “gender” became the preferred term. 

However, in the 1970s, certain academic fields introduced an entirely new concept and applied the label “gender” to it. This concept centred around how individuals present themselves in society to construct an identity, defining it as “gender.” This was a departure from the historical usage of the term. 

It’s important to note that this newer meaning of “gender” has not traditionally been associated with the word. In practice, people continues to use “gender” in its original sense, as evidenced by official forms that still ask for one’s “gender.” 

What is gender identity? 

The term “gender identity” is a relatively recent concept, originating from the work of UCLA psychiatrists in 1963 and often associated with sexologist John Money. Most definitions are circular, such as that by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which defines “gender identity” as “a person’s deeply felt, internal, intrinsic sense of their own gender.” The Australian Bureau of Statistics is using this type of completely subjective definition in its current “Standard” definition for collecting census data: “Gender identity is about who a person feels themselves to be.” 

What is Transgender? 

The WPATH definition describes this as an umbrella term “used to encompass individuals whose gender identities and/or gender expressions do not align with the societal expectations associated with their biological sex.” It borrows from the concept of transsexual to imply fluidity in gender identity. 

Transgender has come to have different meanings. For example, a sexologist introduced a widely held model that transsexual men who are non-homosexual are sexually aroused by the fantasy of crossing sexual boundaries and he called this “autogynephilic gender dysphoria.”

A more recent public health model has identified a different type of transgenderism (Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, or ROGD) that occurs mainly in teenage girls who have been influenced by psychosocial factors (eg, they don’t conform to traditional gender roles, social pressures from peer groups, and widespread claims about sex and gender on social media).