>>> Having been called every name in the book
over my brief lifetime. I do believe that definitions
are important. We can use terms that help or harm each other.
Some people call this being PC. I call it being respectful.
>>> Welcome to Merlin’s People Like Me!
People like me? People like me!
>>> Hi. I'm Merlin, welcome to Merlin’s People Like Me!
A web series devoted to the greater New York LGBTQI
Community. Here we are in my basement office,
underneath the sidewalk, across the street from the
Empire State Building. For this first episode,
on definitions, let's begin with Gender and Sexual Identity.
Gender Identity is who we perceive ourselves to be,
no matter our body type at birth. How we see ourselves
from the inside out. Sexual Identity is who we are
attracted to, both romantically and sexually,
as part of our identity. Let's define the terms
that describe our community. L G B T Q and I.
“L” is for Lesbian. Lesbians are not from the
Greek Island of Lesbos, famous for its beaches.
Lesbian is derived from the ancient world’s most
famous poet lyricist, Sappho, born on Lesbos
around 630 to 612 BC. Lesbian is an attempt to
define when a woman is attracted to women.
“G” is for Gay. Gay is not just a happy person in the 1930s
Hollywood musical. A gay man, is a man attracted to men.
Now, here's where I may get into a little bit
of trouble when I say, earlier in our history the
gay community was a term used for the entirety of
the LGBTQI Community as in the Gay Pride Parade.
Now known as The Pride Parade. “B” is for Bi or Bisexual.
A bisexual woman is sexually attracted to
women and men. A bisexual man is attracted to men
and women, not always at the same time.
“T” as for the all-encompassing idea of a Transgender Person.
A neighbor or friend who is transgender, transsexual
or a transvestite identifies themselves not
from their body at birth, but rather their own
identity from within. Let me explain further.
A transsexual’s identity does not match their sex
at birth and may require sexual reassignment surgery,
partial or complete, to become the person they know
matches their gender and sexual identity. A transvestite is
someone who dresses as the opposite sex, male or female.
And no, transvestites are not necessarily lesbian,
gay or bisexual. “Q” is for Queer or questioning.
A queer is anyone who is fluid in their understanding
or questioning their sexuality. I call myself queer,
rather than gay, and I have straight friends at also call
themselves queer. For me queer is an attitude or
state of mind about life as much as it is about sex.
Research tells us that queer is anyone whose identity falls
between man/boy/male and woman/girl/female on
the spectrum of gender identity. I hope this helps.
“I” is for Intersex. An intersex person is born with
genital ambiguity. Their chromosomes don't match
convention, male or female. A hermaphrodite is
not considered intersex. A hermaphrodite is someone
who is born with both male and female genitalia.
I have learned that it is misleading to call a
hermaphrodite, intersex.
There are a myriad of words
that could be used to describe our very human
condition. These definitions were meant as a basis for
our future conversation. Please, don't let this discourage
you from finding your own words to describe yourself,
and talk with your friends, and build a better world
for all of us. Thank you for listening.
>>> People like me. People like me? People like me.
People like me! Like me. People like me?
People like me? People like me! People like me?
People like me. Like me. People Like me? People like me!
Welcome to Merlin’s People Like Me.