Portal:LGBT/Intro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LGBT (or GLBT) is an abbreviation used as a collective term to refer to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. It is an adaption of the abbreviation LGB. While still controversial, it is considered less controversial than queer and is more comprehensive than homosexual or simply gay. The initialism GLBT is sometimes used in the United States and commonly in Australia, but to a lesser extent elsewhere. As of 2005, LGBT has become so mainstream that it has been adopted by the majority of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community centers and the LGBT press in most English-speaking countries.

Homosexuality is a sexual orientation and it is defined as romantic attraction and/or sexual interaction between consenting individuals of the same sex. In modern use, the adjective homosexual is used for intimate relationships and/or sexual relations between people of the same sex, who may or may not identify themselves as gay or lesbian. Homosexuality, as an identifier, is usually contrasted with heterosexuality and bisexuality. The term gay is used predominantly to refer to self-identified homosexual people of either sex. Lesbian is a gender-specific term that is only used for self-identified homosexual females.

The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex—everything from full same-sex marriage to the death penalty as punishment for homosexual intercourse. Among the first laws on same-sex relations ca. 600 BC are those in ancient Crete and Sparta, which encouraged all adult men to engage in mentoring homoerotic friendships.