LGBTP is segregating themselves?

[.TJ.]

Just wondering, by form an LGBTP alliance of club, without the premise of straight being include in the name. Wouldn't that cause more of a segregation just by having the name as such?

Wouldn't a more appropriate name be a sexuality alliance, or something of the sorts?

Many would say that you can be straight and still be in that 'club' but many more would also say, behind backs and closed doors, that they shouldn't be welcome because they don't know the difficulties you may have to go through identifying as something other than straight?

What do y'all think?

[Loving Linux Penguin]

Well, usually said clubs are referred to as GSAs (Gay Straight Allicances) which makes more sense than LGBTP (what is the P anyway???). I think that while the "straight" people (I use the quotes because I am not a fan of labeling sexual preferences) may not be aware of the struggle to be accepted and to accept yourself firsthand many of them have friends who have been through that struggle, or are at least supportive of the rights of said individuals. Why should we not include our allies?

[*Learningtobreathe*]

i believe we should include straight people when they include us. some of my best friends are straight and some are bi and some are lezbians and some are gay. we don't assign labels and we don't have a club name. we're just best friends. they are there for me and i am there for them. we accept each other the way we are and if someone has a problem with one of us, they have a problem with all of us.

[MacGuffin]

Depends, really. Personally, I think you should include straight people in such clubs, if what you are going for is an alliance and to have people have a better understanding of the LGBTQA lifestyle. That's why I prefer the GSA (gay/straight alliance); it's actually a, you know, alliance between all orientations.

But, if you want an LGBTQA club that's great; it's not really segregation to want a club of people with similar beliefs or interests. If the people in the group weren't open to "outsiders," that's their right. But it needs to be one or the other; you can't allow straight people to be in and talk smack about them behind their backs. Like I said, personally I prefer clubs that incorporate all orientations, but that's just me. Others are free to do whatever they want.

[Bubbles37]

Those clubs are usually called "GSA" to include straight allies. Still, I think everyone would be welcome. For example, my school has an "Asian Student Union," and anyone's welcome.

[Magic.]

As a bi girl, LGBT stuff does always kinda annoy me. I have the greatest respect and support for them, don't get me wrong, but I don't know I guess like you said that segregation does happen because of it.
At my uni we have a "queer collective" for LGBT people ... which comes complete with a "queer space", a room with old couches for us to hang out in. It just always reminds me of a line in Juno ... "she gave you ... your own room in ... in your whole house? for your ... for your stuff?" Like they're saying "you're different, here have this place to be together, but don't go anywhere else / talk to anyone else." I know that might not be the case but grrr it frustrates me.
For the record the collective here is for LGBT people. they allow straight people to come to meetings etc, but from the uni's Union to try and get some recognition etc. It's not encouraged that just any straight person comes :/

[Soliloquy]

Originally Posted by Loving Linux Penguin

Well, usually said clubs are referred to as GSAs (Gay Straight Allicances) which makes more sense than LGBTP (what is the P anyway???).

The P stands for "pansexual." However, if you ask me, the acronym is getting too drawn out. So I usually just stick with LGBT. If we keep adding letters to accommodate everyone, sooner or later we're going to have all twenty-six letters of the alphabet -- and wouldn't that be a mouthful?

TJ: Great question! In fact, it's one that I've had in the past. After thinking about, I've come to the personal conclusion that having a club for LGBTs is no different than having any other club out there, whether it's for blacks, Christians, those with mental illnesses, etc. A club is a place where you can gather with like-minded people, or people who share similar experiences to you, and bond with them. Does this encourage segregation? I'd say no.

The LGBT community wants to be accepted in society. A lot of people say that if we truly want to do this, we shouldn't make so much noise. However, I think many also forget the struggles that LGBT members do experience from day-to-day. This could be bullying, or the simple realization that your country (or state) won't acknowledge your love and commitment to your partner. It can really help to gather in a place where you know people understand what you've been through. No, we don't have clubs that are exclusively for straight people, but look at it this way: We also don't have clubs for exclusively white people, when we do for Latinos, blacks, Asians, and the like.

When a group of people are actively discriminated against, they will bond with each other and join forces to rise against whatever is discouraging them from being treated like true members of society. This is our main distinguishing characteristic from the straight community. And in a place where many LGBT members are closeted (although the situation is improving for a lot of us), it's easy to feel alone. I, personally, can't really blame kids for wanting to join an LGBT-based group.

But I also agree with the above posters: Most likely, you are more than welcome to join any LGBT group out there. We need all the support we can get!

I hope this makes sense! I'm sick, so it might be a bit incoherent. Take care!

[Liz94]

I think that we people have become too obsessed with labels. My sexuality ( lesbain ) has practically become my identity at school and I hate that. Therefore I think a complete change of name to something like sexaulity alliainces or such would be better. That way no labels are in the title and everyone is united and treated the same.
I think that by having things called the LGBT community does emphaise the fact that we are " different" when really we aren't at all.
I am the only out lesbian and there aren't that many Bi people in my year so most of my friends are straight and my really really close friends treat me like I should be, a normal, loud, sarcastic person that just happens to be gay.

We need there to be less segregation in society as a whole if we are ever going to reach equality.

Ranted a bit here, but I hope you see / get my point.

[TheCrowing]

At my university now, we have an LGBTQA club. Even within the whole process of other people segregating us, we still tend to segregate ourselves. It's not necessarily the clubs fault though. I know a lot of people refuse to join the club because they aren't gay, or they think that we might turn them gay. There's this whole misconception around that point, and then it just tends to branch out even further to the inner club workings. As the Vice President of my high school's club, I saw it all the time. The straight people would kind of group together in the club, as would the gay guys, and the lesbians etc. And then they would always call it the gay club. Luckily, being the VP of my university's club now, I've been able to make sure that it doesn't happen here.. But before we ask to not be segregated from the non-lgbtq community, we really have to not segregate ourselves.

[FriendZoneMayor]

Our college club which supports LGBTQ rights is simply called "The Alliance" and we foster being an ally more than anything else. We actually had a lot of straight people come out on Coming Out Day as Allies, which was really cool.