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Amy Turner picks up the story.
The Significance of “L” in LGBTQ+
The most meaningful and memorable brands have great stories behind them. Ones that connect with the audience and leave them determined to learn more. Language matters. And if owning your branding story, and its terminology, and being advocates for both is important in the corporate world, it’s a million times more important out in the “real world”. Especially considering those from marginalised communities who often struggle to make themselves heard, accepted, and avoid discrimination.
I recently heard the story of why the letter L is the first to appear in LGBTQ+. Until that moment, I’d never really thought about it – even though I use the acronym a lot! Although the acronym has, and can be, used interchangeably, placing L first purposefully includes women who have historically been (and still are to some extent) marginalized in the queer community.
Origins and Evolution of LGBTQ+ Acronym
Believed to date back to the 1980s/90s AIDS crisis, a big driver for this is the active involvement of the lesbian community, who stepped forward to advocate for and care for gay men. From sitting at the bedsides of dying men who had been disowned by their families, to marching in the street and protesting for change, lesbians showed up for gay men and created a sense of solidarity that wasn’t there before. Increased visibility for lesbians leading to “L” being the first letter in LGBT as a gesture of recognition.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, during the early stages of the gay rights movement, people typically used GLB or GLBT. The acronym only evolved more widely into LGB or LGBT in the 1990s following this agreement and was also likely influenced by Third Wave Feminism which brought a stronger focus on diversity and intersectionality.
There’s no official or universal order for the acronym, and different versions are used by different people, in different places, but LGBTQ+ is the most commonly used version by the queer community in the UK (29%), followed by LGBT (21%) (YouGov: 2023).
Where the word ‘lesbian’ came from
Interestingly, the origins of the word lesbian date back the furthest. The word Lesbian comes from ancient Greece, more specifically, the Greek island of Lesbos home to the poet Sappho in the 7th century. She frequently wrote about erotic love between women. Its use grew around the 1970s/80s with the rise of the feminist movement and the desire to draw more awareness to gay women’s issues rather than just men’s.
In comparison, the term Gay dates back to the 13th century and typically meant happy or joyous (see Shakespeare for examples!) until the early 19th century when it became derogatory slang. In the 1960s, individuals reclaimed it from being a slur, initially emerging on the underground scene to describe sexual attraction between men and gaining wider attention off the back of the Stonewall riots. It soon became widely used as the umbrella term to describe all gender and sexual minorities up until the 1990s when the acronym became commonplace to encompass more identities. Today, people widely use it to describe same-sex attraction and often as an umbrella term for LGBTQ+ communities.
I loved hearing the story about the letter L and thinking differently about something I’d taken at face value for so long. The LGBTQ acronym, in all its versions, has evolved with society and it will continue to resonate with people in different ways. While the acronym isn’t a brand, this story serves as a great example of how human behaviour and cultural norms can alter a narrative and how the smallest adaptation to common language can make a significant impact to a marginalised group.
Three Key Lessons for Branding Strategy
As an employer brand strategist, it highlights three important things when it comes to branding:
- Storytelling is everything – creating curiosity around your brand while keeping it simple is the sweet spot. I don’t know if the story I heard is true (the internet has its theories) but it piqued my interest and sent me down a Google rabbit hole faster than Alice in Wonderland.
- Make it meaningful – As humans, we actively seek belonging, driven by our innate wiring to connect with others who share our values. We actively pursue it, utilizing belonging as a bridge to forge connections with like-minded individuals. This story built on community and advocating for others is a great example of that.
- Language matters – it’s essential to not only understand your audience, but the cultural and societal norms and behaviours on a global scale that can and will change the meaning of language in a heartbeat, especially in today’s social media first world.
Who knows what the next iteration of the LGBTQIA+ acronym will look like and how it will evolve, but one thing I’m fairly confident on is that its branding story isn’t over yet.
