(editors note: We used the word acronym to describe the LGBTQ + lettering. A more exact term for the abbreviation would be initialism because the letters do not form a pronounceable word as is the case with acronyms, according to Merriam-Webster.)
You may have noticed the abbreviation for the L-G-B-T-Q + community has grown.
Some now use the abbreviation L-G-B-T-Q-I-A +.
The I stands for intersex, which applies to a person whose biological makeup may not be either male or female.
The A is for asexual which represents a person who may not often have sexual feelings.
Nick Royal is with the LBGT Resource Center at Michigan State University.
“The reason we use this giant acronym is to have people represented and to give them a label that feels comfortable. But, we're trying to put labels where labels really don’t exist or shouldn’t exist," he says.
Other forms of the acroynm include letters to represent additional sexual and gender identifications across the spectrum.