Who Are “We”? Where Sexual Orientation Meets Gender Identity

ABSTRACT

In recent years, there have been sometimes contentious discussions about whether or not transgender people and the issues of concern to them should be included in lesbian, gay, and bisexual groups. This paper argues that, both historically and cross-culturally, transgender people have been the most visible minority among people involved in same-sex sexual practices. As such, transgendered people have been emblematic of homosexuality in the minds of most people. Thus, the concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer people are inextricably bound up with those of transgendered people and should be addressed together in LGBT groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Bisexual
• gay
• homosexuality
• identity politics
• lesbian
• queer
• transgenderism