|
SOGIE*
|
|
*SOGIE stands for Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression... but why use it?
SOGIE is my favorite acronym for two reasons... first because the alphabet soup keeps getting longer and harder to say (I've seen LGBTQQIP2SAA+ used!), plus it's never going to have enough letters to represent everyone because human diversity is infinite. More importantly, SOGIE is more accurate and inclusive because it acknowledges that every person has a sexual orientation, a gender identity, and a way that identity expresses. Focusing exclusively on LGBTQ+ identities in conversations about sexual and gender diversity suggests that being heterosexual, cisgender, and gender conforming is simply the "normal" way to be, and everyone else's identities are somehow "other," requiring a separate conversation.