Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) Most of those tweeting #WeAreLGBTQIA mean well, at heart. Some of the neverending alphabet soup of this terminology is unhelpful to the "cause," whatever that is on the day.

Here's my two cents worth:

(2) L and G are understandable and were the originals. L was put in front of G because early on, gay men were getting more airtime than lesbian women were. B was then added, but there are very few times in life when one's status as a B requires laws to be changed. Unlike L & G.

(3) Most LGB were not happy about T being added. LGB is about sexual orientation. T is about which gender you identify with. Ts as a group are tiny compared to LGB, and there's a case for not upending ALL laws & policies for such a tiny group.

(4) LGBTQ - the Q can mean whatever you want it to mean eg queer, questioning etc.

Changing laws for those who are questioning their identity? Really?

The original intent of LGB is weakened by each new addition.

(5) I stands for Intersex. This group of people with inborn genetic differences are one of the most disadvantaged groups in the world. Their medical status can be poor, and medical services usually have no understanding of their needs and rights. It still doesn't relate to LGB.

(6) A is for Asexual.

Really, I do not need to know this about you. You do not need any laws changed because of this. And I suspect that very few of you actually are Asexual. I have met two genuinely asexual people in my life, & they really suffer. The rest have low libido.

(7) Low libido can be addressed. Can be a sign of various physical illnesses that are relatively easily diagnosed & treated.

A libido is not a civil right.

Y'all could do with finding some empathy for those with severe problems like disabilities. The MOST marginalized group.

(8) Once you start adding classes to "protected classes" in law, it never ends. It becomes ridiculous, losing mainstream support.

Most of us moved to acceptance of LGB and T (for consenting adults.) If we even know Is exist, we certainly have empathy for them.

(9) Along with the disabled, LGB and T conservatives are marginalized af. This can be seen every day on Twitter, when LGB or T public figures who have conservative views are harassed, lied about, and undermined by those who added T and Q and I and A to the list.

(10) There is a conformity of thought that is dangerous for individuals and communities.

I was a "progressive" for decades before becoming "conservative" in 2016... like millions of others. Maybe tens of millions.

We're not going away.

(11) I urge progressives to think about these things independently. You might like this quote from the late Christopher Hitchens, who was a hero to many, including me:

(12) You can't bully us into silence. We've come too far to accept that now.

We don't have to conform to your groupthink. Some of you can think for yourself and you will. Others are so sufficiently unlikely to that I'm not even going to try speaking to you about this.

(13) The merits of your ideas are way more important to me than who you sleep with, which gender you identify with, or your medical status.

Almost every LGB or T law change needed in the US has been achieved. Those harmful to others have not been achieved.

The system works.*