Timeline : LGBTQ + in RI
GUIDE to PRIDE
Alphabet Soup
Have you ever gotten tripped up on which letters to include or the meaning of LGBTQIA +? Let us break it down for you .
Lesbian A female-identifying individual who is exclusively attracted to female-identifying individuals .* * On a related note : Sapphic ( derived from the Greek poet Sappho , who lived on the island of Lesbos and whose work depicted homoerotic feelings ) is a term often used to describe women who are attracted to women , meaning it can apply to bisexual or pansexual individuals , as well .
Gay A male-identifying individual who is exclusively attracted to male-identifying individuals .
Bisexual (+ Pansexual ) While some say bisexual is defined as someone who feels attraction to both or opposite genders , many use it interchangeably with pansexual , which applies to someone who can feel attraction to any / all genders ( and is thus considered a more trans-friendly term ).
Transgender (+ Nonbinary ) Those whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth . While under the transgender umbrella , nonbinary often refers to someone whose identity falls either somewhere between — or completely outside of — the typical gender binary of man or woman ( some prefer terms like genderfluid or genderqueer ).
Queer
Though it was once used as a slur , many in the community have reclaimed queer . It is a broad term that describes someone whose sexual orientation and gender identity does not comply with mainstream heterosexual and cisgender norms .
Intersex A person who is born with a combination of male and female biological traits .
Asexual / Aromantic Asexual refers to someone who does not experience sexual attraction toward others . It can be a spectrum , with a spinoff term like demisexual applying to a person who only feels attraction after forming an emotional connection with someone . An aromantic person may feel sexual attraction toward others but does not develop romantic feelings .
So , what ’ s the plus ? The symbol holds space for the ever-expanding understandings of sexual and gender identities . — K . M .
Timeline : LGBTQ + in RI
1776 Cumberland resident Jemima Wilkson falls ill . When they awaken , they say an angel declared they are no longer male or female , and their name is now Public Universal Friend .
1893 Antonio Auriemma is born . The Providence native performed as Francis Renault , one of the most popular female impersonators during the 1920s – 40s .
1947 Mirabar , the state ’ s oldest gay bar , opens in Woonsocket . It ’ s now located on Elbow Street in Providence .
1976 On June 26 , about seventy-five people take part in in the state ’ s first Pride parade . The seventysixers , as they ’ re known , were denied a parade permit and sued for the right to march .
1977 The Kings & Queens Bar opens in Woonsocket . It serves as a hub for the gay community for twenty-five years before closing in 2002 .
1980 Cumberland High School student Aaron Fricke brings a male date to prom on May 30 after suing the school ’ s principal .
1982 The RI Gay Task Force prints the first edition of Options , an LGBTQ + newsletter . The magazine is still being published after four decades .
1983 A woman in her twenties dies on Sept . 10 . It is the first confirmed AIDS death in Rhode Island .
2001 The General Assembly passes the gender identity protection law , which protects people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation .
2002 David Cicilline becomes the first openly gay mayor of Providence .
2013 The Rhode Island General Assembly passes legislation legalizing same-sex marriage . The law goes into effect Aug . 1 .
2015 The Supreme Court declares same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states on June 26 .
2023 The Rhode Island Blood Center changes its blood donation guidelines , no longer barring men from donating if they ’ ve had sex with other men within the past three months .
Sources : The ProVidence Public Library ; the Providence Public Library ’ s LGBTQ + Community Archives ; Rhode Island Pride ; the Rhode Island Historical Society .
70 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2024