24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY june 22-28, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com often cisgender men and women who over-emphasize gender identity. “I wanted to do my own thing.” In high school, Soto Cerros had their first queer relationship and felt they had to hide it. One time their mom asked her when watching Ellen DeGeneres on TV if they are “like that woman.” Soto Cerros understood what that meant. “It was a message that coming out is not safe,” they say. Soto Cerros eventually did come out and was accepted, but feels it happened only in the context of their parents’ divorce and power shifts in the family. In sophomore year of high school, Soto Cerros became involved at The Epicenter (which serves youth ages 16-24, including the queer community), first as a volunteer. That’s one of few places in their experience they’ve found to be inclusive “and they meant it. A lot of places say they are inclusive but there are a lot of microaggression there,” they say. “It’s just a sticker to get more revenue.” Because of their female presentation, Soto Cerros says they don’t experience much social harassment. “Except for my family, nobody knows. To anybody else, I’m just a girl.” Everybody else does experience confusion regarding what it means to be nonbinary. “A lot of people think that a nonbinary person is this androgynous, skinny Caucasian,” Soto Cerros says. “That’s the image from the media.” Sometimes people comment on their leg hair or armpit hair. How does Soto Cerros react? “Dude, we are literally all going to die,” they say, improvising an answer. “Don’t even worry about it.” Soto Cerros feels that humanity is at the early stage of this new era. They are bothered by how hard it is to get hormonal therapy for those who want it, and how little support there is for surgical transition. “We are definitely going toward a more progressive state, but it’s still a struggle,” they say. “Open minds and open hearts will decide our future.” Resources: Monterey Peninsula Pride info@peninsulapride.org, montereypeninsula pride.org. Salinas Valley Pride 365 Victor St, Suite P, Salinas. 633-5883, salinasvalleypride.com. The Epicenter 20 Maple St., Salinas. 998-7291, epicentermonterey.org. Angela Soto Cerros lives and works in Salinas. They run an LGBTQIA+ program for youth at The Epicenter in Salinas. LGBT ABC’s A glossary of terms People of different genders and sexual orientations have always existed, but the labels they use have changed. Many are familiar with LGBT—for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender—but that acronym has already expanded and evolved. The Weekly uses the acronym LGBTQ+ to capture the more expansive “queer,” and the plus sign for identities beyond what’s conveyed in those letters. Like the acronym, this glossary is incomplete and still evolving. ASEXUAL: A person who does not experience sexual attraction, though they may experience romantic attraction and pursue romantic relationships. Someone who does not experience romantic attraction may identify as aromantic. ASSIGNED GENDER AT BIRTH: The gender with which a parent or medical professional labels a baby. Transgender people do not identify with their gender assigned at birth (see below). BISEXUAL: A person attracted to people of their own gender and of other genders. People who wish to emphasize their attraction to all genders—not just men and women—may identify as pansexual. CISGENDER: A person who identifies with their gender assigned at birth, for example a woman who was identified as female at birth. GAY: A person who is attracted to people of their own gender. Primarily, but not exclusively, used by men. Gay people may be cisgender or transgender. INTERSEX: A person born with hormonal, physical or genetic characteristics that fall outside of usual definitions of male and female. Some intersex babies undergo surgery to make their genitals conform to their gender assigned at birth (many intersex advocates have spoken out against such surgeries). LESBIAN: A woman who is attracted to other women. Lesbians may be cisgender or transgender. LGBTQIA+: Shorthand for the queer community. Stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual—and more. NONBINARY: People who do not identify as men or women. Many use the pronouns “they” and “them” instead of “he/his” or “she/hers.” People who do not identify as men or women may also use the labels genderqueer, genderfluid or agender. QUEER: A label that emphasizes non-normative gender identity and/or sexuality. It’s sometimes used as an umbrella term for the LGBTQ+ community. Because of this term’s history as a slur, some people prefer not to use it, while others embrace it as an inclusive word. TRANSGENDER: An identity for people who do not identify with their gender assigned at birth. They may identify as men, women or neither (see nonbinary). TRANSITION: The process by which a trans person aligns themselves with their gender identity. It can involve social transition (such as changing names and pronouns—words like he/she/they), medical transition (via hormones or surgery), or legal transition (legally changing names and identification cards). Transgender people may take some, all or none of these steps. TRANS MAN: A person assigned female at birth who identifies as a man. Trans men may be straight (attracted to women), bisexual (attracted to multiple genders), or gay (attracted to men). TRANS WOMAN: A person assigned male at birth who identifies as a woman. Trans women may be straight (attracted to men), bisexual (attracted to multiple genders), or lesbian (attracted to women). THEY: A gender-neutral singular pronoun, as in: Jan is walking their dog. This usage is accepted by Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
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