This Chapter Was Written By Our Guest Writer:TasteTheRainbow---

LGBTQ+ means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and more (the plus sign).

There are a lot of people who don't really know much about our community. There are a lot of sexualities and there are more than two genders (for those who might have thought otherwise).

It's not just gay and straight. Idk every single sexuality and gender, but I would like to share the very common ones that I know about, and clear up any misconceptions that people probably have about the LGBTQ+ community.

So, here are some well known sexuality. I don't like to leave people out but I want name every single sexuality.

Lesbian - a homosexual woman

Gay - of a person) homosexual (used especially of a man). In this case, it's men.

Bisexual - a person who is sexually attracted not exclusively to people of one particular gender.

Transgender - denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex.

Queer/Questioning - Queer is  an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual or are not cisgender. The questioning of one's sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender, or all three is a process of exploration by people who may be unsure, still exploring, or concerned about applying a social label to themselves for various reasons.

Now let's explore the plus sign which basically just means there's more sexualities and genders (that aren't heterosexual or cisgender).

Pansexual - not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity.

Asexual - the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or desire for sexual activity.

Demisexual - demisexual people only experience sexual attraction after an emotional bond has formed.

Non binary - Non-binary or genderqueer is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine‍—‌identities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities can fall under the transgender umbrella, since many non-binary people identify with a gender that is different from their assigned sex.

There's a lot of gender identities but I don't think I can name them all, so non binary, genderqueer, and/or transgender are just an umbrella term for all of the gender identities out there.

Ok, so I know I haven't covered this, because we're talking about LGBTQ+ but I'll still give the definition of heterosexual and cisgender.

Heterosexual - (of a person) sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex aka straight.

Cisgender - denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex aka cis.

So, I hope that helped, and yes, I didn't include all sexualities but I included the common ones, so in your free time, you can explore if you'd like.

Let's also go over romantic, sexual, and emotional attraction.

Emotional attraction - Emotional attraction is when you're attracted to someone's mind and spirit, and you may or may not be physically attracted to them.

Romantic attraction - Romantic attraction is an emotional response, which most people experience at one point or another, that results in a desire for a romantic relationship with the recipient.

Sexual attraction - Sexual attraction is attraction on the basis of sexual desire or the quality of arousing such interest.

So, yes, there's big differences. To help figure out who you are attracted to romantically, sexually, and/or emotionally, you need to be able to tell the difference.

You can always come to me for help though!

So, there are some things people don't understand.

Let's start with it "being a choice." Being LGBTQ+ is NOT a choice. We were born this way, so please don't think it is a choice.

Like it hurts when people say it is. Because I'm a trans male, and people ask, why? Why do you want to be a boy? But I don't want to, I am....

You can't choose to be LGBTQ+, you just are.

Also, tomboy doesn't automatically mean lesbian. Femboy doesn't automatically mean gay.

I guess there are more things, but I can't think of them...If you have any questions, just ask, I might be able to help. :)

That's all, I hope it helped, please come to me for more questions if you need!