Names are complicated things. Shakespeare made names seem arbitrary when he immortalized the words, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. Hundreds of years later, Bart Simpson would respond to that quote with the accurate observation, “not if you called them stenchblossoms”. In these two quotes, it can be understood that names are both insignificant to the nature of something and incredibly important to the way that something is perceived from the outside. The acronym “LGBT” is no different.

Society has used the acronym LGBT for many years now to encompass the vastly different members of the queer community. There have always been issues surrounding the acronym. At first, the term was simple LGB. The community meant for the term to stand for “Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals” and be a less offensive way of referring to gay-identifying individuals in the 1980s. Since transgender individuals had always been an important part of the community and its struggles, the T was added in the 1990s to include this portion of the community. Still, more problems began to appear over the years.

Too Many Letters

The addition of the letter T to the acronym was just the beginning. Members of the community began to feel as if four letters did not truly cover the rich and diverse group. The community included intersex persons when the term became LGBTI in the early 2000s. They would later add “Q” as well, making the acronym LGBTQI, though the nature of the Q is different depending on who you are asking. Some people believe that the Q stands for all those who are still questioning their sexuality. Others believe it is simply a blanket Q for “queer.”

Regardless of what each letter is supposed to stand for, the acronym grew in ways that confused members inside and outside the community. Without clear definition for each letter, people continued to use the shortened LGBT. Some people would interpret this as insulting to the members that were excluded. Some would use “LGBT+” to help encompass everyone. Unfortunately, some members of the community still expressed resistance to that acronym. While the term has not had an official change recently, there are many people working toward a more acceptable solution.

A Journey Taken Together 

Sexuality and gender are areas with a lot of overlap, but they are still separate concepts. To include every single letter for every gender identity and sexual orientation would create a mess on the page. Instead of continuing to add letters to the acronym, some clever users on Tumblr started a movement of their own. They suggested the idea of using “SAGA” to describe the community. This acronym stands for “Sexuality and Gender Acceptance,” and there are many strong arguments in favor of the term.

Right off the bat, this acronym helps to include everyone without making part of the larger group feel ostracized. In addition, the word “acceptance” paints the community in a positive way from within. Everyone is in the struggle together, so to begin from a place of acceptance and equality can be symbolically important. Finally, many have stated that the word “saga” itself, which describes a hero’s journey, is very fitting to the challenges that members of the community face throughout their lives.

The Future Acronym to Use?

Though SAGA has not taken off in a public way yet, there are thousands of people on Tumblr working toward making the term a reality. Instead of holding tightly to the terms of the past, this new acronym gives the community a shot at fixing the wrongs of the past and giving the future a more inclusive feel. The more people use the term in public and written documents, the more likely it is to catch on.