GLAAD's 10th Media Reference Guide, which provides recommendations on how to address and speak on behalf of the LGBTQ community, is out today. In the new edition, Q has been added to the official acronym suggested for usage in referring to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/queer population.
Sarah Kate Elllis, GLAAD's CEO, explained: "One of the biggest drivers toward adding the Q is we're seeing more and more of the younger generation adopting the Q." She told The Advocate: "This is our opportunity to look forward and reclaim the word [queer] in a very visible way."
Queer was long seen as a verbal slur, but in recent year has been reclaimed, especially by those who feel labels like gay or lesbian or 'rans don't fully grasp how they really idenitfy.
"It's been our work for 30 years at GLAAD to have our stories told in a fair and accurate way, and we're seeing the fruits of that labor," Ellis continued.
GLAAD, formerly known by it's full name, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has had a large part in improving how the LGBTQ community is talked about in the media. As their mission statement clearly lays out, their goal is to "shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change."