LGBTQIA+ Community at Automattic

Links on this page have been removed to protect confidentiality of additional internal-facing Field Guide pages available to Automatticians.

We’re so many things, a spectrum really. The letters LGBTQIA+ themselves (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Queer, Intersex, and Asexual) barely scratch the surface. That + is doing a lot of heavy lifting, and Automattic is a diverse workplace.

Your Identity is up to You

To be clear before we dive into some specifics, your journey and your identity are up to you. There are no rules to this, and while society may attempt to impose expectations, no one can tell you how to be yourself.

We’re here to answer any questions you may have along the way, but your journey will always be your journey.

Where to Find LGBTQIA+ and Allied Voices

You can find us on Slack at #queeromattic and #transomattic. If you’d rather not join a public channel, that’s okay! Private channels are also available, please follow these instructions to request an invitation to them.

And, you can find us in P2 form at https://queeromattic.wordpress.com

What is LGBTQIA+?

Like we said earlier, that + is doing a lot of heavy lifting, and there’s no way we’ll be able to cover it all here, but let’s at least cover the basics.

  • Lesbian: Usually, a woman whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of the same gender. However, some nonbinary people also identify as lesbians, often because they have some connection to womanhood and are primarily attracted to women.
  • Gay: Refers to a man who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards men. Also a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality – some women define themselves as gay rather than lesbian. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.
  • Bi: Bi is an umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender. Bi people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, bisexual, pan, queer, and some other non-monosexual and non-monoromantic identities.
  • Trans: An umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, crossdresser, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman,trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois.
  • Queer: Historically, queer has been used as an epithet/slur against people whose gender, gender expression and/or sexuality do not conform to dominant expectations. Some people have reclaimed the word queer and self identify in opposition to assimilation (adapted from “Queering the Field”). For some, this reclamation is a celebration of not fitting into social norms .It is often used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can also be a way of rejecting the perceived norms of the LGBT community (racism, sizeism, ableism etc). Not all people who identify as LGBTQIA use “queer” to describe themselves. The term is often considered hateful when used by those who do not identify as LGBTQIA+.
  • Intersex: An umbrella term to describe a wide range of natural body variations that do not fit neatly into conventional definitions of male or female. Intersex variations may include, but are not limited to, variations in chromosome compositions, hormone concentrations, and external and internal characteristics. Many visibly intersex people are mutilated in infancy and early childhood by doctors to make the individual’s sex characteristics conform to society’s idea of what normal bodies should look like. Intersex people are relatively common, although society’s denial of their existence has allowed very little room for intersex issues to be discussed publicly. Hermaphrodite is an outdated and inaccurate term that has been used to describe intersex people in the past.. Intersex people may identify as male, female or non-binary.
  • Asexual: A broad spectrum of sexual orientations generally characterized by feeling varying degrees of sexual attraction or a desires for partnered sexuality. Asexuality is distinct from celibacy, which is the deliberate abstention from sexual activity, despite sexual desire. Some asexual people do have sex and do experience varying levels of sexual attraction. There are many diverse ways of being asexual. A person who does not experience sexual attraction can experience other forms of attraction such as romantic attraction, as physical attraction and emotional attraction are separate aspects of a person’s identity. These may or may not correlate with each other – for instance, some people are physically and romantically attracted to women. However, others might be physically attracted to all genders and only emotionally attracted to men.

What about that +?

Hey, we said that + was doing a lot of heavy lifting. We recommend the following glossaries, and the resources available at the sites themselves, if you’re interested in more:

Employee Field Guide