Most people know the LGBT acronym – but what about the meaning behind the order of those letters? April 22-April 28 is Lesbian Visibility Week, so why does the L in LGBT go first? Turns out there is an interesting history behind this intentional act.

At the beginning of the gay rights movement, there was little attention drawn to the issues faced by lesbian, trans*, and other queer identities who were not gay men. Hence, the acronym for the community was GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender). During the ’60s and ’70s while the gay rights movement was growing, pockets of sexism existed, further marginalizing lesbians. In the following decades, new feminist ideas sprouted and began the change of moving the L to the front of the acronym.

The place of lesbians during the AIDS epidemic also inspired the acronym change. While many gay men were suffering from HIV/AIDS, the lesbian community was largely unaffected. At this time, lesbians began helping gay men with medical care and played a massive role in activism surrounding the gay community and AIDS. Solidarity between the two groups emerged and feminism grew in both lesbians and gay men. With this newfound solidarity and support for feminism in the community, the push for the L to come first in the acronym went over well.

While the lesbian community remains a vital part of LGBTQ+ identities, representation still lacks. Their spot as the first letter in LGBT was definitely earned, and hopefully more awareness toward the contributions of lesbians both inside and outside of the overall LGBTQ+ community continues to grow.