What is “Community?” & A Big Shout Out to You!

The Oxford English Dictionary defines community as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common” or as “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals”.

[Image consists of various hand silhouettes holding hearts in every colour of the rainbow ]

The LGBTQ+ community is a community comprised of various LGBTQ+ identities often united by common experiences of exclusion, discrimination, or even “otherness”. Within the community many find greater mutual understanding and respect. This community is built as a counterbalance to heteronormativity, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and various other pressures to conform experienced within the larger society.

The strength and identity of the LGBTQ+ community has often been expressed as “pride”. But some would argue that what we experience within the LGBTQ+ community is more than simply pride. While not all people who identify as LGBTQ+ consider themselves part of the community, the community can become like our family, our support network, the place we can be ourselves and be accepted, people who will fight beside us for our right to exist, love the way we love, and be who we are.

[image consists of a series of silhouettes with speech bubbles in each colour of the rainbow.]

The LGBTQ+ community here on 7cups, makes a continued effort to support each other day after day, in the forums, in one on ones, and in our group support spaces. So today, I want to take a moment and send my appreciation to each and every person who takes the time to support members of the LGBTQ+ community here on 7cups. Thank you to each of you who works to spread understanding and stand up to hate speech as well as more subtle forms of discrimination. As I have taken to saying “It’s not a community without ‘u’!” So for being here and being part of the community: Thank you!

[image reads “Thank you!” over a background of a 7cups cup resting on rainbow colours with a rainbow flowing up out of it.]

Questions:

1. What does “community” mean to you?

2. Do you feel like you are part of the LGBTQ+ community? (Maybe offline if not here on 7cups?) If not, do you want to?

3. What, if anything, is the most important part of the LGBTQ+ community for you?

4. What is one thing you would like to see more of within the LGBTQ+ community? (Here on 7cups or in the wider world?)

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