Culture is living, evolving, personal and political. Here’s how we use words in this context. A glossary to create open definitions of culturally specific words, jargon and acronym. Also connects to feature on website where terms appear in different colours and dialogue box appears.
We know that when it comes to language describing the complexities of who we are is a powerful and brave thing. We also acknowledge that this can be challenging, fraught and ever-evolving.
As communities from diverse lineages, we appreciate that the language we inherit doesn’t always include us, so we adapt by making our own or reclaiming terms. Queer cultures have always been at the forefront of courageously using words, gestures, and expressions as tools of recognition and protest.
Here are some terms we use at MPP with some exploration of their context and meanings for us. We see these as invitations into our identities, not fixed categories. We hope you also encounter them with curiosity and respect. Culture is an alive thing, and we’re always learning!
Queer
This means many different things to many different people, but can be commonly heard as a reclaimed term and a broad word for identity, orientation and even political movements. We often use it in its utility to embrace many identities and to find a sense of connection across our many cultural experiences. This term can also empower those that exist outside the Western LGBTQIA+ acronym.
LGBTQIA+
An acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, with the + representing other identities that don’t quite fit other labels, or identities that we don’t quite have the language to describe yet.
SWANA
SWANA is a decolonial and geographical term that represents the various communities located in Southwest Asia and North Africa. Another term used to describe the region is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The term is also used to include communities that may not identify as Arab, and to turn away from a problematic Western or imperial gaze of the vast cultures and regions.
South Asian
A cultural term used to encapsulate the subcontinent including regions of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Maldives, Afghanistan. Sometimes we’ll spell it as one word (southasian) to complicate ideas of borders and caste division; and to seek historical unity of the region to imagine a democratic, equitable, sustainable and interlinked futures.
QTIBIPOC / BIPOC
Acronyms that stand for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color, and Black, Indigenous People of Color respectively. It’s sometimes used as a term to decentre whiteness, and lend specificity beyond the term “People of Colour”. There are some informative works by Gamilaraay writer Dr JM Field (Spearim) and Gunai, Gunditjmara, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta creative Nayuka Gorrie on how this term originating from the US doesn’t fit the context of First Nations cultures here, where where Blackness and Indigeneity are deeply linked. Tamil-Dalit writer Sinthujan Varatharajah also problematises this as a term that doesn’t align for a lot of displaced peoples outside of the US. We sometimes use this acronym as a quick, catch-all but recognise it can be very flawed.
Faith-based or faith-inclusive
We use this as a way to describe all people who are currently practicing religion, have an ongoing and dynamic relationship with religion, or no longer have a relationship to religion but have families that do. We also acknowledge that people of faith and spirituality may be terms that might resonate more for some people. At the heart of our work, it’s important to not assume that people have a conflict between their faith and queerness. Just as our cultures and experiences are rich and diverse, so are the relationships that people have to their queerness and expressions of faith.
Inviting In
A lesson from a guiding force for us, Dr Sekneh Hammoud-Beckett, and indebted to the Toolkit for Supporting Queer Muslims & Culturally Safe Care. For some queer Muslims, “Inviting in” rather than “coming out”, may be a more appropriate way to affirm and honour their familial and intimate relationships. Inviting in involves consciously and selectively welcoming specific people into your life to share personal information.
Inviting in can help rebalance traditional power dynamics by recognising that no one is inherently entitled to your personal information. It also implies that only those who have earned your trust will be invited in and only those who truly deserve that knowledge will receive it.