From gay to LGBTI+ advocacy group

Abstract

Language representing diverse sexual orientations and gender identities has evolved rapidly over recent decades, with many gay/lesbian organizations rebranding as LGBT+ or queer groups. This study presents the first corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of a major LGBT+ organization’s discourse. It examines how COC Netherlands, the world’s oldest continuing organization, negotiated inclusivity in its annual reports (2008–2023). Word frequencies, keyness, collocation and concordance analyses reveal uneven progress. LGBTI+ has replaced GLBT/LGBT , derogatory terms (e.g., transsexuality ) disappeared and transgender and intersex identities gained visibility. Yet hierarchies persist: bisexual and lesbian identities remain marginalized, homo and gay continue as shorthand for the LGBT+ community and the plus sign lacks substantive content. The prevalence of an acronym (consecutively LGBT , LGBTI and LGBTI+ ) over specific identities highlights ongoing tensions between projecting unity and movement-internal diversity. These findings advance queer linguistics by showing how language both reflects and shapes inclusion, exclusion and social-movement internal hierarchies.