What Do These Acronyms Mean, Anyway?

I won a bet at the office this week. One of my partners was convinced I was making up that the Q in LGBTQ stands for "Queer." No way, he said -- that's a derogatory term for gays, like fag, or dyke. No, I said --some folks of indeterminate sexuality like "queer" in the sense that they celebrate their otherness...We looked it up and he paid for lunch. I'm not sure that the rest of the letters stand for, though...Nah -- I do. Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender. As Bette Midler used to say when she'd welcome her audience of mostly gay men: "Good evening, gays, trans, closet queens -- did I leave anybody out?" Then there's another term I was reading about the other day: polyamorous. Apparently this refers to folks who are in more than one love relationship at a time, openly. They're not swingers, who of course just go to scary looking places and switch partners. These are people in open love relationships with many folks at a time. Power to them. I no longer have the energy. One wife is plenty for me. When I read about the polyamories, all I thought about was what about the extra baggage (or luggage, as my old mother in law calls it?). Do you have to take care of MULTIPLE sets of in laws? What about multiplying, annoying other extended family members? One or two schmuck uncles is enough -- if you have several wives, do you have that many more to deal with? I have a friend or two who still think that homosexuality is a choice, and can be cured. To them, gay marriage is absurd. No to me -- I've been fortunate to meet many folks who are truly happy together, despite same sex pairings. I never got the hate. I always looked at it as a pragmatist: for every gay guy, there is that much less competition for us straight ones. Now that I no longer compete , my attitude is just live and let live. As long as no minors or animals are involved, and people don't, as the great Dorothy Parker said, do things in the street and scare the horses... My friends and I need to come up with acronyms for ourselves -- including being Canes fans, middle aged, overweight, with long suffering wives. When some more time frees up, I may work on this. For now, power to the LGBTQs and all their travelers...