FLINTA*

FLINTA* is a German abbreviation that stands for "Frauen, Lesben, Intergeschlechtliche, nichtbinäre, trans und agender Personen", meaning women/females, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people. The asterisk represents all non-binary gender identities. To explicitly include queer individuals, the term FLINTAQ is sometimes used, expanding on the FLINTA acronym.

History

In the beginning of the 1970s the first so-called Frauenräume, spaces for women, emerged in West Germany and West Berlin. These spaces were created for women to be able to come together outside of patriarchal structures. From these women's spaces, many projects emerged, including lesbian groups, cafes for women, and 1976 the first women's shelter in West Berlin. By the 1980s there were already around 100 different women's groups, many of which also had a significant lesbian presence. Several of the safe spaces and groups were renamed as FrauenLesben-Räume, “WomenLesbian-Spaces”, to include and make additional discrimination of specifically lesbians – even by women – more visible. Since the 1990s, there have been ongoing debates about whether such safe spaces should also be open to, for example, transgender or non-binary individuals. While there are still projects and spaces that adhere to the label "WomenLesbians," there are some that have opened their spaces further and expanded the designation to include, for example, FLT* - Women/Female, Lesbians, Trans*. Subsequently, within the queer community, efforts were made to find a term that includes everyone who suffers under patriarchal structures or faces discrimination based on their gender identity. All these individuals should feel safe in their respective spaces and events. Therefore, the term FLINTA* is currently often used, with the asterisk at the end serving as a placeholder to include all those who belong to this group but may not have been listed explicitly.

Purpose

The term FLINTA*, or variations of it, is often used to create a safe space for people at events "who are patriarchally discriminated against based on their gender identity." In contrast to the term LGBTQIA+, which also includes asexual and non-heterosexual orientations, FLINTA* specifically refers to the gender identity of individuals. An exception to this is the "L" which stands for lesbian, as "although being a lesbian is generally considered a sexual orientation and not a gender identity, the term was included in the abbreviation to highlight feminist achievements, which are largely owed to the lesbian movement. Additionally, it aims to criticize the assumption in heteronormative society that sex and romantic relationships with cisgender men are an integral part of femininity." Theses such as "Lesbians are not women" (1978) by radical feminist Monique Wittig and lesbian separatism in general contributed to the mention of lesbians alongside women.

Critique

Sometimes it is criticized that despite the clear terms, it is not clear who is welcome in these spaces. There are spaces where trans women are welcome, but not trans men, or vice versa. In spaces where a safe space should be created for everyone who faces discrimination based on their gender identity, this leads to additional exclusion. Theoretical justifications for the inclusion or exclusion of certain groups are also criticized. In the case of trans men, the argument often revolves around female socialization or general assumptions about the body, particularly the assumed absence of a penis. Sometimes, the argument is based on possible prior experiences of sexism, which partly contributes to making current sexist behavior by trans men invisible. On the other hand, trans women are sometimes attributed with male socialization, which leads to their exclusion. However, "from a trans* perspective, a hegemonic concept of socialization is criticized, as it disregards the individual's resonance in the process of socialization." Intersex activists criticize the appropriation of intersexuality by queer theory and activism "for the deconstruction of the binary gender system." Despite the increasing openness of queer-feminist groups to create safe spaces for intersex individuals, their political concerns are rarely addressed.