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Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures are subcultures and communities composed of people who have shared experiences, backgrounds, or interests due to common sexual or gender identities. Among the first to argue that members of sexual minorities can also constitute cultural minorities were Adolf Brand, Magnus Hirschfeld, and Leontine Sagan in Germany. These pioneers were later followed by the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis in the United States.
Not all persons of various gender and sexual orientations self-identify or are affiliated with a particular subculture. Reasons include geographic distance, unawareness of the subculture's existence, fear of social stigma, or personal preference to remain unidentified with sexuality- or gender-based subcultures or communities. Some have suggested that the identities defined by the Western heterosexualized cultures are based on sexuality. They also have serious flaws and often leave no space for the public to discuss these flaws of gender and sexuality. Because there are no safe spaces to discuss these things, many people reject who they are and ignore their own sexual needs. This rejection can lead to these people being classified under sexual identities that they feel do not represent them as a person. These cultures are currently changing. For example, Greece recently legalized gay marriage, taking a huge step for an Orthodox country.[4]