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LGBTQ+ Term Guid
A guide to all LGBTQ+ terms to help you learn more about your fellow humans.
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Agender | a person with no (or very little) connection to the traditional system of gender, no personal alignment with the concepts of either man or woman, and/or someone who sees themselves as existing without gender |
ally | a (typically straight and/or cisgender) person who supports and respects members of the LGBTQ community |
androgyny/ous / | a gender expression that has elements of both masculinity and femininity |
androsexual / androphilic | being primarily sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to some men, males, and/or masculinity |
aromantic | experiencing little or no romantic attraction to others and/or has a lack of interest in romantic relationships/behavior |
asexual | experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others and/or a lack of interest in sexual relationships/behavior(person can still have romantic relationships, such as a boyfriend or girlfriend) |
Asexuality is different from celibacy in that it is a sexual orientation whereas celibacy is an abstaining from a certain action | Not all asexual people are aromantic |
bigender | a person who fluctuates between traditionally “woman” and “man” gender-based behavior and identities, identifying with both genders (and sometimes a third gender) |
bicurious | a curiosity about having attraction to people of the same gender/sex (similar to questioning) |
biological sex | a medical term used to refer to the chromosomal, hormonal and anatomical characteristics that are used to classify an individual as female or male or intersex |
biphobia | a range of negative attitudes (e.g., fear, anger, intolerance, invisibility, resentment, erasure, or discomfort) that one may have or express towards bisexual individuals |
. Biphobia can come from and be seen within the LGBTQ community as well as straight society | Example of bi-invisibility and bi-erasure would be the assumption that any man in a relationship with a woman is straight or anyone dating someone of the same gender means you’re gay. In neither case do we assume anyone could be bisexual |
Really important to recognize that many of our “stereotypes” of bisexual people – they’re overly sexual, greedy, it’s just a phase – have harmful and stigmatizing effects (and that gay, straight, and many other queer individuals harbor these beliefs too) | (move to next slide) |
bisexual | a person who is emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to males/men and females/women |
Can simply be shortened to “bi.” | Many people who recognize the limitations of a binary understanding of gender may still use the word bisexual as their sexual orientation label, this is often because many people are familiar with the term bisexual |
butch | a person who identifies themselves as masculine, whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally |
cisgender /“siss-jendur”/ | a person whose gender identity and biological sex assigned at birth align (e.g., man and assigned male at birth) |
cissexism | behavior that grants preferential treatment to cisgender people, reinforces the idea that being cisgender is somehow better or more “right” than being transgender, and/or makes other genders invisible |
cisnormativity | the assumption, in individuals or in institutions, that everyone is cisgender, and that cisgender identities are superior to trans* identities or people. Leads to invisibility of non-cisgender identities |
closeted | an individual who is not open to themselves or others about their (queer) sexuality or gender identity. This may be by choice and/or for other reasons such as fear for one’s safety, peer or family rejection or disapproval and/or loss of housing, job, etc. |
coming Out | the process by which one accepts and/or comes to identify one’s own sexuality or gender identity (to “come out” to oneself) |
cross-dresser | someone who wears clothes of another gender/sex |
demiromantic | little or no capacity to experience romantic attraction until a strong sexual or emotional connection is formed with another individual, often within a sexual relationship |
demisexual | little or no capacity to experience sexual attraction until a strong romantic or emotional connection is formed with another individual, often within a romantic relationship |
down low | typically referring to men who identify as straight but who secretly have sex with men ( I know this was inappropriate to put in but this is part of learning about this diverse community) |
drag king | someone who performs masculinity theatrically |
drag queen | someone who performs femininity theatrically |
dyke | referring to a masculine presenting lesbian. While often used derogatorily, it can is adopted affirmatively by many lesbians |
emotional attraction | a capacity that evokes the want to engage in romantic intimate behavior (e.g., sharing, confiding, trusting, interdepending), experienced in varying degrees (from little-to-none, to intense) |
fag(got) | highly derogatory term referring to a gay person, or someone perceived as queer. Occasionally used as an self-identifying affirming term by some gay men, at times in the shortened form ‘fag’. |
feminine-of-center; masculine-of-center | a word that indicates a range of terms of gender identity and gender presentation for folks who present, understand themselves, and/or relate to others in a more feminine/masculine way, but don’t necessarily identify as women/men |
feminine-presenting; masculine-presenting | a way to describe someone who expresses gender in a more feminine/masculine way. Often confused with feminine-of-center/masculine-of-center, which generally include a focus on identity as well as expression |
femme | someone who identifies themselves as feminine, whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally. Often used to refer to a feminine-presenting queer woman |
fluid(ity) | generally with another term attached, like gender-fluid or fluid-sexuality, fluid(ity) describes an identity that may change or shift over time between or within the mix of the options available (e.g., man and woman, bi and straight) |
FtM / F2M; MtF / M2F | female-to-male transgender or transsexual person; male-to-female transgender or transsexual person |
gay | individuals who are primarily emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to members of the same sex and/or gender |
“Gay” is a word that’s had many different meanings throughout time. In the 12th century is meant “happy,” in the 17th century it was more commonly used to mean “immoral”, and by the 19th it meant a female prostitute.The 20th century is what it means today | (Next slide) |
gender binary | the idea that there are only two genders and that every person is one of those two |
gender expression | the external display of one’s gender, through a combination of dress, demeanor, social behavior, and other factors, generally made sense of on scales of masculinity and femininity. Also referred to as “gender presentation.” |
gender fluid | gender fluid is a gender identity best described as a dynamic mix of boy and girl. A person who is gender fluid may always feel like a mix of the two traditional genders, but may feel more man some days, and more woman other days |
gender identity | the internal perception of an one’s gender, and how they label themselves, based on how much they align or don’t align with what they understand their options for gender to be |
gender non-conforming | a gender expression descriptor that indicates a non-traditional gender presentation (masculine woman or feminine man) |
genderqueer | a gender identity label often used by people who do not identify with the binary of man/woman |
gender variant | someone who either by nature or by choice does not conform to gender-based expectations of society |
gynesexual | being primarily sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to some woman, females, and/or femininity |
heteronormativity | the assumption, in individuals or in institutions, that everyone is heterosexual (e.g. asking a woman if she has a boyfriend) and that heterosexuality is superior to all other sexualities |
hermaphrodite | an outdated medical term previously used to refer to someone who was born with some combination of typically-male and typically-female sex characteristics. It’s considered stigmatizing and inaccurate |
heterosexism | behavior that grants preferential treatment to heterosexual people, reinforces the idea that heterosexuality is somehow better or more “right” than queerness |
homophobia | an umbrella term for a range of negative attitudes (e.g., fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, erasure, or discomfort) that one may have towards members of LGBTQ community. |
Until 1973 “Homosexuality” was classified as a mental disorder in the DSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This is just one of the reasons that there are such heavy negative and clinical connotations with this term | There are different connotations to the word homosexual than there are to gay/lesbian individuals for both straight and queer people |
intersex | term for a combination of chromosomes, gonads, hormones, internal sex organs, and genitals that differs from the two expected patterns of male or female |
lesbian | women who have the capacity to be attracted romantically, erotically, and/or emotionally to some other women |
metrosexual | a man with a strong aesthetic sense who spends more time, energy, or money on his appearance and grooming than is considered gender normative |
outing | involuntary or unwanted disclosure of another person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status |
pansexual | a person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction for members of all gender identities/expressions. Often shortened to “pan.” |
polyamory / polyamorous | refers to the practice of, desire to, or orientation towards having ethically, honest, and consensual non-monogamous relationships |
queer | used as an umbrella term to describe individuals who don’t identify as straight |
questioning | an individual who or time when someone is unsure about or exploring their own sexual orientation or gender identity |
sexual orientation | the type of sexual, romantic, emotional/spiritual attraction one has the capacity to feel for some others, generally labeled based on the gender relationship between the person and the people they are attracted to |
sexual preference | the types of sexual intercourse, stimulation, and gratification one likes to receive and participate in |
sex reassignment surgery (SRS) | used by some medical professionals to refer to a group of surgical options that alter a person’s biological sex |
stealth | a trans person who is not “out” as trans, and is perceived by others as cisgender |
stud | most commonly used to indicate a Black/African-American and/or Latina masculine lesbian/queer woman |
third gender | for a person who does not identify with either man or woman, but identifies with another gender. This gender category is used by societies that recognise three or more genders, both contemporary and historic |
top surgery | this term refers to surgery for the construction of a male-type chest or breast augmentation for a female-type chest |
transgender | A person who lives as a member of a gender other than that assigned at birth based on anatomical sex |
transition / transitioning | this term is primarily used to refer to the process a trans* person undergoes when changing their bodily appearance either to be more congruent with the gender/sex they feel themselves to be and/or to be in harmony with their preferred gender expression |
transphobia | the fear of, discrimination against, or hatred of trans* people, the trans* community, or gender ambiguity |
transsexual | a person who identifies psychologically as a gender/sex other than the one to which they were assigned at birth |
transvestite | a person who dresses as the binary opposite gender expression |