advocate
1 noun: a person who actively works to end intolerance, educate others, and support social equity for a marginalized group. 2 verb: to actively support or plea in favor of a particular cause, the action of working to end intolerance or educate others.
agender
adj.: A person who has an internal sense of being neither masculine nor feminine nor a combination of masculine or feminine. Also called genderless.
ally
/“al-lie”/ – noun: a non-LGBTQ+ person who chooses to show active support for LGBTQ+ people. This is done through self-education, empowering LGBTQ+ people, and taking steps to call out discrimination and hatred in the communities one is in.
androgyny
“an-jrah-jun-ee”/ (androgynous) – noun.: a gender expression that has elements of both masculinity and femininity.
androsexual / androphilic
adj.: being primarily sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to masculinity.
aromantic
/”ay-ro-man-tic”/ – adj.: experiencing little or no romantic attraction to others and/or has a lack of interest in romantic relationships/behavior. Aromanticism exists on a continuum from people who experience no romantic attraction or have any desire for romantic activities, to those who experience low levels, or romantic attraction only under specific conditions. Many of these different places on the continuum have their own identity labels (see demiromantic). Sometimes abbreviated to “aro” (pronounced like “arrow”).
asexual
adj.: experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others and/or a lack of interest in sexual relationships/behavior. Asexuality exists on a continuum from people who experience no sexual attraction or have any desire for sex, to those who experience low levels, or sexual attraction only under specific conditions. Many of these different places on the continuum have their own identity labels (see demisexual). Sometimes abbreviated to “ace.”
bicurious
adj.: a curiosity toward experiencing attraction to people of the same gender/sex (similar to questioning).
bigender
adj.: a person whose gender identity is a combination of multiple genders.
binder
noun: an undergarment used to alter or reduce the appearance of one’s breasts (worn similarly to how one wears a sports bra).
binding
adj.: the (sometimes daily) process of wearing a binder. Binding is often used to change the way other’s read/perceive one’s secondary sex characteristics, and/or as a form of gender expression.
biological sex
noun: a term used often to refer to sex assigned at birth, and often used to degrade transgender people by emphasizing their sex assigned at birth as opposed to their gender identity. Not entirely immutable. Sex assigned at birth is the preferred term.
biphobia
noun: a range of negative attitudes (e.g., fear, anger, intolerance, invisibility, resentment, erasure, or discomfort) that one may have or express toward bisexual individuals. Biphobia can come from and be seen within the LGBTQ community as well as straight society. biphobic – adj.: a word used to describe actions, behaviors, or individuals who demonstrate elements of this range of negative attitudes toward bisexual people.
bisexual
1 noun & adj.: a person who experiences attraction to men and women. Bisexual attraction does not have to be equally split or indicate a level of interest that is the same across the genders an individual may be attracted to. Bisexuality differs from pansexuality in that the gender of the person does matter for bisexuals.
butch
noun & adj.: a person who identifies themselves as masculine, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. ‘Butch’ is sometimes used as a derogatory term for lesbians, but is also be claimed as an affirmative identity label.
cisgender
/“siss-jendur”/ – adj.: a gender description for when someone’s sex assigned at birth and gender identity correspond. A simple way to think about it is if a person is not transgender, they are cisgender. The word cisgender can also be shortened to “cis.”
cisnormativity
noun: the assumption, in individuals and in institutions, that being cisgender is normal or the default, and that anyone who is not cisgender is abnormal.
closeted
adj.: 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, disapproval, and/or loss of housing, job, etc. Also known as being “in the closet.” When someone chooses to break this silence they “come out” of the closet. (See coming out)
coming out
1 noun: the process by which one accepts and/or comes to identify one’s own sexuality or gender identity (to “come out” to oneself). 2 verb: the process by which one shares one’s sexuality or gender identity with others.
cross-dresser
noun: a cisgender person who dresses in clothing stereotypically associated with another gender.
demiromantic
adj.: little or no capacity to experience romantic attraction until a strong emotional connection is formed with someone.
demisexual
adj.: little or no capacity to experience sexual attraction until a strong emotional connection is formed with someone.
down low
adj.: typically referring to men who identify as straight but who secretly have sex with men. Down low (or DL) originated in, and is most commonly used by, communities of color.
drag king
noun: someone who performs (hyper-) masculinity theatrically, without otherwise presenting as or identifying as a man.
drag queen
noun: someone who performs (hyper-) femininity theatrically, without otherwise presenting as or identifying as a woman.
emotional attraction
noun: a capacity that evokes the want to engage in emotionally intimate behavior (e.g., sharing, confiding, trusting, inter-depending), experienced in varying degrees (from little-to-none to intense). Often conflated with sexual attraction, romantic attraction, and/or spiritual attraction.
feminine-of-center; masculine-of-center
adj.: a phrase that indicates a range in terms of gender identity and expression for people who present, understand themselves, and/or relate to others in a generally more feminine/masculine way, but don’t necessarily identify as women or men.
feminine-presenting; masculine-presenting
adj.: a way to describe someone who presents their gender in a more feminine/masculine way.
femme
noun & adj.: someone who identifies themselves as feminine. Often used to refer to a feminine-presenting queer woman or people.
FtM / F2M; MtF / M2F
abbr.: female-to-male transgender person; male-to-female transgender person.
gay
adj.: experiencing attraction solely (or primarily) to some members of the same gender. Can be used to refer to men who are attracted to other men and women who are attracted to women.
gender binary
noun: the idea that there are only two genders.
gender essentialism
noun: the belief that gender is entirely determined by one’s sex assigned at birth and that one’s gender is not changed by one’s gender identity.
gender expression/presentation
noun: the external display of one’s gender, through a combination of clothing, grooming, demeanor, social behavior, and other factors, generally made sense of through masculinity and femininity.
gender fluid
adj.: a gender identity that shifts over time.
gender identity
noun: the internal perception of one’s gender, and how they label themselves.
gender neutrois
adj.: see agender.
gender non-conforming
1 adj.: a gender expression descriptor that indicates a non-traditional gender presentation (masculine woman or feminine man). 2 adj.: a gender identity label that indicates a person who identifies outside of the gender binary. Often abbreviated as “GNC.”
genderqueer
1 adj.: a gender identity label often used by people who do not identify with the binary of man/woman. 2 adj.: an umbrella term for many gender non-conforming or non-binary identities (e.g., agender, bigender, genderfluid).
gynesexual / gynephilic
/“guy-nuh-seks-shu-uhl”/ /”guy-nuh-fil-ic”/ – adj.: being primarily sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to women, females, and/or femininity.
heteronormativity
noun: the assumption, in individuals and/or in institutions, that being heterosexual is normal and any nonheterosexual sexual identity is abnormal. Leads to invisibility and stigmatizing of other sexualities: when learning a woman is married, asking her what her husband’s name is. Heteronormativity also leads us to assume that only masculine men and feminine women are straight.
heterosexual/straight
adj.: experiencing attraction solely (or primarily) to some members of a different gender.
homophobia
noun: an umbrella term for a range of negative attitudes (e.g., fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, erasure, or discomfort) that one may have towards those they perceive as gay. The term can also connote a fear, disgust, or dislike of being perceived as LGBTQ, referred to as internalized homophobia.
homophobic
adj.: a word used to describe actions, behaviors, or individuals who demonstrate elements of this range of negative attitudes toward LGBTQ people.
homosexual
adj. & noun: a person primarily emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to members of the same gender. This term is sometimes used for stigmatizing others (particularly as a noun) and has fallen out of favor for common use (use gay or lesbian instead).
intersex
adj.: term for a combination of gonads, hormones, internal sex organs, and genitals that fall outside of the assigned sex binary. Most intersex people are forcefully assigned to one sex or the other.
lesbian
noun & adj.: women who are primarily attracted romantically, erotically, and/or emotionally to other women.
LGBTQ+; GSM; DSG
abbr.: shorthand or umbrella terms for all folks who have a non-normative (or queer) gender or sexuality, there are many different initialisms people prefer. LGBTQ+ is Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer and/or Questioning (sometimes people at a + at the end in an effort to be more inclusive); GSM is Gender and Sexual Minorities; DSG is Diverse Sexualities and Genders. Other options include the initialism GLBT or LGBT and the acronym QUILTBAG (Queer [or Questioning] Undecided Intersex Lesbian Trans* Bisexual Asexual [or Allied] and Gay [or Genderqueer]).
lipstick lesbian
noun: A lesbian with a feminine gender expression.
metrosexual
adj.: a man with a strong aesthetic sense who spends more time, energy, or money on his appearance and grooming than is considered gender normative.
MSM / WSW
abbr.: men who have sex with men or women who have sex with women, to distinguish sexual behaviors from sexual identities: because a man identifies as straight, it doesn’t mean he’s not having sex with men. Often used in the field of HIV/Aids education, prevention, and treatment.
Mx.
/ “mix” or “schwa” / – noun: an honorific (e.g. Mr., Ms., Mrs., etc.) that is gender neutral. It is often the option of choice for folks who do not identify within the gender binary: Mx. Smith is a great teacher.
outing
verb: involuntary or unwanted disclosure of another person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status.
pansexual
adj.: a person who experiences attraction to others regardless of gender identities/expressions. Often shortened to “pan.”
passing
1 adj. & verb: trans* people being accepted as a member of their self-identified gender identity without being identified as trans*. 2 adj.: an LGB/queer individual who is believed to be or perceived as straight.
pronoun
1 noun: a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you ) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it, this ).
queer
adj.: an umbrella term to describe individuals who don’t identify as straight and/or cisgender.
questioning
verb, adj.: an individual who or time when someone is unsure about or exploring their own sexual orientation or gender identity.
QPOC / QTPOC
abbr.: initialisms that stand for queer people of color and queer and/or trans people of color.
romantic attraction
noun: a capacity that evokes the want to engage in romantic intimate behavior (e.g., dating, relationships, marriage), experienced in varying degrees (from little-to-none, to intense). Often conflated with sexual attraction, emotional attraction, and/or spiritual attraction.
same gender loving (SGL)
adj.: sometimes used by some members of the African-American or Black community to express a non-straight sexual orientation instead of lesbian or gay.
sex assigned at birth (SAAB)
abbr.: Sometimes called “designated sex at birth” (DSAB) or “sex coercively assigned at birth” (SCAB), or specifically used as “assigned male at birth” (AMAB) or “assigned female at birth” (AFAB).
sexual attraction
noun: attraction that evokes the want to engage in physically intimate behavior (e.g., kissing, touching, intercourse), experienced in varying degrees (from little-to-none, to intense).
sexual orientation
noun: the type of 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.
sex reassignment surgery (SRS)
noun: a group of surgical options that alter a person’s . “Gender affirmation surgery” is considered by many to be a more affirming term. Governments often require these surgeries to change gender markers on documents. Some refer to different surgical procedures as “top” surgery and “bottom” surgery to discuss what type of surgery they are having without specifying the exact type.
stealth
adj.: a passing trans person who is not “out” as trans, and is thereby perceived/known by others as cisgender.
straight
adj.: a person primarily emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to some people who are not their same sex/gender. A more colloquial term for the word heterosexual.
stud
noun: most commonly used to indicate a Black/African-American and/or Latina masculine lesbian/queer woman. Also known as ‘butch’ or ‘aggressive’.
third gender
noun: a person who does not identify with either man or woman, but identifies with another gender entirely. This gender category is used to describe societies that recognise three or more genders, both contemporary and historic, and is also a conceptual term meaning different things to different people who use it, as a way to move beyond the gender binary.
top surgery
noun: a surgery for modifying the chest’s secondary sex characteristics.
transgender
adj.: a person whose gender identity doesn’t correspond to the gender associated with their sex assigned at birth.
transition / transitioning
noun, verb: referring to the process of a transgender person changing aspects of themself (e.g., their appearance, name, pronouns, or making physical changes to their body) to be more congruent with the gender they know themself to be.
transman; transwoman
noun 1: An identity label sometimes adopted by female-to-male transgender people (sometimes referred to as transguy). 2 Identity label sometimes adopted by male-to-female transgender people.
transphobia
noun: an umbrella term for a range of negative attitudes (e.g., fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, erasure, or discomfort) that one may have towards those they perceive as gender nonconforming. Transphobia can be seen within the queer community, as well as in general society. Heavily related to homophobia.
transphobic
adj.: a word used to describe an individual who harbors some elements of this range of negative attitudes, thoughts, or intents, towards trans* people.
transsexual
noun and adj. An outdated term for transgender people that medicalizes trans identities (under the assumption that all transgender people want to receive SRS.) A transgender person does not have to want to and does not have to receive SRS to be the gender they identify with/as.
transvestite
noun: a cisgender person who dresses as the binary opposite gender expression (“cross-dresses”) for any one of many reasons, including relaxation, fun, and sexual gratification.
two-spirit
noun: is an umbrella term traditionally within Native American communities to recognize individuals who possess qualities or fulfill roles of both genders.
