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LGBTQ+ Glossary
LGBTQ+ Glossary
For more definitions, compare these terms with those in other resources. These are general terms and do not necessarily equate with local terminology or slang. Courtesy of Buff Allies↗ at WTAMU and GLAAD↗.
Are we missing a term or a is a definition outdated/incorrect? Let us know.
A
Ally
A person who is straight and/or cisgender who supports and advocates for LGBTQ+ people.
Androgynous
A person appearing and/or identifying as neither man nor woman, presenting a gender is either mixed or neutral.
Asexual
A person who does not experience sexual attraction. They may or may not experience emotional, physical, or romantic attraction. Asexuality differs from celibacy in that it is a sexual orientation not a choice. People who are asexual may call themselves “ace.”
B
Biological Sex
A classification based on the body which encompasses chromosomes, sex chromosomes, and reproductive organs. Traditionally understood as a means of categorizing individuals as either male or female, scholars and scientists have worked to expand this concept as referring to a continuum rather than dichotomous categories.
Bisexual, Bi, Bi+
An individual who is emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to some men and women. This attraction does not have to be equally split between genders and there may be a preference for one gender over others.
C
Cisgender
A person who feels comfortable with the gender identity and gender expression expectations based on their biological sex assigned at birth.
Cisgender Privilege
The set of privileges conferred to people who are believed to be Cisgender. (Examples: having one’s preferred pronouns used, no harassment in public restrooms, no denial of expected access to health care, etc.).
Closeted
A person who is not open about their sexual orientation. Better to simply refer to someone as not out about being LGBTQ+. People may be out to some people in their life, but not out to others due to fear of rejection, harassment, violence, losing one's job, or other concerns.
Coming Out
A lifelong process of self-acceptance. People come to understand their own sexual orientation first, and then they may reveal it to others. It is not necessary to have sexual experiences to come out as LGBTQ+, nor is it necessary to tell others. It is possible to simply be out to one's self.
D
Demisexual
Someone who can only experience sexual attraction after an emotional bond has been formed. This bond does not have to be romantic in nature.
Down Low
Typically used by men of color to describe men who identify as heterosexual, but who have sex with men. Many avoid sharing this information even if they have female sexual partners.
G
Gay
Describes men whose enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction is to some other men. Avoid identifying gay people as "homosexuals" as this is an outdated term considered derogatory and offensive to many lesbian and gay people. Historically, this has been used as umbrella term for LGBTQ communities.
Gender
1. A socially constructed system of classifications that ascribes qualities of masculinity and femininity to people. Gender characteristic can change over time and vary between cultures.
2. Someone’s innate sense of being man or woman.
Gender Confirming Surgery
Medical surgeries used to modify one’s body to be more congruent with one’s gender identity. Also known as 'Sex Reassignment Surgery,’ 'Gender Reassignment Surgery.’
Gender Expression
The multiple ways (e.g. behaviors, dress) in which a person may choose to communicate gender to oneself and/or to others.
Gender Identity
One's internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman or somewhere else along the spectrum.
Genderqueer
Refers to a person whose gender identity is neither man nor woman, is between or beyond genders, or is some combination of genders. This identity is usually related to or in reaction to the social construction of gender, gender stereotypes, and the gender binary system. Some genderqueer people identify under the transgender umbrella while others do not.
Gray-asexual (gray-a) or gray-ace
Someone who identifies with the area between asexuality and sexuality, for example because they experience sexual attraction very rarely, only under specific circumstances, or of an intensity so low that it's ignorable.
H
Heterosexual
Someone who is emotionally, romantically, and/or sexually attracted to some members of the opposite sex. Also known as 'straight.’
Heterosexual Privilege
Those benefits derived automatically by being heterosexual or being perceived as heterosexual that are denied to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and orientations other than straight.
Homophobia
Prejudice or hatred toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer people, expressed in speech or actions. Intolerance, bias, or prejudice is usually a more accurate description.
Homosexual (Offensive)
Because of the clinical history of the word "homosexual," it has been used to suggest that gay and lesbian people are somehow diseased or psychologically/emotionally disordered - notions discredited by the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association in the 1970s. Please use "gay" or "lesbian" to describe people attracted to members of the same gender.
I
Intersex
Is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. There are many genetic, hormonal or anatomical variations that make a person’s gender ambiguous. That is, intersex people are born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia, or internal reproductive systems that are not directly aligned with our created categories of "male" and "female." This illustrates that the exclusively dichotomous categories of male and female have a socially constructed component that is inadequate in describing all individuals.
Intersex is not interchangeable with or a synonym for transgender.
L
Lesbian
Describes women whose enduring emotional, romantic, and/or physical attraction is to some other women. Some lesbians may prefer to identify as gay (adj.) or as gay women. Avoid identifying lesbians as "homosexuals," as this is an outdated term considered derogatory and offensive to many lesbian and gay people.
O
Out
A person who self-identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer and/or transgender in their personal, public, and/or professional lives.
Preferred to “openly gay”.
Outing
The act of publicly revealing (sometimes based on rumor and/or speculation) another person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Considered inappropriate and potentially dangerous by a large portion of the LGBTQ+ community.
P
Pansexual
A person who has the potential to be attracted to all or many gender identities and expressions.
Q
Queer
1. An umbrella term which includes lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans people, intersex persons, and others that do not conform to traditional descriptions of orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
2. This term is sometimes used as a sexual orientation label or gender identity label used to denote a non-heterosexual or cisgender identity without have to define specifics.
3. A reclaimed word that was formerly used solely as a slur but has been reclaimed by some folks in the LGBTQ+ community. Nevertheless, a sizable percentage of people to whom this term might apply still hold 'queer’ to be a hateful insult and offensive.
Questioning
Refers to a person who is in the process of understanding and exploring their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and gender expression.
S
Same Gender Loving (SGL)
A term used by members of the African-American / Black community to express same sex/gender attraction. Note that it is often used as an alternative to words that do not culturally affirm the history of people of African descent.
Sexual Orientation
Refers to the enduring desire for intimate emotional, romantic, and/or sexual relationships with some people of the same gender, another gender, or multiple genders. It is inappropriate to use the phrase "sexual preference" as the word preference suggests a degree of voluntary choice not reported by individuals and has not been demonstrated in psychological research (APA Guidelines). It is also inappropriate to use the term "lifestyle" as that implies a choice and suggests that gay and lesbian people can be "cured."
T
Trans
Often used as an umbrella term encompassing people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from their gender assigned at birth. The term includes a large number of identities related to gender nonconformity encompassing but not limited to: transgender individuals, cross-dressers, and other gender-variant people. Use the descriptive term preferred by the individual. Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically.
Avoid transgendered. The adjective transgender should never have an extraneous "-ed" tacked onto the end. An "-ed" suffix adds unnecessary length to the word and can cause tense confusion and grammatical errors.
Transgender
Transgender (sometimes shortened to trans) people are those whose psychological self ("gender identity") differs from the social expectations for the physical sex they were assigned at birth. To understand this, one must understand the difference between biological sex, which is one's body (genitals, chromosomes, ect.), and social gender, which refers to levels of masculinity and femininity.
Transsexual
An older term that originated in the medical and psychological communities. While some transsexual people still prefer to use the term to describe themselves, many transgender people prefer the term transgender to transsexual.
Transsexual is NOT an umbrella term. Avoid use of this term unless an individual uses this to identify themselves.
Two-Spirit
An inclusive term created specifically by and for Native American communities. It refers to American Indian/Alaskan Native American people who (a) express their gender, sexual orientation, and/or sex/gender roles in indigenous, non-Western ways using tribal terms and concepts, and/or (b) define themselves as LGBTQI in a native context. Often peoples’ spiritual experiences or cultural beliefs are core to the formation of their two-spirit identity.