LGBT+ Terminology
LGBT+ Advocate
A person who actively works to prevent and end intolerance, supports, and educates others about LGBT rights.
Agender
A person with no or little connection to the traditional gender spectrum, or does not identify with either male or female genders and/or someone who sees themselves as existing without gender. Sometimes referred to ‘Gender Neutrois’, ‘Gender Neutral’, or ‘Genderless’.
Ally
A person (typically ‘Cisgender’ and/or ‘Straight’) who support and respect members of the LGBT+ community.
Androgynous or Androgyne
A person whose gender identity is both male and female, or neither male nor female. They might present as a combination of male and female or as sometimes male and sometimes female.
Androsexual / Androphilic
Being primarily sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to men, males, and/or masculinity.
Aromantic
Experiencing little or no romantic attraction to others and/or has a lack of interest in romantic relationships/behaviour. 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.
Asexual
Experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others and/or a lack of interest in sexual relationships/behaviour. 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. Sometimes abbreviated to “ace.”
Bicurious
A curiosity toward experiencing attraction to people of the same gender/sex (similar to questioning).
Bigender
A person who fluctuates between traditionally “woman” and “man” gender-based behaviour and identities, identifying with two genders (or sometimes identifying with either man or woman, as well as a third, different gender).
Binder / Binding
An undergarment used to alter or reduce the appearance of one’s breasts (worn similarly to how one wears a sports bra). Binding – the (sometimes daily) process of wearing a binder. Binding is often used to change the way other’s read/perceive one’s anatomical sex characteristics, and/or as a form of gender expression.
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. Often referred to as simply “sex,” “physical sex,” “anatomical sex,” or specifically as “sex assigned at birth.”
Biphobia
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 – a word used to describe actions, behaviors, or individuals who demonstrate elements of this range of negative attitudes toward bisexual people.
Bisexual
A person who experiences attraction to some 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. Often used interchangeably with “pansexual”.
Butch
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
A gender description for when someone’s sex assigned at birth and gender identity correspond in the expected way (e.g., someone who was assigned male at birth, and identifies as a man). 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
The assumption, in individuals and in institutions, that everyone is cisgender, and that cisgender identities are superior to trans* identities and people. Leads to invisibility of non-cisgender identities.
Cissexism
A behaviour 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.
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. 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
The process by which one accepts and/or comes to identify one’s own sexuality or gender identity (to “come out” to oneself).
The process by which one shares one’s sexuality or gender identity with others.
Constellation
A way to describe the arrangement or structure of a polyamorous relationship.
Cross-dresser
Someone who wears clothes of another gender/sex.
Feminine-of-centre; Masculine-of-centre
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-of-centre individuals may also identify as “femme,” “submissive,” “trans feminine,” etc.; masculine-of-centre individuals may also often identify as “butch,” “stud,” “aggressive,” “boi,” “trans masculine,” etc.
Feminine-presenting; Masculine-presenting
A way to describe someone who expresses gender in a more feminine/masculine way. Often confused with feminine-of-centre/masculine-of-centre, 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 or people.
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
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.
An umbrella term used to refer to the queer community as a whole, or as an individual identity label for anyone who is not straight (see LGBTQ and queer)
Genderqueer
A gender identity label often used by people who do not identify with the binary of man/woman.
An umbrella term for many gender non-conforming or non-binary identities (e.g., Agender, Bigender, Genderfluid).
Gender Variant
Someone who either by nature or by choice does not conform to gender-based expectations of society (e.g. transgender, transsexual, intersex, genderqueer, cross-dresser, etc.). (See gender non-conforming)
Gynesexual / Gynephilic
Being primarily sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to woman, females, and/or femininity.
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. See intersex.
Heteronormativity
The assumption, in individuals and/or in institutions, that everyone is heterosexual and that heterosexuality is superior to all other sexualities. 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.
Heterosexism
Behaviour that grants preferential treatment to heterosexual people, reinforces the idea that heterosexuality is somehow better or more “right” than queerness, and/or makes other sexualities invisible.
Heterosexual / Straight
Experiencing attraction solely (or primarily) to some members of a different gender.
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
Men who have sex with men or women who have sex with women, to distinguish sexual behaviors from sexual identities: because a man is straight, it doesn’t mean he’s not having sex with men. Often used in the field of HIV/Aids education, prevention, and treatment.
Multigender
Refers to individuals who experiences more than one gender identity. It can be used as a gender identity in its own right, or can be an umbrella term for other identities which fit this description. Multigender identities include bigender (two genders), trigender (three genders), quadgender (four genders), quintgender (five genders), polygender (many genders), pangender (all genders) and genderfluid (variable gender).
Mx.
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.
Non binary
An umbrella term for gender identities that fall outside the gender binary of male or female. This includes individuals whose gender identity is neither exclusively male nor female, a combination of male and female or between or beyond genders. Similar to the usage of transgender, people under the non-binary umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms (See definition of Androgynous, Gender Fluid, Genderqueer, Gender variant).
Outing
Involuntary or unwanted disclosure of another person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status.
Demiromantic
Little or no capacity to experience romantic attraction until a strong sexual connection is formed with someone, often within a sexual relationship.
Demisexual
Little or no capacity to experience sexual attraction until a strong romantic connection is formed with someone, often within a romantic relationship.
Disorder of Sex Development (DSD)
A generic definition encompassing any issue noted at birth where the genitalia are atypical in relation to the chromosomes or gonads. Since 2006, this is the preferred term for intersex by some, but not all, medical practitioners in the area.
DSD has been contested because it presumes an underlying ‘disorder’ and that there is something intrinsically wrong with the intersexed body requiring it to be fixed as either male or female (see definition of Intersex and Variation of Sex Development).
Down Low
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 colour.
Drag King
Someone who performs (hyper-) masculinity theatrically.
Drag Queen
Someone who performs (hyper-) femininity theatrically.
Dyke
Referring to a masculine presenting lesbian. While often used derogatorily, it is also reclaimed affirmatively by some lesbians and gay women as a positive self-identity term.
Emotional Attraction
A capacity that evokes the want to engage in emotionally intimate behaviour (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.
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 clothing, grooming, demeanour, social behaviour, and other factors, generally made sense of on scales of masculinity and femininity. Also referred to as “gender presentation.”
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. Often conflated with biological sex, or sex assigned at birth.
Gender Identity Disorder
In DSM-IV[2], GID is the psychiatric diagnosis used when a person has (1) a strong and persistent cross-gender identification and (2) persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in the gender role of that sex, and the disturbance (3) is not concurrent with physical intersex condition and (4) causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. This diagnosis was removed from the DSM-V and replaced with Gender Dysphoria. In the current Irish context, in practice a diagnosis of GID or Gender Dysphoria is required to access hormones or surgery through the public healthcare system.
Gender Non-Conforming
A gender descriptor that indicates a non-traditional gender expression or identity (e.g., “masculine woman”).
A gender identity label that indicates a person who identifies outside of the gender binary. Often abbreviated as “GNC.”
Gender Normative / Gender Straight
Someone whose gender presentation, whether by nature or by choice, aligns with society’s gender-based expectations.
Genderfluid / Gender Fluid
A gender identity label often used by people whose sense of self in relation to gender changes from time-to-time. The time frame might be over the course of many months, days, shorter, or longer, but the consistent experience is one of change.
A general descriptor for an individual’s or society’s ever-changing (i.e., “fluid”) embodiment of gender, in the ways it affects us or we express it individually (e.g., someone might express gender fluidly), and/or in how it is socially constructed.
Homophobia
An umbrella term for a range of negative attitudes (e.g., fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, erasure, or discomfort) that one may have toward LGBTQ people. The term can also connote a fear, disgust, or dislike of being perceived as LGBTQ. homophobic – a word used to describe actions, behaviors, or individuals who demonstrate elements of this range of negative attitudes toward LGBTQ people.
Homosexual
A person primarily emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to members of the same sex/gender. This [medical] term is considered stigmatizing (particularly as a noun) due to its history as a category of mental illness, and is discouraged for common use (use gay or lesbian instead).
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or Hormones
The use of hormones to alter secondary sex characteristics. Some trans people take hormones to align their bodies with their gender identities. Other trans people do not take hormones for many different reasons (see definition of Transition).
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. Formerly known as hermaphrodite (or hermaphroditic), but these terms are now outdated and derogatory.
Lesbian
Women who are primarily attracted romantically, erotically, and/or emotionally to other women.
LGBTQ; GSM; DSG; TGNC
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; TGNC is Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (sometimes you’ll see “NB” added for non-binary). 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
Usually refers to a lesbian with a feminine gender expression. Can be used in a positive or a derogatory way. Is sometimes also used to refer to a lesbian who is assumed to be (or passes for) straight.
A person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction for members of all gender identities/expressions. Often shortened to “pan.”
Passing
Trans* people being accepted as, or able to “pass for,” a member of their self-identified gender identity (regardless of sex assigned at birth) without being identified as trans*
PGPs
Preferred gender pronouns. Often used during introductions, becoming more common as a standard practice. Many suggest removing the “preferred,” because it indicates flexibility and/or the power for the speaker to decide which pronouns to use for someone else.
Polyamory / polyamorous
Refers to the practice of, desire for, or orientation toward having ethical, honest, and consensual non-monogamous relationships (i.e. relationships that may include multiple partners). Often shortened to “poly.”
Queer
An umbrella term to describe individuals who don’t identify as straight and/or cisgender.
A slur used to refer to someone who isn’t straight and/or cisgender. Due to its historical use as a derogatory term, and how it is still used as a slur many communities, it is not embraced or used by all LGBTQ people. The term “queer” can often be used interchangeably with LGBTQ (e.g., “queer people” instead of “LGBTQ people”).
Questioning
An individual who or time when someone is unsure about or exploring their own sexual orientation or gender identity.
“There has to be more LGBT workshops, they only dipped into it, [at school].” I’d need a room full of paper, there is a lot that needs to be changed. If there was a change to the education system, use of more gender-neutral terms, that would teach a lot about diversity and equality.”
Initialisms that stand for queer people of color and queer and/or trans people of color.
Romantic Attraction
A capacity that evokes the want to engage in romantic intimate behaviour (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)
Sometimes used by some members of the African-American or Black community to express an non-straight sexual orientation without relying on terms and symbols of European descent.
Sex Assigned At Birth (SAAB)
A phrase used to intentionally recognize a person’s assigned sex (not gender identity). 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): Jenny was assigned male at birth, but identifies as a woman.
Sexual Attraction
A capacity that evokes the want to engage in physically intimate behaviour (e.g., kissing, touching, intercourse), experienced in varying degrees (from little-to-none, to intense). Often conflated with romantic attraction, emotional attraction, and/or spiritual attraction.
Sexual Orientation
The type of sexual, romantic, emotional/spiritual attraction one has the capacity to feel for some others, generally labelled based on the gender relationship between the person and the people they are attracted to. Often confused with sexual preference.
Sexual Preference
The types of sexual intercourse, stimulation, and gratification one likes to receive and participate in. Generally when this term is used, it is being mistakenly interchanged with “sexual orientation,” creating an illusion that one has a choice (or “preference”) in who they are attracted to.
Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)
Used by some medical professionals to refer to a group of surgical options that alters a person’s biological sex. “Gender confirmation surgery” is considered by many to be a more affirming term. In most cases, one or multiple surgeries are required to achieve legal recognition of gender variance. Some refer to different surgical procedures as “top” surgery and “bottom” surgery to discuss what type of surgery they are having without having to be more explicit.
A gender description for someone who has transitioned (or is transitioning) from living as one gender to another.
An umbrella term for anyone whose sex assigned at birth and gender identity do not correspond in the expected way (e.g., someone who was assigned male at birth, but does not identify as a man).
Transition / Transitioning
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 (as opposed to the gender they lived as pre-transitioning).
Trans Man; Trans Woman
A man/woman who was not assigned that gender via sex at birth, and transitioned (socially, medically, and/or legally) from that assignment to their gender identity, signified by the second part of the term (i.e., -man, -woman). Also referred to as men and women (though some/many trans people prefer to keep the prefix “trans-” in their identity label).
Transphobia
The fear of, discrimination against, or hatred of trans* people, the trans* community, or gender ambiguity. Transphobia can be seen within the queer community, as well as in general society. Transphobic – a word used to describe an individual who harbours some elements of this range of negative attitudes, thoughts, intents, towards trans* people.
Transsexual
A person who identifies psychologically as a gender/sex other than the one to which they were assigned at birth. Transsexuals often wish to transform their bodies hormonally and surgically to match their inner sense of gender/sex.
Transvestite
A person who dresses as the binary opposite gender expression (“cross-dresses”) for any one of many reasons, including relaxation, fun, and sexual gratification (often called a “cross-dresser,” and should not be confused with transsexual).
Tranny
A slang term for many different trans identities. Some find this term highly offensive, while others may be comfortable with it as a self-reference, but consider the term derogatory if used by outsiders. It is recommended to avoid using this term.
Two-Spirit
An umbrella term traditionally within Native American communities to recognize individuals who possess qualities or fulfill roles of both feminine and masculine genders.
Generally considered derogatory; has been replaced by the terms ‘transition’ or ‘surgery’ (see definition of Transition and Surgery).
Skoliosexual
Being primarily sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to some genderqueer, transgender, transsexual, and/or non-binary people.
Spiritual Attraction
A capacity that evokes the want to engage in intimate behaviour based on one’s experience with, interpretation of, or belief in the supernatural (e.g., religious teachings, messages from a deity), experienced in varying degrees (from little-to-none, to intense). Often conflated with sexual attraction, romantic attraction, and/or emotional attraction.
Stealth
A trans person who is not “out” as trans, and is perceived/known by others as cisgender.
Straight
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
Most commonly used to indicate a Black/African-American and/or Latina, masculine, lesbian/queer woman. Also known as ‘butch’ or ‘aggressive’.
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, 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
This term refers to surgery for the construction of a male-type chest or breast augmentation for a female-type chest.
Trans*
An umbrella term covering a range of identities that transgress socially-defined gender norms. Trans with an asterisk is often used in written forms (not spoken) to indicate that you are referring to the larger group nature of the term, and specifically including non-binary identities, as well as transgender men (trans men) and transgender women (trans women).
Another term for ‘intersex’ preferred by some medical practitioners and intersex people in place of DSD as it removes the stigma of ‘disorder’ from the nomenclature (see definition of Intersex and Disorder of Sex Development).
Ze / Zir
Alternate pronouns that are gender neutral and preferred by some trans* people. They replace “he” and “she” and “his” and “hers” respectively. Alternatively some people who are not comfortable/do not embrace he/she use the plural pronoun “they/their” as a gender neutral singular pronoun.