Note: These definitions are designed to create a basic understanding of LGBTQ issues and concerns. We
encourage you to seek additional (credible) information to enhance your understanding of each term.
(For more, please consider our Advanced Safe Zones!)
Gender Related Terms
| Androgyny: A gender expression term that refers to a blended, or both masculine and feminine, appearance. |
| Biological Sex: How we are identified at birth, based on hormones, sex organs, and chromosomes. Examples include male, female, and intersex. |
| Butch: A person whose gender presentation includes attributes more commonly associated with masculinity than femininity; most often seeks femmes as partners and is oriented to a queer gender continuum of butch/femme. |
| Cisgender: An individual whose biological sex is align with their gender identity. |
| Cisgender Privilege: Advantages that come with having your gender identity match with your biological sex, which is given preference and authority. |
| Cross Dressing: The act of wearing the clothing of the “opposite” gender for performance, sexual encounters, entertainment or comfort. Generally, the term cross dresser is preferred to transvestite. See Transvestite. |
| Drag: Queen: A person who consciously performs femininity, sometimes in an exaggerated/theatrical manner, usually in a show or theatre setting; King: a person who consciously performs masculinity, sometimes in an exaggerated/theatrical manner, usually in a show or theatre setting. |
| FtM: Is a person who was assigned Female at birth, has a gender identity that is man, and is in the process of or has transitioned. |
| Female: A biological designation for a person bearing two X chromosomes in the cell nuclei, who typically have a vagina, a uterus, and ovaries. At puberty, the body produces estrogen. |
| Femme: Someone whose gender presentation includes attributes commonly associated with femininity but sees hirself outside the confines of heterosexual female gender presentation; is often used to refer to lesbian-identified women who seek butch lesbians as partners and is oriented to a queer gender continuum of butch/femme. |
| Gender Expression: the way in which we communicate our gender to other people, including the way we dress, act, look, and interact. |
| Gender Identity: How a person perceives themselves and what they call themselves in terms of their gender. |
| Genderqueer: A gender identity in which a person either identifies as both man and woman or neither man or woman. |
| Intersex: Usually, people born with “unexpected” genitals. Formerly referred to as hermaphrodites, intersex people are not easily categorized as male or female because of ambiguous genitals. Most intersex people do not possess “both” sets of genitals, but rather a blending or a different appearance that is medically unacceptable to most doctors. Intersexuality is fairly common. Intersex can also be defined as having a difference in hormone variation or chromosome formation. |
| MtF: Is a person who was assigned Male at birth, has a gender identity that is woman, and is in the process of or has transitioned. |
| Male: Abiological designation for a person bearing an X and Y chromosome pair in the cell nuclei, who typically have a penis, scrotum, and testicles, and produce testosterone at adolescence. |
| Non-Binary: A gender identity in which a person identifies as neither exclusively man nor woman. |
| Passing: Successfully (convincingly) presenting one’s preferred gender image. Maybe intentional or unintentional. Passing is a contentious term in transgender communities, and has different meanings for different people. For example, many trans people do not feel that they are presenting as anything but themselves, whereas “passing” seems to imply that they are fooling people or hiding something. In addition some trans people do not desire to “pass” as non-trans, but rather to be respected for their identity and expression, even though people know that their gender identity or expression is different from the one typically associated with their sex. |
| Stealth: For a person of transgender experience to have a gender identity that is not connected to the transition. Most people are unaware of their transgender status. This doesn’t mean their transition is unknown to every single person; family and close friends may know. |
| Two Spirit: Term that comes from the Native American community for an individual who lives as both a man and a woman. This person was looked highly upon in the Native American culture. |
| Transgender: A self-identified umbrella term for people who transgress society’s view of gender and biological sex as necessarily fixed, unmoving, and following from one’s biological sex. They view gender on a spectrum, rather than a polarized, either/or construct. This can range from identification to cross dressing, to undergoing hormone therapy, to sex reassignment surgery and/or to other forms of dress/presentation. Transgender people can include transsexuals, cross dressers, drag kings/queens, masculine women, feminine men, and all those who defy what society tells them is appropriate for their “gender.” Political trans activists seek to create more space around gender, and to create a society where the choice of gender expression/presentation is safe, sane, and consensual. |
| Transsexual: A person whose core gender identity is “opposite” their assigned sex. Transsexuals may live as the opposite sex, undergo hormone therapy, and/or have sex reassignment surgery to match their bodies with their gender identity. This is usually an outdated term. |
| Transvestite: A person who cross-dresses for erotic pleasure or relaxation. |
| Woman/Man: A social identity usually conflated with biological sex in a binary system that presumes one has either male and masculine characteristics and behavior, or female and feminine characteristics and behavior. |
Sexual Orientation & Identity Related Terms
| Asexual: A person who does not identify specific emotional, physical, spiritual, and sexual attraction to any group of people. |
| Bisexual: A person who is emotionally, physically, spiritually, and sexually attracted to men and women. |
| Gay: Usually, but not always, refers to homosexual men. Also used as an umbrella term for the LGBTQ+ community. |
| Dyke: Derogatory slang term used to identify lesbians. This term has been embraced and reinvented as a positive, proud, political identifier when used by some lesbians among and about themselves. See: faggot, queer. |
| Fag/Faggot: Derogatory slang used to identify gay men, which has been embraced and reclaimed as a positive, proud, political identifier when used by some gay men among and about themselves. See dyke, queer. |
| Heterosexual: A person who has emotional, physical, spiritual, and sexual attractions to persons of the “opposite sex.” The sexuality that is assumed “normal” by societal standards. |
| Homosexual: A person who has emotional, physical, spiritual, and sexual attraction to persons of the “same sex.” Currently seen as more of a medical term, it is considered outdated when referring to queer people or communities. |
| Lesbian: A self-identified woman who has emotional, physical, spiritual, and sexual attractions to other women. |
| Pansexual: An individual who is attracted to others regardless of their gender identity or biological sex. A pansexual person could be open to someone who is male, female, transgender, intersex, or gendered/genderqueer. |
| Questioning: The process of exploring one’s own sexual identity, including but not limited to one’s upbringing, expectations from others (family, friends, church, etc.), and inner motivation. |
| Same gender loving (SGL): A term from the African American/Black LGBTQ community and used by people of color who may see “gay” and “lesbian” as terms of the white LGBTQ community. |
| Sexual Orientation: The direction of one’s attractions toward others. It is a direction based on whom a person is emotionally, physically, spiritually, and sexually attracted. It is not a simple matter of “choice.” It is not to be confused with sexual preference (what a person likes to do sexually), which implies making a choice. |
Historic and Cultural Terms
| Advocate: A person who actively works to end intolerance, educates others, and supports LGBTQ issues, concerns, equal rights legislation, etc. |
| Ally: Someone who advocates for and supports members of a community other than their own. |
| Biphobia: Aversion toward bisexuality and bisexual people as a social group or as individuals |
| Cissexism: The belief and or treatment that anyone who is transgender or transsexual is inferior to those who are cisgendered |
| Closeted: One who has not “come out of the closet” or who has come out to only a few people. These individuals may not be comfortable enough with their own sexuality or gender to share it with others. |
| Coming Out: The life-long process of discovering, defining, and proclaiming one’s sexuality or gender identity. |
| Hate or Bias Motivated Offenses: Assault, rape, arson, and murder are crimes under any circumstance. When a victim of such a crime was targeted simply because of their affiliation (or perceived affiliation) with a minority group, the FBI considers the crime a ‘hate crime.’ In some states, hate crimes carry an additional penalty beyond the standard penalty for assault, murder, etc. Also known as “gay-bashing,” acts of intolerance, or hate crimes. |
| Heterosexual Privilege: Advantages that come with heterosexuality in this society and culture; i.e.: marriage and all the benefits that go along with it, acceptance from family, safety, and acceptance in their chosen career field. |
| Homophobia: Fear, anger, discomfort, intolerance, or lack of acceptance toward LGBTQ people; or also experiencing these feelings about one’s own non-heterosexual preference |
| Heterosexism: The belief that all people are heterosexual, the assumption and/or belief that heterosexual relationships and behavior are superior, and the actions based on this assumption. |
| Lavender: This association goes back into ancient times and has been strengthened by the fact that lavender, or purple, is the combination of red (pink) and blue, the traditional gender-identified colors. |
| Lifestyle: How a person chooses to live and behave, such as being a hippie. Do not confuse being LGBTQ with a lifestyle decision. |
| Normal: Can refer to what is statistically more common, but is often confused by heterosexuals to refer to whatever it is that they condone morally. Only the individual can decide what is normal for them and it need not be what is normal to others. |
| Outing: To declare a person’s identity publicly; people can out themselves, or someone can out them either with or without their permission. |
| Queer: Derogatory slang term used to identify LGBTQ people. This term has been embraced and reinvented as a positive, proud, political identifier when used by some LGBTQ people among and about themselves. See dyke, faggot. |
| Rainbow Flag: In 1978, San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed a flag for the city’s Gay Freedom celebration. LGBTQ movements worldwide have since adopted it as a symbol of queer identity and pride. It has six stripes in the traditional form, but can be seen in various forms which run in the order of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The flag also symbolizes diversity within unity. |
| Stonewall: On June 28, 1969, NYC police attempted a routine raid on the Stonewall Inn, a working class gay and lesbian bar in Greenwich Village. Unexpectedly, the patrons resisted, and the incident escalated into a riot that continued for several days. Most people look to this event as the beginning of the American Gay Liberation movement and all subsequent LGBTQ movements. |
| Transphobia: The fear, intolerance, or hatred of atypical gender expression or identity, or of people embodying or expressing an atypical gender identity. |
| Triangle: Pink Triangle: This was a symbol used by the Nazi’s to label gay men in the concentration camps. It has since been adopted as a symbol of identity and pride. Black Triangle: This was a symbol used by the Nazi’s to label lesbians and other women deemed ‘antisocial’ in the concentration camps. It has since been adopted as a symbol of identity and pride. |