Vocabulary 101

Terminology
THE ACRONYM LGBTQ
  • L = Lesbian – a woman who is attracted physically and emotionally to other women
  • G = Gay – a man who is attracted physically and emotionally to other men
  • B = Bisexual – a person who is attracted physically and emotionally to both men and women
  • T = Transgender – a person whose gender identity does not match his/her physical body
  • Q = Queer – while the term “queer” used to be an insult, the younger generation is taking back the term in a positive light to be an all-inclusive term for the LGBT community.
  • Q = Questioning – Q is sometimes used to refer to “questioning”; individuals who are struggling with their identity, with sexual feelings – unsure of their sexual orientation
OTHER TERMS
  • Agender – a non-binary identity that means an individual relates to no given gender or feels genderless.
  • Ally – a friend or supporter
  • Aromantic – experiences no romantic attraction to any individual.
  • Biological sex – refers to the internal and external sex organs, hormones, and chromosomes a person possesses.
  • Cisgender – a term used to denote a person who experiences their gender in a way consistent with the gender they were assigned at birth.
  • Gender binary – the idea that there are only two valid gender identities, male and female.
  • Gender fluid – a non-binary gender identity where a person may move between male, female, or neither.
  • Gender identity – how a person relates to and experiences their own gender.
  • Gender expression – how a person demonstrates gender through the ways you act, dress, behave and interact.
  • HRT – hormone replacement therapy – a medical treatment where some transgender individuals take hormones so that their body will be in alignment with the gender in which they identify.
  • Intersex – this is a group of conditions where there is a discrepancy between a persons internal genitals and their external genitals.
  • Non-binary – an individual whose presentation and experience of gender falls outside of the gender binary.
  • Pansexual – experiencing sexual attraction to people of all biological sexes and gender identities.
  • Sexual orientation – who you are sexually / romantically attracted to.
  • Transition – the process by which a transgender person moves from the gender they were given at birth to the gender in which they identify. This might be clothing, appearance, name, HRT, or other surgical / medical procedures.