Terminology
Please note: Some explicit language is used
Finding a Common Language
ALLY: An ally is a person who is a member of the dominant or majority group who works to end oppression in his or her own personal and professional life through support of and as an advocate with and for the oppressed population. This definition can be expanded to include LGB and/or T identified people who are allies within their community. Although all of the different identities within “LGBT” are often lumped together (and share sexism as a common root of oppression), there are specific needs and concerns related to each individual identity.
Androgyny (also androgynous, bi-gendered, no-gendered): A person who identifies as both or neither of the two culturally defined genders, or a person who expresses merged culturally/stereotypically feminine and masculine characteristics or mainly neutral characteristics.
Asexual: A person who does not experience sexual attraction. See http://www.asexuality.org/home/
Bear: (slang) A gay or bisexual man with a hairy body and facial hair, who is masculine and stout. Bears are typically older – those who are younger or are new to the community are often called “cubs”. A thinner man who is hairy and masculine is called an “otter”. People who are attracted to bears but are not bears themselves are known as “admirers”.
Binary Gender: A system that defines and makes room for two and only two distinct and opposite genders (male and female). These two genders are defined in opposition to each other, such that masculinity and femininity are seen as mutually exclusive. In this system, there is no room for any ambiguity or intermingling of gender traits.
Biphobia: The fear or hatred of bisexual people. This term addresses the ways that prejudice against bisexuals differs from prejudice against other queer people. There is often biphobia in lesbian, gay and transgender communities, as well as in straight communities.
Bisexual: A person who is emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to both men and women. Some people avoid this term because of its implications that there are only two sexes/genders to be sexually attracted to and this reinforces the binary gender system.
Butch: (slang) A person (usually, a woman) who has traditionally-understood masculine traits or behavior.
Coming Out: To declare and affirm both to oneself and to others one’s identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc. It is not a single event but instead a life-long process.
Complicity: Collusion, or partnership in wrongdoing, such as the oppression of a target group. Social critic Kate Millet defines complicity as the act of “identifying – even if involuntarily or momentarily – with the society which force has brought into being.”
Compulsory heterosexuality: The assumption that women are naturally or innately drawn sexually and emotionally toward men, and men toward women. The view that heterosexuality is the norm for all sexual relationships. The institutionalization of heterosexuality in all aspects of society includes the idealization of heterosexual orientation, romance, and marriage.
Cross-dresser: Someone who enjoys wearing clothing typically assigned to a gender that the individual has not been socialized as, or does not identify as. Cross-dressers are of all sexual orientations and do not necessarily identify as transgender. Cross-dresser is frequently used today in place of the term transvestite.
Drag King: A female who emulates a man in appearance and manner, generally for the purposes of entertainment, and not necessarily because the person identifies as a man or as transgender.
Drag Queen: A male who emulates a woman, in appearance and manner, generally for the purposes of entertainment, and not necessarily because the person identifies as a woman or as transgender.
Difference: A characteristic that distinguished one person from another or from an assumed norm, or the state of being distinguished by such characteristics. Social justice issues such as racism, classism, sexism, and heterosexism usually center on the negative perception of difference by the dominant group. Viewed positively, difference can be a catalyst for equity, a recognition of interdependence, and a source of personal power.
Dominance: The systematic attitudes and actions of prejudice, superiority, and self-righteousness of one group (a non-target group) in relation to another (a target group). Internalized dominance includes the inability of a group or individual to see privilege as a member of the non-target group.
Down Low: (slang) Description for men (usually African-American men) who secretly have sex with other men while publicly identifying as straight or while having heterosexual relationships. The term is generally phrased as “on the down low”.
Dyke: (slang) A pejorative term that has been reclaimed by some people in the LGBTQ community as a synonym for lesbian. Some people in the community still find this term offensive, especially if used by a non-member of the community.
Fag: (slang) A pejorative term that has been reclaimed by some people in the LGBTQ community as a synonym for gay, especially gay men. Many people in the community still find this term offensive, especially if used by a non-member of the community.
Fag Hag: (slang) A heterosexual woman who often hangs out with and has close friendships with gay men. This term is sometimes used as an insult, but more often as a term of endearment.
Family: (slang) Term used by members of the LGBTQ community to identify other members of the LGBTQ community. Ex: “She’s family.”
Femme: (slang) A person (usually, a woman) who has traditionally-understood feminine traits or behavior. Lesbians who are very femme are sometimes called “lipstick lesbians”.
FTM or F2M (Female to male): Term used to identify a person who was female-bodied at birth and who identifies as male, lives as a man, or identifies as masculine.
Gay: A homosexual person, usually used to describe males but may be used to describe females as well.
Gayby Boom: (slang) Term used to describe the late-20th century and early 21st century increase of LGBTQ people (especially those who are out of the closet) who are raising children.
Gaydar: (slang) Facetious term used to describe a person’s supposed knack for identifying or spotting non-heterosexual people in public. This “detector” usually relies on stereotypes of how LGBT people look or behave, and therefore some people find this notion damaging because it perpetuates those stereotypes and glosses over the true diversity of the LGBT community.
Gender: A cultural notion of what it is to be a woman or a man. A construct based on the social shaping of femininity and masculinity. It usually includes identification with males as a class or with females as a class. Gender includes subjective concepts about character traits and expected behaviors that vary from place to place and person to person.
Gender Dysphoria: An intense continuous discomfort resulting from an individual’s belief in the inappropriateness of their assigned gender at birth and resulting gender role expectations. Also, a clinical psychological diagnosis, which many in transgender communities are offended by, but is often required to receive hormones and/or surgery.
Gender Expression: Refers to the ways in which people externally communicate their gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyle, voice and emphasizing, de-emphasizing or changing their body’s characteristics. Gender expression is not necessarily an indication of sexual orientation.
Gender Fluid: A description for people who are not fixed in their gender expression and instead express their gender in different ways, changing from time to time according to mood. Includes those who “play” with their gender.
Gender Identity: The sense of “being” male or “being” female. For some people, gender identity is in accord with physical anatomy. For transgender people, gender identity may differ from physical anatomy or expected social roles. It is important to note that gender identity, biological sex, and sexual orientation are not necessarily linked.
Gender Neutral Pronouns: - Pronouns that do not designate gender. These pronouns are preferred by many people who are genderqueer and are respectful ways to refer to people in the third person without ascribing a gender to them. Examples are “ze” (instead of he/she) and “hir” (as opposed to his/her).
Genderqueer - A term which refers to individuals or groups who “queer” or problematize the hegemonic notions of sex, gender and desire in a given society. Genderqueers possess identities which fall outside of the widely accepted sexual binary. Genderqueer may also refer to people who identify as both transgendered AND queer, i.e. individuals who challenge both gender and sexuality regimes and see gender identity and sexual orientation as overlapping and interconnected.
Gender Roles: The socially constructed and culturally specific behavior and appearance expectations imposed on women (femininity) and men (masculinity).
Gynephobia: The fear, mistrust, or hatred of women.
Heterosexual: A person who is emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted and committed to the members or a gender or sex that is seen to be the “opposite” or other than the one with which they identify or are identified. Also called “straight”.
Heterosexism: The concept that heterosexuality is natural, normal, superior, and required. A system of beliefs, actions, advantages, and assumptions in the superiority of heterosexuals or heterosexuality. It includes unrecognized privileges of heterosexual people and the exclusion of non-heterosexual people from policy, procedures, events and decisions about what is important.
Homophobia: Thoughts, feelings, or actions based on far, dislike, judgment, or hatred of lesbians, gays and bisexuals. Homophobia has roots in sexism and can include prejudice, discrimination, harassment, and acts of violence.
Homosexual: A person who is primarily and/or exclusively attracted to members of what they identify as their own sex or gender. A clinical term that originated in the late 1800s. Some avoid the word because it contains the base word “sex.” Orientation has more to do with the issue of love than of sex, and it is believed that the use of “homosexual” devalues the orientation of individuals. The terms “lesbian, bi and gay” are preferred by many in the LGBT community.
In the closet: To be in the closet means to hide one’s LGBT identity in order to avoid negative social repercussions, such as losing a job, housing, friends or family. Many LGBT individuals are “out” in some situations and “closeted” in others, based on their perceived level of safety.
Internalized Homophobia: The acceptance of the myths and stereotypes applied to the oppressed group. It can result in alienation, anxiety, and sometimes suicide.
Internalized Oppression: The process by which a member of an oppressed group comes to accept and live out the inaccurate myths and stereotypes applied to the group.
Intersex: A general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy (including chromosomes and hormones) that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. See http://www.isna.org/
Lesbian: A common and acceptable word for female homosexuals only. A name taken from the island of Lesbos where Sappho, the great woman-loving poet of 600BC, lived.
M2F/MTF (Male to Female): Used to identify a person who was male-bodied at birth and who identifies as a female, lives as a woman, or identifies as feminine.
Men who have Sex with Men (MSM): The term is often used when discussing sexual behavior. It is inclusive of all men who participate in this behavior regardless of how they identify their sexual orientation. The acronym MSM is conventionally used in professional literature.
Metrosexual: (slang) A heterosexual male who lives in or near a large city and who dresses or behaves like a stereotypical gay male, especially being well-groomed, well-mannered and fashion-conscious.
Monogamy: A practice of having only one sexual or romantic partner at a time.
Multi-Gendered: A person who identifies as multiple genders, either at different times or simultaneously
Pansexual/Omnisexual: A person who is emotionally, physically and/or sexually attracted to people of more than one sex or gender. Used by some people in place of the term bisexual to acknowledge that there are multiple sexes and genders and to help dismantle the binary gender system.
Passing/To Pass: Successfully assuming a gender role different than the one assigned to a person based on biological sex when interacting with society. One can also “pass” as straight in terms of sexual orientation.
Polyamory: The practice of having and the ability to have more than one sexual or romantic partner at a time.
Queer: Used as an umbrella identity term encompassing lesbian, questioning people, gay men, bisexuals, non-labeling people, transgender folks, and anyone else who does not strictly identify as heterosexual. “Queer” originated as a derogatory word. Currently, it is being reclaimed by some people and used as a statement of empowerment. Some people identify as “queer” to distance themselves from the rigid categorization of “straight” and “gay”. Some transgender, lesbian, gay, questioning, non-labeling, and bisexual people, however, reject the use of this term due to its connotations of deviance and its tendency to gloss over and sometimes deny the differences between these groups.
Queerspawn: (slang) Self-identification term used by some children of LGBTQ parents.
Questioning: The process of considering or exploring one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Same Gender Loving (SGL): A term used often by the African-American LGBT community as an alternative to the terms “gay” or “lesbian”. It helps provide an identity not marginalized by racism within the gay community or heterosexism in society.
Sex /Physical Sex: A classification based on reproductive biology. It is commonly assumed that there are two sexes; since a person’s sex is identified in four main ways (genetic sex, gonads, primary and secondary sex characteristics), it is more accurate to think of physical sex as a continuum with most individuals situated near the ends.
Genetic Sex: The 23rd chromosome pair coded XX* for female (F) or XY* for male (M).
*There are other chromosomal organizations, including, but not limited to XXY, XY, and XO. Often times, the extra or missing sex chromosomes go unnoticed.
Gonads: Glands that produce gametes, usually ovaries (F) or testes (M).
Primary Sex Characteristics: Those physical characteristics present at birth that are used to determine the biological sex of an infant, including, but not limited to, the penis and scrotum (M), and the vagina, clitoris, and labia (F).
Secondary Sex Characteristics: Those physical characteristics not present at birth that develop during puberty as a result of gonadal and adrenal hormones, including facial hair (M) and breasts (F).
Sexism: A system of beliefs, actions, advantages, and assumptions in the superiority of one
sex (usually men) over another (women).
Sexual orientation: A person’s emotional, physical and sexual attraction and the expression of that attraction with other individuals. Some of the better-known labels or categories include “bisexual” (or “multisexual”, “pansexual”, “omnisexual”), “lesbian”, “gay” (“homosexual” is more clinical), or “heterosexual”.
Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS): A surgical procedure which alters one’s primary and/or secondary sex characteristics in order to bring a person’s body into alignment with hir gender identity.
Trans: Abbreviation for transgender, transsexual, or some other form of trans identity. “Trans” can invoke notions of transcending beyond, existing between or crossing over borders.
Transgender: This term has many definitions. It is frequently used as an umbrella term to refer to all people who deviate from their assigned gender at birth or the binary gender system. This includes intersex people, transsexuals, cross-dressers, genderqueers, drag kings, drag queens, two-spirit people, and others. Some transgender people feel they exist not within one of the two standard gender categories, but rather somewhere between, beyond or outside of those two genders.
Transition: To change over time (generally through use of hormones and/or surgery) from one sex or gender to another.
Transphobia: The fear or hatred of transgender people or gender non-conforming behavior. Like biphobia, transphobia can also exist among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people as well as among heterosexual people.
Transsexual (also Female to Male, Male to Female, Pre-Operative, Post-Operative, Non-Operative): A person who, through experiencing an intense, long-term discomfort resulting from feeling the inappropriateness of their assigned gender at birth and discomfort of their body, adapts their gender role and body to reflect and be congruent with their gender identity. Includes: cross-dressing, synthesized sex hormones, surgery and other body modification.
Pre-Operative (Pre-Op): Those who have not yet had SRS but are planning to.
Post-Operative (Post-Op): Those who have had SRS.
Non-Operative (Non-Op): Those who, for a variety of reasons (not enough money, fear of risks, or simply no desire), do not have SRS.
*Note: Many people in the transsexual community prefer to have privacy in regards to their operative status.
Twink: (slang) Often defined in opposition to a bear, a twink is a young thin gay or bisexual male with little or no body and facial hair.
Two-Spirit: A Native American person who embodies both masculine and feminine genders; Native Americans who are queer or transgender may self-identify as two-spirit. Historically, different tribes have specific titles for different kinds of two-spirit people. For example, the Lakota tribe includes Wintke, the Navajo tribe refers to some individuals as Nedleeh, and in the Cheyenne tribe some two-spirit people are known as Hee-man-eh.
Women who have Sex with Women (WSW): The term is often used when discussing sexual behavior. It is inclusive of all women who participate in this behavior regardless of how they identify their sexual orientation. The acronym WSW is conventionally used in professional literature.
Please Note: It is very important to respect people’s desired self-identifications. One should never assume another person’s identity based on that person’s appearance. It is always best to ask people how they identify, including what pronouns they prefer, and to respect their wishes.
"This list of terminology is provided by the Office of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Affairs"
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