LGBTQ+ = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
Questioning, Queer + other identities
More and more people are
becoming aware of just how many terms there are in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s
important to not only recognize these terms, but also to be aware of as many as
possible to avoid possibly offending someone or just looking ignorant. I
compiled a easy to follow list of a lot of terms used when referring to someone in the LGBTQ+
community. Please keep in mind I am a straight, cisgender woman who knows all
of this not from personal experience, but from research and asking
questions.
Ally:
Someone who is not in the LGBTQ+ community but still supports and celebrates queer identities,
interrupts and challenges the asshole queer-phobic remarks and actions of
others, and willingly explores these biases within themselves.
Aromantic:
A person who
experiences little to no romantic attraction to others and/or a lack of
interest in forming romantic relationships (they may still enjoy sex tho!)
Asexual: One who has a lack of (or low level of)
sexual attraction to others and/or a lack of interest or desire for sex or
sexual partners. ***Asexuality
exists on a spectrum!!!
Bigender: A person who fluctuates
between traditionally “woman” and “man” gender-based behavior and identities,
identifying with multiple genders (and sometimes a third gender)
Biological Sex:
Refers to the
biological characteristics chosen to assign humans as male, female or intersex
Bisexual:
An individual who is sexually and/or romantically
attracted to women and men
Cisgender:
When your biological sex matches the gender you identify with (opposite of transgender).
Demisexual: An individual who does not
experience sexual attraction with someone unless they have formed a strong
emotional connection with them.
FtM / F2M;
MtF / M2F: Abbreviation for female-to-male/
male-to-female transgender or transsexual person.
Gay:
A person who is
mostly attracted to those of the same gender
Therefore if someone is transgender (FtM for example) and is attracted to men, they are gay.
Gender
Binary: The (bullshit) idea that there are only two genders (man
and woman)
Gender
Expression: The external display of one’s gender (dressing masculine, talking in a feminine way etc)
Gender
Fluid: A person who is gender fluid may always feel
like a mix of the two traditional genders, and may feel more masculine some
days, and more feminine other days.
Gender Identity:
One’s internal and
psychological sense of oneself as male, female, both, in between, or neither
Gender Non-Conforming:
This term refers to
people who do not conform to society’s expectations for their gender roles or
gender expression.
Gender
Normative / Gender Straight: Someone whose gender presentation aligns
with society’s gender-based expectations ('girly girls' or a 'man's man')
Genderqueer:
A term under the
trans umbrella which refers to people who identify outside of the male-female
binary.
Heteronormativity: The
assumption that everyone is heterosexual, and that heterosexuality is superior
to all other sexualities. Often relates to a level of gender normativity and
gender roles (men=masculine, women=feminine)
Intersex:
Intersex people may
have: external genitalia which do not closely resemble typical male or female
genitalia, or which have the appearance of both male and female genitalia; the
genitalia of one sex and the secondary sex characteristics of another sex; or a
chromosomal make-up that is neither XX or XY but may be a combination of both.
Metrosexual: A man who spends more time,
energy, or money on his appearance/grooming than is considered gender
normative.
Mx: (typically pronounced mix): A title
(e.g. Mr., Ms., etc.) that is gender neutral. This is often the option chosen
by people who do not identify within the cisgender binary.
Pangender:
Refers to people who
identify and/or express the many shades of gender.
Pansexual: Someone who experiences sexual,
romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction for members of all gender
identities/expressions
Polyamory/Polyamorous: Refers to the practice of, desire to, or
orientation towards having ethically, honest, consensually relationships that
may include multiple partners.
Queer:
Can be used to refer
to the range of non-heterosexual and non-cisgender people and provides a
convenient shorthand for ‘LGBT’
Sex
Reassignment Surgery / SRS:
A term used by some medical professionals to refer to a group of surgeries that
alter a person’s biological sex.
Skoliosexual: Someone who is attracted to genderqueer
and transsexual people and expressions (people who don’t identify as cisgender)
Transgender:
When one’s gender
identity does not match their sex assigned at birth
Transsexual:
A person whose sexual
identity has moved from male to female or female to male
Ze / Hir: Alternate pronouns that are gender neutral and
preferred by some non-binary people. Pronounced “zee” and “here” they
replace “he” and “she” and “his” and “hers” respectively.
Please let me know if I
missed anything! How many of these did you know? I would love to hear your
feedback.
xoxo,
Allie
@allieetzin on Twitter
and Instagram
9.
Non-dog people
