Green, White, and College Nights : LGBTQ+ Terminology

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.