| Ace |
Short for "asexual"; slang for an asexual person |
| AFAB |
Assigned female at birth |
| Agender |
A person who does not have/does not identify with a gender |
| Allosexual |
A person who is not on the asexual spectrum; a person who experiences sexual attraction |
| Ally |
Someone who is not LGBTQIA+ but who actively confronts heterosexism, anti-LGBTQIA+ bias, and heterosexual and cisgender privilege in themselves and others |
| AMAB |
Assigned male at birth |
| Androgyne |
A person who identifies as neither man nor woman. Some, but not all, androgyne people may present in a gender neutral or androgynous way. |
| Angrodynous |
The combination of masculine and feminine characteristics into an "ambiguous" form |
| Aro |
Short for "aromantic"; slang for an aromantic person |
| Aromantic |
A person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others; generally conceptualized as a spectrum encompassing a wide range of experiences with attraction. |
| Asexual |
A person who experiences little or no sexual attraction; generally conceptualized as a spectrum encompassing a wide range of experiences with attraction. |
| Assigned at Birth |
Refers to the gender ascribed to an individual based on their external sex characteristics at birth; recognizes that gender is socially constructed and externally imposed; can be considered offensive by some trans people as it centers a gender identity that was forced upon them rather than the gender with which they identify |
| Beard |
Slang for a woman who is (knowingly or otherwise) engaged in a romantic and/or sexual relationship with a gay man as a cover for that man's homosexuality |
| Bicurious |
A person who is otherwise attracted to only one gender who expresses curiosity about or interest in experiencing attraction to or sexual/romantic contact with someone of a gender they are not otherwise attracted to |
| Bi-erasure |
The tendency to ignore, remove, or explain away evidence of bisexuality and the experiences of bisexual people in history, academia, news, and popular media. At its extreme, bi-erasure denies the existence of bisexuality, and/or frames bisexuality as a phase, indecision, or hypersexuality. |
| Bigender |
A person whose gender identity is a combination of or alternates between two genders |
| Binding |
The practice of compressing the breast tissue to create a more masculine silhouette |
| Bio Queen |
An AFAB person who participates in the art of drag |
| Biphobia |
Bias and discrimination against bisexual people |
| Bisexual |
A person who experiences attraction to people of their own gender as well as other genders, not necessarily at the same time, to the same degree, or in the same way |
| Boi |
Slang for an AFAB person who expresses or presents themselves in a culturally/stereotypically masculine/boyish way |
| Bottom |
Slang for the person who is the "receiving" or penetrated party during sexual activity |
| Bottom surgery |
Surgery on the genitals designed to create a body that is in harmony with a person's gender identity |
| Butch |
Slang for a person who identifies and/or presents themselves in a masculine way; often used as a derogatory term for lesbians, but is also claimed as an affirmative identity label, especially about black lesbian communities. |
| Cisgender |
A person whose gender identity aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth based on their external sex characteristics; sometimes abbreviated to "cis". |
| CisHet |
Slang for a non-LGBTQ+ person; short for "cisgender and heterosexual" |
| Cisnormativity |
The assumption, by individuals and social institutions, that everyone is cisgender and that cisgender people's identities and experiences are more normal, valid, and worthy of respect than trans people's identities and experiences |
| Cissexism |
A pervasive and institutionalized system of beliefs, policies, and norms that "others" trans people by treating their needs, identities, and experiences as less important than those of cis people |
| Closeted/"In the Closest" |
An LGBTQ+ person who is not "out" |
| Coming Out |
The process of accepting and sharing one's own sexual orientation and or gender identity with other people. Coming out is a personal and life-long process that looks different for each individual |
| Cross-dressing |
Wearing clothing that conflicts with the traditional gender expression of one's own gender identity (e.g., a man wearing a dress) for any one of many reasons, including fun, relaxation, as an art-form (e.g. drag) and/or sexual gratification. This term is also sometimes used as a slur against trans people which reduces their gender identity and expression to a hobby or phase. |
| Cruising |
Slang used among gay men to describe the act of looking for casual sex in public/social settings |
| Demiromantic |
A person who does not experience romantic attraction to another person unless they form a strong emotional connection with them first |
| Demisexual |
A person who does not experience sexual attraction to another person unless they form a strong emotional connection with them first |
| Down Low (DL) |
A slang term used primarily among black men to describe men who identify as heterosexual but who have sex with other men; many such men do not share this information even if they have female sexual partners |
| Drag |
The artistic performance of one or multiple genders through the use of costumes, makeup, and wigs. "Drag queen" generally refers to people who perform femininity, while "drag king" generally refers to those who perform masculinity |
| Dyke |
A derogatory term for (often masculine) lesbians; sometimes reclaimed by lesbians as an affirmative identifier, but should never be used by non-lesbians to refer to lesbians |
| Fag hag |
Slang term for a woman, often but not always heterosexual, who has many gay male friends or who socializes almost exclusively with gay men; may used positively or derogatorily, depending on the context |
| Fag/faggot |
A derogatory term for gay and/or effeminate men or any individual who does not conform to their assigned gender; sometimes reclaimed by gay men as an affirmative identifier, but should never be used by non-gay men to refer to gay men |
| Femme |
Slang for a person who identifies and/or presents themselves in a feminine way, specifically through a queer and/or politically radical or subversive context. Also used among lesbian communities for lesbians who present in more stereotypically feminine ways (sometimes called "lipstick lesbians"). |
| Friend of Dorothy |
An older slang term for homosexual men; generally believed to be a reference to The Wizard of Oz and specifically the character Dorothy, who was played by Judy Garland, an early ally and gay icon. |
| FTM |
"Female to male"; refers to transgender men. Can be considered offensive by those trans people who do not wish to be defined by the gender they were assigned at birth. This terminology should not be used for trans people who are not "out". |
| Gay |
A term generally used to refer to men who are exclusively or primarily attracted to other men; may also be used as an umbrella term for anyone who experiences same-gender attraction and/or engages in same-gender sexual activity |
| Gay panic/trans panic defense |
A legal strategy used in cases of assault or murder against gay and trans people, overwhelmingly by cisgender/heterosexual men, in which the defendant claims self-defense, diminished capacity, and/or temporary insanity brought on by same-sex sexual advances or discovery that a current/potential sexual partner was trans. The defense is still allowed in 35 states. |
| Gaydar |
Slang term for a professed ability to "sense" a person's sexual orientation based on assumptions about their appearance and/or behavior |
| Gender |
A complex system of roles, expressions, expectations, identities, performances, and perceptions that are ascribed to social categories assigned to individuals based on their external sex characteristics at birth. Gender is socially constructed and therefore the definitions and expected embodiments of gender vary between cultures. |
| Gender attribution |
The act of categorizing people as male, female, or other based on behavior and/or appearance |
| Gender binary |
The idea that there are only two genders - male & female/man & woman - and that individuals must be one or the other |
| Gender dysphoria |
Distress or discomfort caused by an incongruence between a person's gender identity and the gender they were assigned at birth |
| Gender essentialism |
A belief that gender is fixed and binary, and that men and women have distinct and immutable traits which are biologically determined (e.g.: "Women are naturally more nurturing", "Men are naturally stronger") |
| Gender expression |
How a person expresses/presents their gender to the world through their dress, mannerisms, hairstyle, etc. This may or may not coincide with or be indicative of that person's gender identity |
| Gender identity |
A person's sense of self as a man, woman, a different gender, no gender, multiple genders, etc. |
| Gender neutral |
Non-gendered, often in the context of language (e.g., "partner" or "spouse" instead of "boyfriend/girlfriend" or "husband/wife") |
| Gender non-conforming |
A person whose gender expression does not match the expectations ascribed to their gender identity. This is not a synonym for identities under the trans umbrella, and is often used to refer to cisgender people who express/perform their gender in ways that conflict with traditional gender roles and norms |
| Gender normative |
Gender expressions that do match the expectations ascribed to a particular gender identity |
| Gender policing |
The imposition and/or enforcement of normative gender expressions on an individual who is perceived as not adequately performing, through appearance or behavior, the gender assigned to them at birth (e.g.: telling girls to "be more lady-like", telling boys to "man up") |
| Gender roles |
Behaviors, characteristics, activities, and societal expectations ascribed to a particular gender |
| Gender variance |
Gender expression that does not conform to masculine or feminine gender norms |
| Gender-affirming |
Activities, words, etc. that affirm a person's gender. "Gender affirmation" is also generally preferred to "gender confirmation", as it centers the experience of the trans person feeling affirmed in their gender, rather than their gender being "confirmed" for other people |
| Genderfluid |
A non-binary gender identity which is fluid, constantly changes, and/or switches back and forth. "Gender fluidity" may be used more generally as a way to describe the changing nature of one's gender identity and/or expression over time |
| Genderqueer |
A person whose gender is between, beyond, or some combination of genders. Some individuals may choose to use this term as an intentionally political act to challenge the gender binary and gender stereotypes, while others use it simply to describe a gender identity that otherwise does not fit within the confines of other gender terms. Many, but not all, genderqueer people identify as trans. |
| Gold Star |
A slang term used within gay communities to refer to a person who has never had sex with a member of a different gender. Many consider the term to be biphobic, as it implies that a person who has had sex with someone of a different gender is less "valid" in their queer identity. |
| Grey Ace |
A person who identifies as part of the asexual community but does not identify as completely asexual; used as an umbrella term for a number of identities within the ace spectrum |
| Hermaphrodite |
An outdated term referring to people with atypical sex anatomy. This term is considered offensive by many, and is commonly used as a derogatory term for intersex and trans people |
| Heteroflexible/homoflexible |
A person who is primarily or exclusively attracted to one gender but occasionally experiences and/or is open to attraction to a person of another gender |
| Heteronormativity |
The assumption, by individuals and social institutions, that everyone is heterosexual and that heterosexual people's identities and experiences are more normal, valid, and worthy of respect than those of all other sexual orientations |
| Heterosexism |
A pervasive and institutionalized system of beliefs, policies, and norms that "others" people of minority sexual orientations by treating their needs, experiences, and identities as less important than those of heterosexual people |
| Heterosexual |
A person who is primarily/exclusively attracted to people of a gender other than their own, generally within a binary model of gender (e.g.: men who are attracted to women/women who are attracted to men) |
| Hijra |
An officially recognized third-gender within the Indian subcontinent, encompassing eunuchs, intersex people, and trans women, and used to describe a wide variety of culturally-specific non-binary genders. Should not be claimed as an identity by people who are not members of these cultures. |
| HIV-Positive |
Refers to someone who has tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). A person who is HIV positive does not necessarily have AIDS. |
| Homosexual |
A person who is primarily or exclusively attracted to people of their own gender/sex. The term is considered outdated by many in the LGBTQ+ community, but is still used within legal and research contexts. |
| Internalized oppression |
The process by which a member of an oppressed group comes to accept, believe, and live out negative messages about their identity group |
| Intersex |
A broad term used to describe individuals whose are born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the boxes of “female” or “male", sometimes as a result of sex chromosome configurations other than XX and XY. |
| Kinsey Scale |
Also called the "Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale", the Kinsey scale was developed by sex researcher Alfred Kinsey as a tool to describe a person's sexual orientation on a scale of 0 (exclusively heterosexual) to 6 (exclusively homosexual) based on their sexual behavior to demonstrate that sexuality does not fit within a strict heterosexual/homosexual binary, and was the first such research tool to acknowledge the fluidity of human sexuality. |
| Latinx |
A gender-neutral alternative to Latino/a. Not universally accepted or used with Spanish-speaking communities. |
| Lesbian |
A term used to refer to women who are primarily or exclusively attracted to and/or have sex with other women. Historically used to refer to any woman who experienced attraction to and/or had sex with other women, regardless of whether they experienced attraction to and/or had sex with men. |
| LGBTQIA+ |
"Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic, plus"; an umbrella acronym for minority and marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities. Some variants will also inlcude "2S" for Two-Spirit. |
| Lipstick Lesbian |
Slang term for a lesbian who presents in a traditionally feminine manner |
| Masc |
Short for "masculine"; slang for a person who identifies and/or presents in a masculine fashion |
| Microlabel |
Terms which describe highly specific variations of gender-identities and sexual orientations, generally arising from online communities. These terms are often not widely used within the broader LGBTQIA+ community. |
| Misgender |
The act of attributing an incorrect gender to an individual, generally by using the wrong pronouns, gendered honorifics (ma'am/sir), or name |
| MLM/MSM |
"Men loving men"/men who have sex with men"; refers to men who are attracted to and have relationships/sex with other men |
| MOGAI |
"Marginalized Orientations Gender Alignments and Intersex"; a less-commonly used alternative to "LGBTQIA", often associated with the social media platform Tumblr |
| Monosexual |
Umbrella term for sexual orientations characterized by attraction to only one gender |
| MTF |
"Male to female"; refers to transgender women. Can be considered offensive by those trans people who do not wish to be defined by the gender they were assigned at birth. This terminology should not be used for trans people who are not "out". |
| Multisexual |
Umbrella term for orientations characterized by attraction to more than one gender |
| Muxe |
A third gender category within the Zapotec culture of Southern Mexico; refers to a person who is assigned male at birth but whose gender identity and expression are not conventionally male. Should not be claimed as an identity by people who are not Zapotec. |
| Neutrois |
A non-binary gender identity within the genderqueer umbrella; there is no one definition and each person who identifies with this term experiences their gender differently |
| Out |
A person who is open about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity |
| Outing |
The practice of revealing someone else's sexual orientation and/or gender identity without their consent. It is considered a form of violence against LGBTQIA+ people, as it can place the outed person at risk of harm. |
| Packing |
The practice of wearing a phallic device under clothing for any purposes including the validation or confirmation of one's masculine gender identity, seduction, and/or sexual readiness |
| Pansexual |
A person who is attracted to all genders and/or gender expressions, not necessarily at the same time, to the same degree, or in the same way. |
| Passing |
A term used by trans people to refer to being read as the gender they identify with and/or cisgender |
| Polyamory |
The practice of being in/open to multiple romantic and/or sexual relationships at the same time (with knowledge and consent of all partners), including: open relationships, polyfidelity (which involves multiple romantic relationships with sexual contact restricted within those relationships), and sub-relationships (which denote distinguishing between a primary relationship or relationships and various secondary relationships). |
| Polysexual |
A person who is attracted to multiple, but not all, genders, not necessarily at the same time, to the same degree, or in the same way |
| Poz |
Slang term for someone who is HIV-positive |
| QPOC/QTBIPOC |
"Queer Person of Color"/"Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous and other People of Color" |
| Queer |
An alternative term to "LGBTQ", used as an umbrella for anyone who is not heterosexual and/or cisgender. Historically used as a slur, the term has undergone a process of reclamation since the 1970s by those who embrace the term's ambiguity, fluidity, and subversive connotations. It is not a universally-accepted term, though, and is still considered offensive by some within the community. |
| Questioning |
The process of exploration and discovery of one's sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or some combination thereof; a person who is engaged in this process |
| QUILTBAG |
"Queer Undefined Intersex Lesbian Trans Bisexual Ace/Aro Gay"; an alternative acronym for LGBTQIA+ |
| Reclaimed language/slurs |
Terms which have historically been used in negative and derogatory ways to refer to specific groups of people, but which have been appropriated by those people as affirmative identifiers. Reclaimed terms should only be used by people to whom those terms apply. |
| Sapphic |
Umbrella term for women/women-aligned people who are attracted to other women/women-aligned people |
| Sex-repulsed |
A term used within the Ace-spectrum to refer to someone who finds sexual activity undesirable/disgusting/uncomfortable/unwanted |
| Sexual Orientation |
Refers to the way(s) that a person experiences sexual attraction and to whom |
| Sexuality |
The way that people experience and express sexual feelings and attraction |
| Stealth |
Slang used to describe a trans person who is not "out" as trans, but is living as the gender with which they identify |
| Straight |
Slang for a heterosexual person |
| Stud |
A term used by people of color, particularly Black Americans, to refer to people (generally women) who are masculine or butch. |
| Switch |
Slang for a person who is comfortable taking on the role of either "bottom" or "top"; may also be referred to as a "vers" (short for "versatile") |
| TERF |
"Trans-exclusionary radical feminist"; an explicitly transphobic ideology that is characterized by gender essentialism, opposition to trans rights, and the denial of trans identities. |
| Top |
Slang for the person who is the "giving" or penetrating party during sexual activity |
| Top surgery |
Refers to any gender-related surgical procedures performed on a person's chest; most commonly used to refer to mastectomies and breast augmentations. |
| Tranny |
Outdated and derogatory slang for a trans person; some trans people have reclaimed this as an affirmative identity, but should never be used by a non-trans person to refer to a trans person |
| Transfeminine |
Refers to a person who was assigned male at birth but whose gender identity is more feminine than masculine |
| Transgender |
A person whose gender identity does not align with the gender they were assigned at birth; frequently shortened to "trans" |
| Transitioning |
The process of changing one's gender presentation and/or physical body from the gender assigned at birth to the gender one identifies with. Transitioning looks different for each individual, but may include: changing names/pronouns, changing wardrobes/hairstyles, and undergoing hormone therapy and/or gender-affirming surgery. |
| Transmasculine |
Refers to a person who was assigned female at birth but whose gender identity is more masculine than feminine |
| Trans-misogyny |
A form of gender discrimination targeted against transwomen |
| Transphobia |
Aversion toward, hatred and/or fear of, or discomfort with trans and/or gender diverse people, often expressed as discrimination, hostility, harassment, and/or violence |
| Transsexual |
A person whose gender identity is inconsistent with the gender they were assigned at birth and who desires to permanently transition to the gender with which they identify, often with medical assistance. Transsexual is rejected as outdated by some trans people, but is embraced by others who wish to designate that they have changed (or intend to change) their anatomical sex. |
| Transvestite |
An outdated term for a person who engages in the act of cross-dressing; is also sometimes used as a derogatory term for trans people |
| Two-spirit |
A modern, pan-Indian umbrella term used by some indigenous North Americans to describe individuals who fulfill a traditional third ceremonial or social gender (or other gender variant) role in their cultures. Should not be claimed as an identity by people who are not members of these cultures. |
| WLW/WSW |
"Women loving women"/"women who have sex with women"; refers to women who are attracted to and have relationships with other women |
| Womxn/womyn |
Alternative political spellings of "women" coined in the 1970s to avoid perceived sexist connotations of the traditional spelling |
