Biphobia
Fear or hatred of bisexuals, sometimes manifesting in
discrimination, isolation, harassment, or violence. Often biphobia is based on
inaccurate stereotypes, including associations with infidelity, promiscuity,
and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. See also homophobia, transphobia
Bisexual
An individual who’s enduring physical, romantic, emotional,
and/or spiritual attraction is to people of more than one sex/gender. While
some people call themselves pansexual or omnisexual, these terms should be
avoided unless quoting someone who self-identifies that way.
VARIATIONS: Fluid,
ambisexual, pansexual
AVOID: Bi-sexual,
fence sitters, switch hitters, “try”-sexual
Cisgendered
Describes people who identify with the sex they were
assigned at birth. See also
gender-variant
Closeted
Describes people who are not open about their sexual
orientation and/or gender identity. Note, though, that for a transgender
person, being closeted is different from passing as one’s preferred gender,
which does not have the negative connotation of hiding something (see passing
below).
Cross-Dresser,
Transvestite
An individual who occasionally wears clothes traditionally
associated with people of a different sex.
Cross-dressers are usually comfortable with the sex they
were assigned at birth and do not wish to change it. “Cross-dresser” should NOT
be used to describe someone who has transitioned to live full-time as a
different sex, or who intends to do so in the future. Some people prefer to use
the term transvestite to describe themselves, but it is not universally
accepted and should be avoided unless quoting someone who self-identifies that
way. See also gender expression
Different-Sex
Couple
A romantic pairing involving two people of different sexes.
The individuals involved may identify with any sexual orientation.
AVOID: Opposite-sex
couple, straight couple, heterosexual couple
Drag Queen,
Drag King
An individual who wears clothes traditionally associated
with people of a different sex primarily as a costume or persona, usually in
the context of a public event or performance. The outfits of drag queens/kings
often include elements that are exaggerated or over the top, such as elaborate
gowns or fake facial hair. See also
gender expression
Dyke
Traditionally a pejorative term, dyke has been reclaimed by
many lesbian and bisexual women to describe themselves. Some value the term for
its defiance. Nevertheless, it is not universally accepted and should be
avoided unless quoting someone who self-identifies that way.
VARIATIONS: Bi dyke
Gay
An individual who’s enduring physical, romantic, emotional,
and/or spiritual attraction is to people of the same sex. The term usually
applies specifically to men. In contemporary contexts, lesbian is often a
preferred term for women, though some women of colour, working-class women, and
older women still describe themselves as gay. Avoid using gay as a collective
adjective when LGBT would be more accurate (for example, LGBT movement rather
than gay movement).
VARIATIONS: Man-loving
man
AVOID: Homosexual, fag
Gender
Identity
One’s internal, personal sense of being male, female, or
third-gender. For transgender and thirdgender people, their birth-assigned sex
and their own internal sense of gender identity do not match.
Gender
Identity Disorder (GID)
A controversial DSM-IV diagnosis given to transgender and
other gender-variant people. Because it labels people as “disordered,” gender
identity disorder is often considered offensive. Replaces the outdated term
gender dysphoria.
Gender
Expression
External manifestation of one’s gender identity, usually
expressed through “masculine,” “feminine,” or gender-variant behaviour
(including interests and mannerisms), clothing, haircut, voice, or body characteristics.
Gender-variant
Refers to anyone whose gender identity varies from the
male/female binary, including transgender and third-gender people.
Heteronormativity
The set of power relations that normalize and regiment
sexuality, marginalizing everything outside the ideals of heterosexuality,
monogamy, and gender conformity.
Heterosexism;
Heterosexual Privilege
Heterosexism is the attitude that heterosexuality is the
only valid sexual orientation. It often takes the form of ignoring bisexuals,
gay men, and lesbians. Heterosexual privilege refers to the benefits granted
automatically to heterosexual people that are denied to bisexuals, gay men, and
lesbians.
Bisexuals are sometimes accused of hiding behind
“heterosexual” privilege when they are in different-sex couples.
Heterosexual
An individual who’s enduring physical, romantic, emotional,
and/or spiritual attraction is to people of a different sex.
VARIATIONS: Straight
Homophobia
Fear or hatred of lesbians and gay men, sometimes
manifesting in discrimination, isolation, harassment, or violence. Prejudice is
usually a more accurate description of hatred or antipathy toward LGBT people. See also biphobia, transphobia
Intersex;
Person with Intersex
Describes a person whose biological sex is ambiguous. There
are many genetic, hormonal, or anatomical variations that can make a person’s
sex ambiguous (such as Klinefelter Syndrome or adrenal hyperplasia).
VARIATIONS: Disorder
of sex development; person with an intersex condition
AVOID:
Hermaphroditism; hermaphrodite
Lesbian
A woman who’s enduring physical, romantic, emotional, and/or
spiritual attraction is to other women.
VARIATIONS:
Woman-loving woman
AVOID: Homosexual
LGBT
Acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.” LGBT
and/or GLBT are often used because they are more inclusive of the diversity of
the community.
VARIATIONS: GLBT,
BGLT, LGBTQ (queer), LGBTQQ (queer, questioning), LGBTQQI (queer, questioning,
intersex)
Marriage
Equality
Access to civil marriage regardless of sexual orientation
and/or gender identity. If necessary to distinguish between different types of
rights, benefits, etc., use same-sex marriage and different-sex marriage.
However, because same-sex couples are seeking access to an existing structure
rather than trying to create a new one, it is preferable to refer to marriage
equality whenever possible.
AVOID: Gay marriage
MSM
Men who have sex with men. This term is used, particularly in
research, to describe sexual behaviour as distinct from sexual orientation.
MSMW
Men who have sex with men and women. This term is used,
particularly in research, to describe sexual behaviour as distinct from sexual
orientation.
Openly
Bisexual/Gay/Lesbian/Transgender
Describes people who self-identify as
bisexual/gay/lesbian/transgender in their public and/or professional lives.
Unless the openness is important in context, it is preferable simply to
describe the person as bisexual, gay, lesbian, or transgender.
Out/Coming
Out/Outing
Being out describes a person who is open about being
bisexual, gay, lesbian, or transgender. Coming out is a lifelong process of
self-acceptance of one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity. People forge
an identity first for themselves and then may reveal it to others. Publicly
identifying one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity may or may not be
part of coming out. Outing is the act of publicly declaring or revealing
another person’s sexual orientation (sometimes based on rumour and/or
speculation) without that person’s consent; it is considered inappropriate by a
large portion of the LGBT community.
Passing
When applied to a transgender person, describes someone
living as her/his preferred gender without (or rarely) being questioned.
However, when applied to a bisexual, gay, or lesbian person, the word takes on
a negative connotation (see also closeted).
Queer
Traditionally a pejorative term, queer has been appropriated
by some LGBT people to describe themselves; some value the term for its
defiance and because it can be inclusive of the entire LGBT community.
Nevertheless, it is not universally accepted even within the LGBT community and
should be avoided unless quoting someone who self-identifies that way.
Questioning
Refers to people who are uncertain as to their sexual
orientation and/or gender identity. They are often seeking information and
support during this stage of their identity development.
Same-Sex
Couple
A romantic pairing involving two people of the same sex. The
individuals involved may identify with any sexual orientation.
AVOID: Gay couple,
lesbian couple, homosexual couple
Sex
The classification of people as male or female. At birth,
infants are assigned a sex based on a combination of bodily characteristics,
including chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive organs, and genitals. See also intersex
Sex Reassignment
Surgery (SRS)
Refers to surgical alteration for transgender people (see
transition). Not all transgender people choose to or can afford to have SRS.
AVOID: Sex change
operation
Sexual
Orientation
The scientifically accurate term for an individual’s
enduring physical, romantic, emotional, and/or spiritual attraction to members
of the same and/or different sex, including bisexual, gay, heterosexual, and
lesbian orientations. Also note that gender identity and sexual orientation are
not the same; transgender people may be bisexual, gay, heterosexual, or
lesbian.
AVOID: Lifestyle,
sexual preference
Third-Gender,
Genderqueer
Refers to people who identify their gender as not conforming
to the traditional western model of gender as binary. They may identify their
gender as combining aspects of women and men or as being neither women nor men.
VARIATIONS: Androgynous,
androgyne, polygender
Transgender;
Transgender Person
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or
gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender
people may or may not choose to alter their bodies hormonally and/or
surgically. The term may include but is not limited to transsexuals,
thirdgender/genderqueer people, cross-dressers, and other gender-variant
people. Use the descriptive terms (transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser,
female-to-male [FTM], trans man, male-to-female
[MTF], trans woman) and pronouns preferred by the
individual.
AVOID: She-male,
he-she, it, trannie, tranny, gender-bender
Transition
The multi-step process of altering one’s birth sex over a
long period of time. The cultural, legal, and medical adjustments made as part
of transitioning may include telling one’s family, friends, and/or co-workers;
using different pronouns to describe oneself; changing one’s name and/or sex on
legal documents; beginning hormone therapy; and/or possibly (though not always)
undergoing some form of surgical alteration.
AVOID: Sex change;
pre-operative, post-operative
Transphobia
Fear or hatred of transgender people, sometimes manifesting
in discrimination, isolation, harassment, or violence. See also biphobia, homophobia
Transsexual
An older term which originated in the medical and
psychological communities. Many transgender people prefer the term
“transgender” to “transsexual.” Some transsexual people still prefer to use the
term to describe themselves. However, unlike transgender, transsexual is not an
umbrella term, and many transgender people do not identify as transsexual. It
is best to ask which term an individual prefers.
VARIATIONS: Transexual
Two-Spirit
A term often used in Native American/First Nation cultures
to describe people whose sexual orientation and/or gender identity falls beyond
binary definitions. Historically, these individuals crossed gender boundaries
and were accepted (sometimes revered) by Native/First Nation cultures.
WSMW
Women who have sex with men and women. This term is used,
particularly in research, to describe sexual behaviour as distinct from sexual
orientation.
WSW
Women who have sex with women. This term is used,
particularly in research, to describe sexual behaviour as distinct from sexual
orientation.