LGBTQIA+ Glossary
General Terms
These are broad concepts that provide a foundational understanding of a subject. They encompass a wide range of ideas and serve as the basic building blocks for more detailed classifications.
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Gender
A social construct used to classify a person as a man, woman, or some other identity. Fundamentally different from the sex one is assigned at birth; a set of social, psychological and emotional traits, often influenced by societal expectations
Sex
A categorization based on the appearance of the genitalia at birth.
Sexuality
The components of a person that include their biological sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, sexual practices, etc.
Sexual Orientation
An enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction. Sexual orientation is fluid. Asexuality is also considered a sexual orientation.
Immediate Terms
These are more detailed than general terms but still cover a relatively broad scope. They often refine general concepts into more specific categories or orientations, providing a deeper level of understanding.
Heterosexuality
A sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of a gender other than their own.
Homosexual
An outdated term to describe a sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of the same gender.
Asexuality
Generally characterized by not feeling sexual attraction or a desire for partnered sexuality. Asexuality is distinct from celibacy, which is the deliberate abstention from sexual activity.
Gay
A sexual orientation toward people of the same gender.
Lesbian
A woman whose primary sexual orientation is toward people of the same gender.
Bisexual
A person whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of the same and other genders, or towards people regardless of their gender.
Pansexuality
Terms used to describe people who have romantic, sexual, or affectional desire for people of all genders and sexes.
Queer
This can include, but is not limited to, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and asexual people. This term has different meanings to different people. Some still find it offensive, while others reclaim it to encompass the broader sense of history of the gay rights movement. Can also be used as an umbrella term like LGBT, as in "the queer community."
Nonbinary
A gender identity that embraces a full universe of expressions and ways of being that resonate with an individual. It may be an active resistance to binary gender expectations and/or an intentional creation of new unbounded ideas of self within the world.
Genderqueer
A person whose gender identity and/or gender expression falls outside of the dominant societal norm for their assigned sex, is beyond genders, or is some combination of them.