ALLY: a person who respects/supports sexual and gender diversity; acts to challenge homophobic, heterosexist, and transphobic remarks and behaviors in oneself and one’s community.

 

BISEXUAL: a person who is emotionally and/or sexually attracted to both men and women, not necessarily at the same time or to the same extent.

 

CLOSETED (In the Closet): hiding one's sexual orientation.

 

COMING OUT: the process of recognizing and acknowledging non-heterosexual orientation to oneself and then disclosing it to others; generally it occurs in stages.

 

DOWN LOW: a phrase used in reference to a man who maintains an outwardly heterosexual identity/lifestyle but secretly engages in same-sex intercourse.

 

FAMILY: informal/slang term used to identify other LGBTcommunity members. “That person is family,” often means the person to which one is referring is part of the LGBT community as well.

 

FAMILY OF CHOICE: person(s) forming the close social support network of a GLBT person, often fulfilling the function of blood relative(s). Many people are rejected when families learn of their sexual orientation, while others may choose to remain closeted to biological relatives. In such cases, it is the families of choice to which these people will turn in times of need.

 

FAMILY OF ORIGIN: the family in which one was raised; may or may not be a part of a person's support system.

 

GAY: common word for a person (most typically a man but is sometimes used in reference to a woman) who is emotionally/sexually attracted to another person of the same sex.

 

GENDER: (man/woman) a socially constructed collect of traits, behaviors and meanings that have been traditionally attributed to biological differences (male/ female).

 

GENDER EXPRESSION: outward behaviors and appearances (hairstyle, clothing, voice, body language) by which people manifest their gender identity or gender choices.

 

GENDER IDENTITY: the gender with which a person identifies; this can include identifying as a combination of genders or refusing to label oneself with a gender.

 

GENDER-NEUTRAL: nondiscriminatory language usage that can apply equally to people of any gender identity.  Spouse and partner are gender-neutral alternatives to the gender-specific words such as: husband, wife, boyfriend, and girlfriend.

 

GENDER QUEER, GENDER BENDERS, GENDER VARIANT, GENDER OUTLAWS, GENDER NON-CONFORMIST, ETC.: a person who redefines or plays with gender or who refuses gender altogether.

 

GENDER ROLES: unlike sex (male/female) which is a biological concept, gender is a social construct specifying the socially and culturally prescribed roles that men and women are to follow.

 

GLBT: acronym for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (sometimes shown as LGBT).

 

HETEROSEXISM: a prejudiced attitude or discriminatory practices against homosexuals by heterosexuals.

 

HETEROSEXUAL: a person who is emotionally and/or sexually attracted to persons of the opposite sex.

 

HETEROSEXUAL PRIVILEGE: Benefits derived automatically by being (or being perceived as) heterosexual that are denied to homosexuals, bisexuals, and queers.

 

HOMOPHOBIA: an irrational fear of, hatred of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuals or homosexual behavior.

 

HOMOSEXUAL: a person who is emotionally and/or sexually attracted to persons of the same sex.

 

INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA:  an irrational shame, aversion, or self-hatred experienced in reaction to one’s own feelings of attraction for a person of the same sex.

 

INTERSEX: a person having both male and female sexual characteristics and organs; at birth an unambiguous assignment of male or female cannot be made (synonymous with hermaphrodite)

 

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE: use of gender non-specific language to avoid imposing the limiting assumption of heterosexuality and to present an open social climate for non-heterosexuals.

 

LESBIAN: a person (typically female) who is emotionally and/or sexually attracted to persons of the same sex.

 

MTF: a male to female transsexual.

 

OUTING: exposing someone’s sexual orientation to others, usually without permission.

 

PANSEXUAL: (omnisexual) a sexual orientation characterized by the potential for aesthetic attraction, romantic love, and/or sexual desire for people, regardless of their gender identity or biological sex.

 

PARTNER: primary domestic partner or spousal relationship among same gender couples.

 

QUEER:  originally a derogatory term for gays, now many LGBT people have reclaimed this term as an inclusive and positive way to identify all non-heterosexual and/or non-gender-conforming people.  Some are uncomfortable labeling themselves as or using the word queer but many younger LGBT people use the word as both a political statement and a reflection of their approach to sexuality/gender.

 

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: the direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes; a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces; replaces sexual preference in most contemporary uses.

 

SEXUAL PREFERENCE: what a person likes or prefers to do sexually; a conscious recognition or choice not to be confused with the sexual orientation with which one identifies.

 

STRAIGHT: see heterosexual.

 

TRANSSEXUAL: a person who identifies with and lives as the gender opposite to his/her genetic sex. Transsexuals may be heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual in sexual orientation.

 

TRANSGENDER: a broad term used to describe the continuum of individuals whose gender identity and expression, to varying degrees, does not correspond with their genetic sex. Transgender is often used as an umbrella term and refers most broadly to those who transgress societal gender norms.

 

TRANSVESTITE: a man/woman who dresses as/appears to be the opposite gender.  Typically transvestite refers to heterosexuals while ‘drag’ is reserved for those in gay culture.

 

 

(Revised 03/10/09)

*note: definitions were collected and adapted from: The American Heritage Dictionary (Dictionary.com) and Wikipedia