The LGBTQ+ glossary: 53 terms you should know when you're talking about gender and sexuality
Advertisement
Canela LópezFeb 19, 2021, 04:47 IST
Advertisement
Agender (adj.): someone who is genderless and does not identify as a man, a woman, or any gender along the nonbinary spectrum
Androgenous (adj.): a person who presents their gender in a fluid way that incorporates both typically feminine and masculine traits
Advertisement
Androsexual (adj.): a person who is attracted to people on the masculine side of the gender spectrum
Aromantic (adj.): a person who has little to no romantic attraction to people
Advertisement
Asexual (adj.): a person who has little to no sexual attraction to people
Ballroom culture (noun): a subculture created by Black and Latinx queer communities in the 1920s where people dress up and are scored based on their presentation
Advertisement
Bicurious (adj.): a person who is questioning whether they're attracted to people of multiple genders
Bigender (adj.): a person who fluctuates across two or more genders on the spectrum or identifies as two or more genders
Advertisement
Binder (noun): a vest used to compress someone's chest to give it a flatter appearance, often used by trans men and nonbinary people
Biphobia (noun): the specific discrimination that bisexual people face for being bi
Advertisement
Bisexual (adj.): a person attracted to more than one gender
BTLM (noun): an abbreviation for Black Trans Lives Matter; used as a chant to protest the epidemic of violence against trans Black women and femmes
Advertisement
Butch (noun and adj.): a queer person who identifies as masculine
Cisgender (adj.): someone whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth
Advertisement
Cis-het (adj.): short for "cisgender and heterosexual"
Cissexism (noun): giving cisgender people better treatment than transgender people, whether intentional or not
Advertisement
Closeted (adj.): a person who is not openly out about their gender or sexuality
Coming out (verb): when a person tells people about their gender or sexuality
Advertisement
Crossdressing (verb): dressing in clothes associated with a gender that is not your own
Demiromantic (adj.): a person who has little to no romantic connection to someone until they have established a strong sexual dynamic
Advertisement
Demisexual (adj.): someone who cannot feel sexual attraction until they have established an emotional connection with someone
Down Low (noun): a term that originated in Black and brown communities used to refer to men who outwardly identify as straight but have sex with other men behind closed doors
Advertisement
Drag (noun): typically associated with gay men dressing up as women, drag refers to the art of a person of any gender identity dressing up extravagantly and performing in a drag show
Dyke (noun): originally used as a slur against masculine lesbians, the term has been reclaimed by some queer people to self-identify
Advertisement
Femme-of-center (adj.): a queer person who is feminine. Masc-of-center (adj.): a queer person who is masculine.
Femme (noun and adj.): a queer person who is feminine in ways that break from traditional femininity and is not necessarily a woman
Advertisement
FtM (adj.): a female-to-male transgender person, or a trans man.
Gay (adj.): a man who is attracted to other men
Advertisement
Gender expression (noun): how someone dresses, cuts their hair, or outwardly expresses their gender
Gender identity (noun): what someone's gender is, regardless of what they were assigned at birth, how they look, or who they are attracted to
Advertisement
Gender-nonconforming (adj.): a person who does not fit into traditional gender norms, whether because of their gender expression or gender identity
Genderfluid (adj.): someone who fluctuates along the gender spectrum, sometimes identifying as more masculine and other times as more feminine
Advertisement
Genderqueer (adj.): a person who does not identify as a man or a woman
Heterosexual (adj.): a person who is attracted to people of the opposite sex
Advertisement
Homophobia (noun): discrimination against queer people
Intersex (adj.): someone born with sexual characteristics, such as genitalia and hormone levels, that are considered both male and female
Advertisement
Lesbian (noun and adj.): a woman who is attracted to other women
LGBTIQA+ (noun): an abbreviation for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual, and more"
Advertisement
Masc (adj.): a queer person who is masculine in ways that break from traditional masculinity and is not necessarily a man
MtF (adj.): a male-to-female transgender person, or a transwoman.
Advertisement
Mx. (noun): a prefix used to refer to people who are nonbinary
Nonbinary (adj.): an umbrella term for a person who does not identify as a man or a woman
Advertisement
Outing (verb): the act of exposing someone's gender identity or sexuality without their consent
Pansexual (adj.): someone who is attracted to people of all genders
Advertisement
Polyamory (noun): the concept of ethical nonmonogamous dating and love
Queer (adj.): an umbrella term used to describe LGBTQ+ people
Advertisement
QTPOC (noun and adj.): an abbreviation for "queer transgender people of color"
Sex assigned at birth (noun): the sex that doctors assign an infant based on their genitalia
Advertisement
Sexual orientation (noun): a category that refers to who a person is attracted to
Straight (adj.): someone who is heterosexual
Advertisement
Stud (adj.): a term used to refer to masculine Black lesbians
Transgender (adj.): a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth
Advertisement
Two-Spirit (adj.): an umbrella term for Native American nonbinary communities