This glossary contains many of the most relevant terms and concepts related to LGBTQ+ identities and experiences. Please remember, definitions may vary across different communities. Therefore, not all LGBTQ+ people will agree with all of these definitions. Always default to the terms LGBTQ+ people use to describe themselves.

Affirming Interactions (adj): Person-to-person encounters that leave individuals feeling acknowledged and respected regarding their identities.

Agender (adj): A gender identity label in which a person sees themselves as not having a gender. Some agender people see themselves as being gender neutral, rather than not having any gender, but regardless, do not identify with a gender.

Ally (noun): A person who acknowledges and actively confronts heterosexism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and heterosexual privilege in themselves and others out of concern for the wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ people.

Asexual (adj): A sexual orientation in which a person feels no sexual desires. Generally characterized by not feeling sexual attraction nor a desire for sexual activity. Asexuality is distinct from celibacy, which is the deliberate abstention from sexual activity. Intimate romantic/affectional relationships may still be desired.

Aromantic (adj.): A sexual orientation that describes a person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others and/or a lack of interest in forming romantic relationships. Sexual relationships may still be desired.

Assigned Sex at Birth (noun): The sex (male or female) assigned to a child at birth, most often based exclusively on the child's external anatomy. Also referred to as "sex assigned at birth," "birth sex," or "sex."

Binding (verb): The process of tightly wrapping one's chest in order to minimize the appearance of breasts. This is achieved through use of constrictive materials such as cloth strips, elastic or non-elastic bandages, or specially designed undergarments.

Biphobia: Negative feelings, attitudes, actions, and/or behaviors against people who are, or are perceived to be, bisexual or pansexual. It may also be a fear of one's own bisexual or pansexual attractions.

Bisexual (adj): A sexual orientation that usually refers to a person whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of the same and other genders, or towards people regardless of their gender.

Cisgender (adj): A gender identity label that usually refers to a person whose internal sense of themselves aligns with the sex assigned at birth (i.e., people who are not transgender). The prefix cis- means "on this side of" or "not across." A term used to call attention to the privilege of people who are not transgender.

Coming Out (verb): The process of voluntarily making public one's sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The process of accepting and/or coming to identify one's own sexual orientation and/or gender identity (to come out to oneself). Also, the process of sharing one's sexual orientation and/or gender identity with others (to come out to friends, etc.).

Gay (adj): A sexual orientation that usually refers to a person who identifies their primary romantic feelings, sexual attractions, and/or arousal patterns as being toward someone of the same gender or sex.

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 social and cultural expectations.

Gender-Affirming (adj): Behaviors or interventions that are supportive and inclusive of diverse gender identities. For example, the use of hormone therapy for a transgender person may be called a gender-affirming intervention. The use of the correct gender pronouns can also be a gender-affirming behavior.

Gender Affirming Surgery (GAS) (noun): Surgical modification of one's body to be more congruent with one's gender identity. Also referred to as "gender confirming surgery (GCS)." Previously referred to as "sex reassignment surgery (SRS)," which is an outdated term and should be avoided.

Gender Binary (noun): The incorrect assumption that there are only two genders, male and female, and that strict adherence to these categories is "normal."

Gender Discordance (noun): The experience of a mismatch between sex assigned at birth and gender identity.

Gender Dysphoria (noun): A diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) that refers to the distress experienced by individuals whose gender identity does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. To meet diagnostic criteria, the individual must experience clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Gender Expression (noun): The way a person acts, dresses, speaks, and behaves (i.e., feminine, masculine, androgynous) that communicates a person's gender identity as they relate to a particular societal gender role. Gender expression does not necessarily correspond to assigned sex at birth or gender identity.

Gender Fluid (adj.): A gender identity label in which a person feels that their gender is not fixed. This may include feeling as thought their gender is always a mix of the two traditional genders, and/or may include feeling more of one gender some days, and another gender on other days.

Gender Identity (noun): An individual's inner sense of self as belonging to a particular gender (e.g. being a boy/man, girl/woman, genderqueer, transmasculine spectrum, transfeminine spectrum).

Gender Identity Change Efforts (nouns): A now-discredited intervention in which the desired outcome was to make a person cisgender. Research shows that gender identity cannot be forcefully changed and any efforts to do so are both ineffective and harmful. Historically referred to as "reparative therapy."

Gender Diverse (adj): When a person's gender identity and/or expression does not conform to prevailing gendered behaviors or roles within a specific society or culture. People who are gender diverse may not take part in activities conventionally thought to be associated with their assigned sex. For example, a gender diverse male assigned at birth child might wish to dress in girls' clothing and to play exclusively with girls. Previously referred to as "gender non-conforming" or "gender variant," both of which are terms that are outdated and should be avoided.

Gender Role (noun): The role a person plays or is expected to play socially in terms of gender within a specific society, conventionally referred to along a masculine-feminine spectrum.

Gender Queer (adj.): An umbrella category for people whose gender identity falls outside the traditional gender binary: whose gender identities are something other than male or female. People who are genderqueer may identify as: having an overlap or indefinite lines between gender identity and sexual and romantic orientation; being two or more genders; being without a gender; or moving between genders or having a fluid gender identity. Genderqueer can also refer to a particular gender identity when a someone's 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.

Health Disparities (noun): Refers to a higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by a particular group compared to another.

Heterosexism (noun): A system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination favoring heterosexuality (i.e., different-sex sexuality) and relationships and stigmatizing same-sex sexuality and relationships. The assumption that all people are or should be heterosexual. Heterosexism excludes the needs, concerns, and life experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people while it gives advantages to heterosexual people. It is often a subtle form of oppression, which reinforces realities of silence and invisibility. For example, heterosexism can include the presumptions that people are heterosexual and that different-sex attractions and relationships are "normal" or superior.

Heterosexual (adj): An orientation usually used to refer to relations between a man and a woman. literally "other sex" or "different sex."

Homophobia (noun): A range of aversive reactions to diverse sexual identities (e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities), behavior, and/or people with same-sex attraction.

Hormone Therapy (noun): The administration of hormones for those who wish to match their physical secondary sex characteristics to their gender identity.

Internalized Homophobia (noun): The fear and self-hate of one's own diverse sexual orientation (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual), that occurs for many individuals who have learned negative ideas about lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. One form of internalized oppression is the acceptance of the myths and stereotypes applied to the oppressed group.

Intersex (adj): An umbrella term to describe a wide range of natural body variations of sex. Intersex variations may include, but are not limited to, variations in chromosome compositions, hormone concentrations, and external and internal characteristics. Intersex people are relatively common, although society's denial of their existence has allowed very little room for intersex issues to be discussed publicly. Hermaphrodite is an outdated and inaccurate term that has been used to describe intersex people in the past.

Lesbian (adj): A sexual orientation that usually refers to a woman whose primary romantic feelings, sexual attractions, and/or arousal patterns are toward a person of the same gender. However, some nonbinary people also identify as lesbians, often because they have some connection to womanhood and/or are primarily attracted to women.

Microaggression (noun): Subtle, chronic discrimination in the form of verbal, behavioral, and environmental slights and indignities.

Outing (verb): Involuntary or unwanted disclosure of a person's sexual orientation and/or gender identity without that person's consent and/or knowledge.

Pangender (adj.): A gender identity label that describes a person whose gender identity is comprised of many genders.

Pansexual/Omnisexual (adj.): A sexual orientation that describes a person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to people regardless of gender.

Pronouns (noun): A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence (e.g., me, you, it, that, we, us, they, etc.) Some pronouns are gendered (e.g., he, him, she, her, etc.) Individuals choose the pronouns by which they would like to be referred to. Common choices are he/him/his, she/her/hers, and they/them/theirs (which is now acceptable as a grammatically correct singular pronoun).

Pubertal Suppression (noun): A medical practice where puberty is paused in younger adolescents who are experiencing gender dysphoria to allow for further exploration of gender identity issues while minimizing the potential for worsening psychiatric symptomatology. Puberty suppressors, which are considered fully reversible, are often used before considering other medical interventions including hormones and/or gender affirming surgeries.

Non-Binary (adj): A gender identity label that describes a person who does not fall into the gender binary. Non-binary is also used to describe a gender expression where an individual expresses their gender in a way that does not fall into the gender binary.

Queer (adj): An umbrella term (much like "LGBTQ+") that can include, but is not limited to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and asexual people. This term has different meanings to different people, in part, because this term was historically used as a slur towards LGBTQ+ people. Some may still find it offensive, while others reclaim it to encompass the broader sense of history of the gay rights movement.

Sex (noun): Refers to biological and anatomical characteristics, including genes, hormones, and sex organs. The phrase "sex assigned at birth" refers to the sex label provided at birth –in other words, the sex that is listed on someone's birth certificate. Sex is assigned typically by only looking at an infant's genitals.

Sex assigned at birth (noun): Refers to the sex label provided at birth –in other words, the sex that is listed on someone's birth certificate. Sex is assigned typically by only looking at an infant's external genitals, even though sex also includes other biological and anatomical characteristics, including genes, hormones, and internal sex organs.

Sexual Behavior (noun): Sexual acts in which humans engage. An individual's sexual behaviors may or may not reflect that person's self-identified sexual orientation and/or sexual identity.

Sexual Orientation (noun): An individual's sexual attraction to others. Relatively common forms of sexual orientation include heterosexuality (different sex and/or different gender attraction), gay or lesbian (same sex and/or same-gender attraction), or bisexuality (attraction to people of different and of the same sex or gender).

Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (noun): A now-discredited intervention in which the desired outcome was to make a person heterosexual. Research shows that sexual orientation cannot be forcefully changed and any efforts to do so are both ineffective and harmful. Historically referred to as "reparative therapy."

Straight (adj): A sexual orientation that usually refers to a person who identifies their primary romantic feelings, sexual attractions, and/or sexual behaviors as being toward a person of a different gender or sex.

Transgender (adj): Individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex labels assigned at birth.

Transitioning (noun): The process undertaken by a transgender individual of adopting and/or expressing gender identity that is different from their sex assigned at birth. Transitioning may or may not include changes in physical expression (e.g., chest binding, genital tucking, gender expression through clothing, hair, makeup, activities/behaviors), medical and surgical interventions (e.g., hormones and gender-affirming surgeries), and/or changes in legal documents. Sometimes referred to as "gender affirmation process."

Transphobia (noun): A range of aversive reactions towards gender diverse and/or transgender people.

Tucking (verb): The process of hiding or reducing the appearance of one's penis and testes with tape, tight shorts, or specially designed undergarments.

Two-Spirit (adj.): Refers to a person who has a dual or multiple gender spirit, and is used by some Indigenous people to describe their sexual, gender, and/or spiritual identity. As an umbrella term, it may encompass diverse sexual orientations and a wide variety of gender diversity, including people who might be described in Western culture as LGBTQ+. In different communities, it has different meanings.



Adapted from the following sources:

National LGBT Health Education Center: https://www.lgbthealtheducation.org/publication/lgbtqia-glossary-of-terms-for-health-care-teams/

UCSF LGBT Resource Center: https://lgbt.ucsf.edu/glossary-terms