| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Androgynous | having the characteristics or nature of both, or neither, male and female |
| Asexual | Often called “ace” for short, asexual refers to a complete or partial lack of sexual attraction or lack of interest in sexual activity with others. Asexuality exists on a spectrum, and asexual people may experience no, little or conditional sexual attraction. |
| Belonging | Belonging means that everyone is treated and feels like a full member of the larger community, and can thrive. |
| Biphobia | The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, people who love and are sexually attracted to more than one gender. |
| Bisexual | A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. Sometimes used interchangeably with pansexual. |
| Cis-Gender | A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth. Also referred to as “cis”. |
| Coming Out | The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts and appreciates their sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with others. |
| Deadnaming | The act of referring to a transgender or non-binary person by a name they used prior to transitioning, such as their birth name. Deadnaming may be unintentional, or a deliberate attempt to deny, mock or invalidate a person's gender identity. |
| Diversity | The condition of being different or having differences. Differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, health, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, religion, physical size, education level, job and function, personality traits, and other human differences. Some describe organizational diversity as social heterogeneity. |
| Dysphoria | A complex and disorganized emotional state experienced through different forms of consciousness and thought, characterized by a multitude of symptoms. Among them prevail irritability, discontent, interpersonal resentment and surrender. |
| Enby | an enby is a nonbinary person. It’s a phonetic pronunciation of NB, short for nonbinary |
| Equity | Fair treatment for all while striving to identify and eliminate inequities and barriers. |
| Female | A person with XX chromosomes usually has female sex and reproductive organs, and is therefore usually assigned biologically female. |
| Femme | a lesbian or sapphic whose appearance and behavior are seen as traditionally feminine. |
| Gay | A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves. |
| Gender Binary | A system in which gender is constructed into two strict categories of male or female. Within the binary, gender identity is expected to align with the sex assigned at birth and gender expressions and roles fit traditional expectations. |
| Gender Dysphoria | Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. |
| Gender Expansive | A person with a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system. Often used as an umbrella term when referring to young people still exploring the possibilities of their gender expression and/or gender identity. |
| Gender Expression | External appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine. |
| Gender Fluid | A person who does not identify with a single fixed gender or has a fluid or unfixed gender identity. |
| Gender Identity | One’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth. |
| Gender Neutral | Not gendered. Can refer to language (including pronouns and salutations/titles--see Gender-neutral salutations or titles), spaces (like bathrooms), or other aspects of society (like colors or occupations). Gender neutral is not a term to describe people |
| Gender Non-Conforming | A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category. While many also identify as transgender, not all gender non-conforming people do. |
| Genderqueer | Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as "genderqueer" may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories. |
| Heteronormativity | The assumption that heterosexuality is the standard for defining normal sexual behavior and that male–female differences and gender roles are the natural and immutable essentials in normal human relations. According to some social theorists, this assumption is fundamentally embedded in, and legitimizes, social and legal institutions that devalue, marginalize, and discriminate against people who deviate from its normative principle (e.g., gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered persons). |
| Homophobia | The fear and hatred of or discomfort with people who are attracted to members of the same sex. |
| Inclusion | Inclusion means that everyone is included, visible, heard and considered. |
| Intersectionality | The ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects. |
| Intersex | A general term used to refer to individuals born with, or who develop naturally in puberty, biological sex characteristics that are not typically male or female Intersex people are born with a variety of differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy. There is a wide variety of difference among intersex variations, including differences in genitalia, chromosomes, gonads, internal sex organs, hormone production, hormone response, and/or secondary sex traits. |
| Justice | Involves examining practices and advocating for marginalized groups by actively removing barriers and creating equitable pathways for the communities you we serve. |
| Lesbian | A woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves. |
| Male | A person with XY chromosomes usually has male sex and reproductive organs, and is therefore usually assigned biologically male. |
| Marginalized | Groups and communities that experience discrimination and exclusion (social, political and economic) because of unequal power relationships across economic, political, social and cultural dimensions. |
| Masc | A person whose gender identity is masculine but who is not necessarily a man. |
| Minoritized | A population subgroup with social, religious, ethnic, racial, or other characteristics that differ from those of the majority of the population. The term is sometimes extended to cover any group that is the subject of oppression and discrimination, whether or not it literally comprises a minority of the population. |
| Misgendering | Use the wrong name, pronouns, or form of address for a person’s gender. This can cause ******dysphoria. |
| Monogamous | Having only one intimate partner at any one time; also known as serial monogamy, since “true” monogamy refers to the practice of having only one partner for life (such as in some animal species). |
| Non-Binary | An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do. Non-binary can also be used as an umbrella term encompassing identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer or gender-fluid. |
| Outing | Exposing someone’s lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender or gender non-binary identity to others without their permission. Outing someone can have serious repercussions on employment, economic stability, personal safety or religious or family situations. |
| Pansexual | Describes someone who has the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. Sometimes used interchangeably with bisexual. |
| Passing | a term used to describe whether or not a person is perceived as a certain gender; for example, “passing as a woman” or “passing as a man.” For many transgender people, being able to “pass” as the gender they align with is important for a sense of wellbeing, and “passing privilege” can allow one to move safely through environments where being perceived as transgender is a danger |
| Performative Activism | a form of activism used to increase one's social capital or personal gain rather than genuine support towards a movement, issues, or causes. |
| Pink Money | a term to describe the purchasing power of the community made up of non-heterosexual people, that is, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer and more |
| Polyamorous | Denotes consensually being in/open to multiple loving relationships at the same time. Some polyamorists (polyamorous people) consider “polyam” to be a relationship orientation. Sometimes used as an umbrella term for all forms of ethical, consensual, and loving non-monogamy. |
| Positionality | the social and political context that creates your identity and how your identity influences and biases your perception of and outlook on the world. |
| Queer | A term people often use to express a spectrum of identities and orientations that are counter to the mainstream. Queer is often used as a catch-all to include many people, including those who do not identify as exclusively straight and/or folks who have non-binary or gender-expansive identities. This term was previously used as a slur, but has been reclaimed by many parts of the LGBTQ+ movement. |
| Queer | A term people often use to express a spectrum of identities and orientations that are counter to the mainstream. Queer is often used as a catch-all to include many people, including those who do not identify as exclusively straight and/or folks who have non-binary or gender-expansive identities. This term was previously used as a slur, but has been reclaimed by many parts of the LGBTQ+ movement. |
| Questioning | A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity. |
| Rainbow Capitalism | When businesses incorporate queerness and the LGBTQ+ rights movement into their marketing, products, etc. in order to capitalize off of the purchasing power that queer people have. |
| Sex Assigned At Birth (SAB) | The sex (male, female or intersex) that a doctor or midwife uses to describe a child at birth based on their external anatomy. |
| Trans-Femme | people who were assigned male at birth (AMAB) but identify more with a feminine identity. |
| Trans-Masc | assigned female at birth and gender identity or expression (or both) are masculine but not necessarily male |
| Transgender | An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc. |
| Transitioning | A series of processes that some transgender people may undergo in order to live more fully as their true gender. This typically includes social transition, such as changing name and pronouns, medical transition, which may include hormone therapy or gender affirming surgeries, and legal transition, which may include changing legal name and sex on government identity documents. Transgender people may choose to undergo some, all or none of these processes. |
| Transphobia | The fear and hatred of or discomfort with people who identify as transgender or non-binary. |
| Two-Spirit | Native American two-spirit people are male, female, and sometimes intersexed individuals who combined activities of both men and women with traits unique to their status as two-spirit people. In most tribes, they are considered neither men nor women; they occupied a distinct, alternative gender status |
| Underrepresented | A group that is less represented in one subset (e.g., employees in a particular sector, such as IT) than in the general population. This can refer to gender, race/ethnicity, physical or mental ability, LGBTQ+ status, and many more. |
| Underrepresented | A term referring to groups who have been denied access or opportunity and/or suffered past institutional discrimination in the US. This has often included people who are Black, Asian American, Latinx, Native American, and individuals with disabilities. |
| Underserved | Groups that have limited or no access to resources or that are otherwise disenfranchised. These groups may include people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged; people with limited English proficiency; geographically isolated or educationally disenfranchised people; people of color as well as those of ethnic and national origin minorities; women and children; individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs; and seniors. |
©️ BY-NC-SA B. Fadrigon, P. Gordon, J. Lupica, 2023
This work is licensed by B. Fadrigon, P. Gordon, J. Lupica under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License