LGBT Online Resource: Terms, Culture, Definitions
AFAB: assigned female at birth; refers to a person who is biologically female.
Ally: a person who actively works to end intolerance, educate others, and support social equity for a marginalized group.
AMAB: assigned male at birth; refers to a person who is biologically male.
Androgynous: describes a gender expression that does not strongly correlate with either masculinity or femininity.
Androphilia: romantic and/or sexual attraction to masculinity. Some androphilic folks describe themselves as “achillean.”
Agender: describes a person who does not identify with any gender.
Aromantic: describes a person who is not romantically attracted to anyone.
Asexual: describes a person who is not sexually attracted to anyone.
Bigender: describes a person who identifies as two or more genders.
Bisexual: describes a person who is sexually attracted to both people of the same gender and people from other genders.
Ceterosexual: describes a person whose gender is nonbinary and who is sexually attracted to nonbinary people. Some ceterosexual folks describe themselves as “diamoric.”
Coming Out: the act of telling others about a personal identity. (see Outing)
Cisgender: describes a person whose gender is the same as their biological sex.
Cupioromantic: describes a person who wants a romantic relationship, but does not feel romantic attraction.
Cupiosexual: describes a person who wants to have sex, but does not feel sexual attraction.
Demigender: describes a person who feels a partial connection to one or more genders.
Demiromantic: describes a person who only experiences romantic attraction if they form emotional attraction for their partner.
Demisexual: describes a person who only experiences sexual attraction if they form emotional attraction for their partner.
Emotional Attraction: a capacity that evokes the want to engage in emotionally intimate behaviors such as sharing, confiding, and trusting.
Gay: experiencing attraction solely or primarily to someone of the same gender.
Gender: how a person defines their relation to the social concepts of male, female, or nonbinary. This is not related to biological sex.
Gender Binary: a false idea that describes gender solely in terms of “male” and “female.”
Gender Expression: how other people interpret a person’s gender based on your physical appearance, mannerisms, etc..
Gender Identity: how a person interprets their own gender based on their emotions, personal experiences, etc..
Genderfluid: a gender identity that is fluid between more than one gender.
Genderqueer: a gender identity that lies outside of male or female sometimes without more definition.
Greysexual: also referred to as “grey-asexual,” this refers to a person who feels sexual attraction very infrequently.
Gynephilia: romantic and/or sexual attraction to femininity. Some gynephilic folks describe themselves as “sapphic.”
Heteronormativity: the societal idea that everyone is straight, in a straight relationship, or wants to be straight.
Heterosexual: describes a person who is sexually attracted to a gender different from their own.
Homophobia: a form of prejudice directed towards a person or group of people based on their sexuality.
Homosexual: another word for gay that is typically seen by the LGBTQ+ community as clinical.
Internalized Homophobia: a variation of homophobia in which the prejudice is directed towards oneself based on their sexuality.
Intersex: describes a person who has a combination of chromosomes, gonads, hormones, sexual organs, and genitals that differs from the binary AFAB and AMAB.
Lesbian: describes a person whose gender is female and who is romantically and/or sexually attracted to women.
LGBT: an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.
Lithromantic: describes a person who feels romantic attraction, but does not want a romantic relationship.
Lithsexual: describes a person who feels sexual attraction, but does not want a sexual relationship.
Nonbinary: an umbrella term for individuals whose gender does not fit on the male-female binary.
Nonmonosexual: an umbrella term used to describe individuals who are attracted to more than one gender. Includes terms such as bisexual, omnisexual, pansexual, and polysexual.
Omnigender, Pangender: describes a person who identifies with many or all genders.
Outing: the act of telling someone another person's identity without permission. This is considered taboo among LGBTQ+ people because it jeopardizes their safety.
Omnisexual, Pansexual: describes a person who feels sexual attraction regardless of gender.
Polygender: describes a person who identifies as more than one gender.
Polysexual: describes a person who is sexually attracted to many, but not all, genders.
Pronouns: words used when referring to another person. Common examples include “he,” “she,” and “they.”
QPOC: refers to queer people of color.
Queer: describes a person who does not identify as straight and/or cisgender.
Questioning: describes a person who is unsure about or exploring their sexuality and/or gender.
Romantic Attraction: a capacity that evokes the want to engage in romantically intimate behaviors such as dating, relationships, and marriage.
Sex Assigned at Birth (SAAB): a designation assigned at birth based on visible genitals; can be male (AMAB), female (AFAB), or intersex. SAAB is preferred over the term “biological sex” because the latter is harmful to transgender folks.
Sexuality: a word or set of words that describes if and/or how an individual feels sexual attraction.
Sexual Attraction: a capacity that evokes the want to engage in physically intimate behaviors such as kissing, touching, and intercourse.
Sexual Orientation: the type of sexual, romantic, and/or emotional attraction(s) one has the capacity to feel for others.
Transgender: describes a person whose gender is different from their biological sex.
Transphobia: a form of prejudice directed towards a person or group of people based on their gender.
Triggers: ideas or actions that recall traumatic memories and/or incite intense, negative emotions. Triggers can be — but are not always — linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and/or other disorders.
Two-Spirit: a traditionally-North American Native and Indigenous gender in which an individual possess qualities or fulfills roles of both binary genders. Two-Spirit folks are seen as being blessed by the Creator.
