Glossary

She is a writer. I read her book. The book is hers.

He is a teacher. I met him on Monday. The desk is his.

They are an artist. I emailed them. The painting is theirs.

Some people use different pronouns in different places — he/him at work, they/them in community spaces, neopronouns online, pronouns from another language with family.

Sometimes this is personal preference. Often it is about safety. Be led by the person, in the space you are in.

Some people use more than one set — he/they, xe/she, fae/he/they, or any combination.

The default is to alternate between them when you talk about the person, unless they give you a more specific instruction.

Short for Assigned Female At Birth and Assigned Male At Birth. A way of describing the sex a person was assigned at birth without implying it matches their gender identity.

Someone who is actively supportive of LGBTQ+ people. Includes straight and cisgender allies, as well as people within the LGBTQ+ community who support each other (e.g. a lesbian who is an ally to the bisexual community).

Often shortened to aro. Refers to a complete or partial lack of romantic attraction. Aromantic people may still experience sexual attraction, friendship, or other forms of love.

Often shortened to ace. A complete or partial lack of sexual attraction, or lack of interest in sexual activity with others. Asexuality exists on a spectrum.

The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, people who are sexually and emotionally attracted to more than one gender.

A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one gender — not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way, or to the same degree. Sometimes used interchangeably with pansexual.

A person whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. The counterpart to transgender.

The process of voluntarily sharing your sexual orientation or gender identity with others. Coming out is rarely a single event — it tends to be an ongoing process across different settings and relationships.

Calling a trans person by the name they used before they transitioned. Whether intentional or not, it can cause real harm. Use the name a person tells you to use.

A person who only experiences sexual attraction to those with whom they have already formed an emotional bond. Often considered part of the asexual spectrum.

A performance art form involving the dramatic, theatrical, or exaggerated presentation of gender. Drag is a performance practice, not a gender identity — though many drag artists are LGBTQ+.

A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender. Men, women, and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves.

A system in which gender is constructed into two strict categories of male or female, and in which gender identity is expected to align with the sex assigned at birth.

Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.

A person with a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary system. Often used as an umbrella term for young people exploring their gender.

The external appearance of one's gender identity — usually through behaviour, clothing, body characteristics, or voice — which may or may not conform to socially defined expectations.

A person who does not identify with a single fixed gender, or whose gender identity is fluid or unfixed.

A person's deeply held sense of their own gender — how they understand themselves and how they want the world to see them. Gender identity is independent of sexual orientation.

A person who rejects static categories of gender and embraces fluidity of identity. Genderqueer people may identify as both male and female, neither, or as falling completely outside these categories.

The assumption, woven into culture and institutions, that being heterosexual is the default or norm. The companion concept is cisnormativity — the same assumption about being cisgender.

The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, people who are attracted to members of the same sex.

People born with a variety of differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy — including differences in genitalia, chromosomes, gonads, internal sex organs, hormone production or response, and secondary sex traits.

A woman emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term.

An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. The + recognises the wide range of sexual orientations and gender identities not captured in the letters.

Using language about a person that does not match their gender identity — most often using the wrong pronouns or gendered terms. If you misgender someone, the right response is a brief correction and to do better next time.

A person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as both, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. Many also identify as transgender, but not all do.

Exposing someone's LGBTQ+ identity to others without their permission. Outing someone can have serious consequences for their employment, safety, housing, or family relationships. It is never okay.

A person who has the potential for emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to people of any gender — not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way, or to the same degree. Sometimes used interchangeably with bisexual.

The words used to refer to someone in the third person — she, he, they, ze, and others. If a person tells you which pronouns to use for them, use them. Asking is normal practice.

A term often used to express a spectrum of identities and orientations that are counter to the mainstream. Previously used as a slur, it has been widely reclaimed by parts of the LGBTQ+ movement — though not everyone uses or accepts it.

A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity. There is no time limit on questioning, and no obligation to land somewhere by a deadline.

A term some Black people use instead of lesbian, gay, or bisexual to describe attraction to and love for people of the same gender, often coined to reflect cultural specificity.

The sex — male, female, or intersex — that a doctor or midwife uses to describe a child at birth, based on their external anatomy.

An enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to other people. A person's sexual orientation is independent of their gender identity.

A term sometimes used to describe a trans person who lives without publicly disclosing that they are trans. Going stealth is a personal choice; no one is owed knowledge of someone else's history.

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.

A series of processes that some transgender people undertake in order to live more fully as their true gender. Can include social transition (name, pronouns), medical transition (hormones, surgeries), and legal transition (documents). Trans people may choose some, all, or none of these.

The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, transgender and non-binary people. Operates in interpersonal, institutional, and structural ways, and is currently rising in UK public discourse.

A term used by some Indigenous North American peoples to describe a person whose gender, sexuality, or spiritual identity sits outside Western binaries. The term is specific to Indigenous cultures and is not used by people outside those communities.