LGBTQIA Resources

The terms and definitions listed are always evolving and changing.

• Agender (adj.) – Describes a person who identifies as having no gender.
• Asexual (adj.) – Describes a person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to others.
• Asexuality is not the same as celibacy.
• Bisexual (adj.) – A sexual orientation that describes a person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to people of their own gender and people of other genders.
• Gay (adj.) – A sexual orientation that describes a person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to people of their own gender. It can be used regardless of gender identity, but is more commonly used to describe men.
• Gender expression (noun) – The way a person acts, dresses, speaks, and behaves (i.e. feminine, masculine, androgynous). Gender expression does not necessarily correspond to assigned sex at birth or gender identity.
• Gender identity (noun) – A person’s internal sense of being a man/male, woman/female, both, neither, or another gender.
• Heterosexual (straight) (adj.) – A sexual orientation that describes women who are emotionally and sexually attracted to men, and men who are emotionally and sexually attracted to women.
• Lesbian (adj., noun) – A sexual orientation that describes a woman who is emotionally and sexually attracted to other women.
• Outing (verb) – Involuntary or unwanted disclosure of another person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Queer (adj.) – An umbrella term used by some to describe people who think of their sexual orientation or gender identity as outside of societal norms. Some people view the term queer as more fluid and inclusive than traditional categories for sexual orientation and gender identity. Due to its history as a derogatory term, the term queer is not embraced or used by all members of the LGBT community.
• Sexual orientation (noun) – How a person characterizes their emotional and sexual attraction to others.
• Transgender (adj.) – Describes a person whose gender identity and assigned sex at birth do not correspond. Also used as an umbrella term to include gender identities outside of male and female. Sometimes abbreviated as trans.

• Transition (noun) – For transgender people, this refers to the process of coming to recognize, accept, and express one’s gender identity. Most often, this refers to the period when a person makes social, legal, and/or medical changes, such as changing their clothing, name, sex designation, and using medical interventions. Sometimes referred to as gender affirmation process.

Terms and definitions are from the National LGBT Health Education Center. Find a further list of terms and definitions here.