With the growing vocabulary of the LGBTQ+, it can be tough to figure out exactly what the terms and labels mean. The LGBTQ+ glossary is as expansive as the gender and sexuality spectrum. So we at WIM compiled definitions from all across the web–as well as personal definitions–and put them together!
Here are some terms and their definitions!
NOTE: These definitions were collected from research and personal interviews. One’s personal definition of their gender and sexuality does not have to be exactly what is said here. Some words have different and more personal, nuanced meanings for different individuals.
1. Bisexual – A person who has an attraction to both people of the same gender and people of other genders; not to be confused with pansexuality
2. Pansexual – A person who has an attraction to people regardless of what gender they identify with; gender is not a factor in their attraction
3. Asexual – A person who has little or no interest in sexual activity–they still feel attraction but not necessarily of the sexual kind
4. Queer – An umbrella term that anyone in the LGBTQ+ spectrum can use; the community uses this as a blanket term
5. Demisexual – A person who becomes sexually attracted to someone they form a strong emotional bond with–there is no sexual attraction unless a bond has been formed
6. Transgender – A person whose gender identity is different from their assigned sex at birth; may experience gender dysphoria, which is distress over their gender identity not matching their assigned sex at birth; may or may not undergo surgery to fit their ideal gender identity
7. Genderfluid – A person whose gender identity shifts and is not fixed; their gender identity may change over time and they may choose to be more masculine or feminine as time passes
8. Intersex – A person who has a variation of reproductive organs, chromosomes, or sex hormones that do not fit the typical male or female bodies; may have a mix of reproductive organs or chromosomes
9. Agender – A person who does not follow or identify with any gender; they do not have any connection with any gender
10. Gender normative – A person whose gender identity matches with their assigned sex at birth (AKA Cisgender)
11. Gay – A person who identifies as a man and is attracted to other men
12. Lesbian – A person who identifies as a woman and is attracted to other women
13. Non-binary – A person who is not exclusively masculine or feminine and identifies outside of the masculine-feminine binary; does not subscribe to a binary at all
14. Androgyny – An expression of gender that has elements of both masculine and feminine characteristics; not a gender per se
Can we add some more terms? Let us know!
