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LGBTQIA+ Index 

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An A-Z glossary of identities, orientations and commonly used terms. 

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while there may be some debate surrounding the use of labels, it is important to remember that many people still find community, connection and understanding through their use. This index is designed for those exploring their identity and for allies wanting to educate themselves to better support the LGBTQIA+ people in their lives. 

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This list is by no means definitive - if you don't feel represented here, please let me know what's missing via the contact form below.

Sexual Orientations

These terms are used by individuals to describe their own experiences of attraction. 

A

  • Abrosexual - Characterised by someone whose sexual attraction is fluid and constantly changing.  

  • Allosexual/Alloromantic - Characterised by someone who does experience sexual/romantic attraction. Considered the opposite end of the spectrum to Asexual/Aromantic. 

  • Androgynosexual –Characterised by someone who is sexually attracted to men and women, particularly those of androgynous appearance.

  • Aromantic - A romantic orientation, characterised by someone who does not experience romantic attraction. Comes under the Asexual umbrella

  • Asexual - A sexual orientation umbrella term. Characterized by someone who does not feel sexual attraction towards any gender. Asexuality is distinct from celibacy, which is the deliberate abstention from sexual activity. Some asexual people do have sex. There are many diverse ways of being asexual.

B

  • Biromantic – Characterised by someone who is romantically attracted to two or more genders. Biromantic asexuals seek romantic relationships for companionship, affection, and intimacy, but they are not sexually attracted to their romantic partners.   

  • Bisexual, Bi - Characterised by someone who experiences sexual attraction to two or more genders.  

C

  • Ceterosexual – Characterised by someone who experiences sexual/romantic attraction only to non-binary people. This label is used as an alternative term for skoliosexuality only to be used by non-binary people. 

D

  • Demisexual –  Characterised by someone who can experience sexual attraction only once an emotional connection has formed. Comes under the Asexual umbrella. 

  • Demiromantic – Characterised by someone who only experiences romantic attraction after developing an emotional connection. Comes under the Asexual umbrella

F

  • Finsexual – Characterised by someone attracted to women, females and femininity 

G

  • Gay - Characterised by someone attracted to people of the same sex or gender. In contemporary contexts, lesbian (n. or adj.) is often, but not always, a preferred term for women. 

  • Gynosexual – Characterised by someone who has sexual feelings towards a woman or femininity. The term can be useful when describing the sexual orientation of an individual with a non-binary gender identity.  

  • Grey-sexual - Characterised by someone with a sexual orientation that is somewhere between asexual & allosexual. 

  • Grey-Romantic – Characterised by someone with a romantic orientation that is somewhere between aromantic & alloromantic. 

H

  • Heteroflexible – Characterised by someone who identifies primarily as straight, but may also be attracted to people of other/multiple genders 

  • Heteroromantic – Characterised by someone romantically attracted to a member of the opposite sex or gender. They may seek romantic intimacy, but they’re not necessarily sexually attracted to partners (see "attraction" in the glossary below). 

  • Heterosexual – Characterised by someone sexually attracted to people of the "opposite" sex or gender. see also "straight".

  • Homoflexible – Characterised by someone who identifies as primarily homosexual/gay, but may also be attracted to people of other/multiple genders  

  • Homoromantic – Characterised by someone romantically attracted to someone of the same sex or gender. They may seek romantic intimacy, but they’re not necessarily sexually attracted to partners (see "attraction" in the glossary below).

  • Homosexuality – Characterised by someone sexually attracted to people of thier own sex or gender.  

L

  • Lesbian - Characterised by a woman who is sexually attracted to other women. Some lesbians may prefer to identify as gay (adj.). 

M

  • Men Loving Men (MLM)  - Denotes the attraction of men to men, though not exclusively, includes many orientations such as gay, bisexual, pansexual etc. Commonly used by communities of color, though is now being adopted more broadly in the LGBTQIA+ community.

O

  • Omnisexual – Characterised by someone attracted to all genders. Gender can still be a factor in their attraction, unlike pansexuals, who generally don’t care about gender. 

P

  • Pansexual - Characterised by someone who experiences sexual attraction to people regardless of their gender. Some people use Bisexual and Pansexual interchangeably as both define an attraction to more than one gender.  

  • Panromantic – Characterised by someone who experiences romantic attraction to people regardless of their gender. Some people use Biromantic and Panromantic interchangeably as both define an attraction to more than one gender. 

  • Polysexual – Characterised by someone who is attracted to some, but not all, genders. They may be attracted to any combination of possible genders, including binary & non-binary. 

Q

  • Queer - An LGBTQIA+ term the community is reclaiming. An identity label that is non-specific about a persons sexual orientation. 

S

  • Skoliosexual – Characterised by someone who is attracted to non-binary individuals. 

  • Straight - See Heterosexual. Characterised by someone with a sexual attraction to individuals of the “opposite” gender or sex. 

W

  • Women Loving Women (WLW)  - Denotes the attraction of women to women, though not exclusively, includes many orientations such as lesbian, bisexual, pansexual etc. Commonly used by communities of color, though is now being adopted more broadly in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Gender Identities

These terms are used by individuals to describe their own gender. 

A

  • AFAB – an acronym that stands for ‘assigned female at birth’ 

  • Agender - Characterised by someone who does not identify with any gender. 

  • AMAB – an acronym that stands for ‘assigned male at birth’  

  • Androgynous - This is a term that can be used to describe someone who expresses their gender with a mixture of masculine and feminine traits, or with traits that are neither strictly masculine nor feminine. They could be transgender, non-binary, cisgender, or agender. As with most of the terms on this list, it’s best to only refer to someone with how they self-identify. 

B

  • Bigender - Characterised by someone who identifies as two genders. These genders may be man and woman, but may also be, for example, woman and agender, or man and nonbinary. 

  • Brotherboy and Sistergirl - Terms used by some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Brotherboy typically refers to masculine spirit people who may be assigned female at birth, Sistergirl typically refers to feminine spirit people who may be assigned male at birth. There can be important cultural differences between being transgender and identifying as a Brotherboy or Sistergirl.

C

  • Cisgender - Characterised by someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth. If the gender you were assigned fits who you are, you are cisgender. 

D

  • Drag Performer/Artist - Characterised by someone who dresses and acts as a gender other than their own at least in part as a performance or artform. Drag can be performed by anyone of any gender, you can be a Drag Queen, Drag King, Non Binary Drag performer, or really whatever you want. It is about self expression, often displayed as a parody of hyper-masculinity or hyper-femininity.  

G

  • Genderfluid - Characterised by someone who does not have a constant or fixed gender identity and/or gender expression, who’s gender fluxtuates. 

  • Gender Non Conforming  - Characterised by someone who is, or is perceived to have gender characteristics that do not conform to traditional or societal expectations. 

  • Genderqueer - A term used by people whose gender identity is queer, or whose gender falls outside of the gender binary. It might be used by a person who does not subscribe to conventional gender norms, or who identifies as multiple genders, or no genders.  

I

  • Intersex - This is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations that do not fit typical binary notions of male and female bodies. In some cases, intersex traits are visible at birth, while in others they are not apparent until puberty or later in life. Some intersex variations may not be physically apparent at all.  

N

  • Nonbinary - Characterised by someone whose gender identity is neither exclusively woman or man or is in between or beyond the gender binary. Colloquially referred to as NBi or Enby.  While Nonbinary sits under the transgender umbrella, it is important to note that not all nonbinary people identify as trans. 

T

  • Transsexual (also Transexual) - An older term which originated in the medical and psychological communities. While some people still prefer to use the term to describe them­selves, many transgender people prefer the term transgender to transsexual. Unlike transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term, as many transgender people do not identify as transsexual. It is best to ask which term an indi­vidual prefers.  

  • Transgender (Trans) - An umbrella term for people who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. This can include binary and non binary trans identities 

  • Trans Feminine - Characterised by a trans person whose gender identity and/or expression is closer to femininity than masculinity. 

  • Trans Man - a term used to describe a transgender man 

  • Trans Masculine - Characterised by a trans person whose gender identity and/or expression is closer to masculinity than to femininity. 

  • Trans Woman - a term used to describe a transgender woman 

  • Two Spirit – Characterised by someone who has both a masculine and a feminine spirit, and is used by some Native American people to describe their sexual, gender and/or spiritual identity. This term comes from and is used in very specific family groups.

Glossary of terms

Terms related to sex, gender and relationships that are not specifically identities or orientations. 

A

  • Ally - Someone who is a friend, advocate, and/or activist for LGBTQ people. The term ally is generally used for any member of a dominant group who is a friend, advocate or activist for people in an oppressed group (i.e. White Ally for People of Color).  

  • Attraction – The physical or emotional force that draws people together. Four main types of attraction are recognised: Sexual, Romantic, Sensual and Aesthetic. Split attraction models recognise that someone may experience different types of attraction to different genders, for example someone may be heterosexual and biromantic. 

B

  • Biphobia - The fear, hatred, or intolerance of bisexual people. 

  • Bottom surgery – a term used to refer to surgery that changes a person’s genitalia to align with their gender identity.

C

  • Chosen Name – The name someone has chosen for themselves which may differ from their given name.  Commonly used by transgender people. 

  • Cissexism - This is the assumption that everybody is naturally cisgender, and that it is somehow unusual, out of the norm, or deviant to identify as anything else.  

  • Closeted  - Describes a person who is not open about their sexual orientation. 

  • Coming Out  - A lifelong process of self-acceptance. People forge a sexual orientation or gender identity first to themselves and then may reveal it to others. Publicly identifying one’s orientation or gender identity may or may not be part of coming out. 

  • Cross-Dressing - To occasionally wear clothes traditionally associated with people of the other sex. Cross-dressers are usually, but not always, cisgender. “Cross-dresser” should NOT be used to describe someone who has transitioned or who intends to do so in the future. Cross-dressing is a form of gender expression and is not indicative of sexual orientation.  

D

  • Deadnaming - Deadnaming means calling someone by their birth name after they have changed their name. This term is often associated with trans people who have changed their name as part of their transition. This is a very hurtful and disrespectful thing to do on purpose. If you say someone’s birth name by mistake, apologise, correct yourself, and aim to be more mindful moving forward.

F

  • FTM - This stands for Female to Male. This term can be used by a transgender person who was assigned female at birth, but is a man.  

G

  • Gender dysphoria - This term is used to describe the deep discontent and anxiety someone can feel when they are living their lives with an assigned sex and/or gender they don’t identify with. Not all transgender people experience dysphoria, and it is possible to be transgender without feeling dysphoria. 

  • Gender euphoria - Gender euphoria is the experience of feeling great about you, your body, and your gender. It was coined to express a positive and exciting feeling of one’s gendered self, which is a concept that is sometimes not talked about as much as negative experiences.  

  • Gender Expression - How someone shows their gender through appearance, fashion, behaviour, etc. 

  • Gender Identity - Since gender is a social construct, an individual may have a self perception of their gender that is different or the same as their biological sex. Gender identity is an internalized realization of one’s gender and may not be manifested in their outward appearance (gender expression) or their place in society (gender role). It is important to note that an individual’s gender identity is completely separate from their sexual orientation or sexual preference. 

  • Gender Neutral - This term is used to describe facilities that any individual can use regardless of their gender (e.g. gender neutral bathrooms). This term can also be used to describe an individual who does not subscribe to any socially constructed gender (sometimes referred to as “Gender Queer”). 

  • Gender/Sexual Reassignment Surgery – Refers to a surgical procedure to transition an individual from one biological sex to another. 

  • Gender Role - A societal expectation of how an individual should act, think, and/or feel based upon an assigned gender in relation to society’s binary biological sex system. 

H

  • Homophobia - Fear, hatred or intolerance of lesbians and gay men. Prejudice is usually a more accurate description of hatred or antipathy toward LGBTQIA+ people. 

L

  • LGBTQIA+  - An acronym used to refer to all sexual and gender minorities: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and gender diverse, Queer, Intersex and Asexual/Aromantic + the plethora of identities listed above and those being forged anew. 

M

  • Misgender - To refer to someone using a word that does not reflect their gender. This could be a pronoun such as he/her or a form of address such as ladies/guys. This may be unintentional and without ill intent or can be an intentional expression of discrimination. Regardless of intent, misgendering has a harmful impact. If you misgender someone by mistake, quickly apologise, correct yourself, and aim to be more mindful moving forward.  

  • MTF - This stands for Male to Female. This term can be used by a transgender person who was assigned male at birth, but is a woman.  

P

  • Passing – a term used to comment on if a transgender person looks like the gender they identify with. Note that someone's presentation should never be commented on unsolicited.  

  • Pronouns - The words used to refer to a person other than their name. Common pronouns are they/them, he/him, and she/her. Neopronouns are pronouns created to be specifically gender-neutral or go beyond the binary, including xe/xem, ze/zir and fae/faer. For those who use pronouns (and not all people do) they are not preferred, they are essential. 

Q

  • Questioning - The process of considering or exploring one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 

S

  • Sex - The classification of people as male, female or intersex. At birth, infants are assigned a sex based on a combination of bodily characteristics including: chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive organs, and genitals.  

  • Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) - Refers to surgical alteration to align ones body with their gender identity as part of transitioning. Preferred term to “sex change operation.” Not all transgender people choose to or can afford to have SRS.  

  • Sexual Behavior - Refers to an individual’s sexual activities or actions (what a person does sexually). Though often an individual’s sexual orientation is in line with their sexual behavior, it is not always the case, attraction does not equal action.  

  • Sexual Minority - An all inclusive, politically oriented term referring to individuals who identify with a minority sexual orientation, sex identity, or gender expression/gender identity.  

  • Sexual Orientation - The scientifically accurate term for an individual’s sexual attraction to other people. Avoid the offensive term “sexual preference,” which is used to suggest that being anything other than straight is voluntary and therefore “curable.” 

T

  • Top Surgery – a term used to refer to surgery that removes a person’s breasts (double mastectomy). Can also include removal of the nipples.  

  • Transitioning - The process undertaken by some trans and nonbinary people involving transitioning from the gender you were assigned at birth to the gender you identify as. Transitioning can, but does not have to, include external changes in appearance, clothing styles, voice changes, mannerisms, changing your name, taking hormones, or surgery. Transitioning does not have to involve all or any of this. Not all transgender people will have access to these sorts of changes, feel safe to, or desire to transition in these ways at all.   

  • Transphobia - The fear, hatred or intolerance of someone based on the fact they are trans, including denying their gender identity or refusing to accept it. Transphobia can take the form of individual and institutional discrimination, prejudice, and violence against trans, non-binary, or gender variant people. Transphobia may be targeted at people who are, or who are perceived to be, trans.  

References

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