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LGBTQQIAAP2S+ Acronym
Terms that describe sexuality
Lesbian: Someone who identifies as a woman and is sexually and/or romantically attracted to other women.
Gay: Someone who identifies as a man and is sexually and/or romantically attracted to other men.
Bisexual: Someone who is attracted to people of the same gender as them and also attracted to people with a different gender.
Polyamorous: A term used to describe a situation in which multiple adults engage in a consensual sexual and/or romantic relationship.
Pansexual: Someone who experiences sexual attraction to people of all genders. They will sometimes report that they feel attraction for reasons that have nothing to do with gender.
Asexual: Someone who does not experience strong sexual attraction to anyone. They may have romantic feelings, but not sexual ones.
Aromantic: Someone who does not feel a strong romantic attraction to anyone. They may experience sexual attraction but not romantic.
Bi-curious: Someone who is open to exploring their attraction to people of the same gender as them. It is like Questioning.
Straight: Someone who is heterosexual. This can be a man who experiences sexual attraction to women or a woman who experiences sexual attraction to men.
Queer: An umbrella term that refers to anyone who does not identify as straight and/or cis-gendered. In the past, it has been a slang. So, it is important to remember that it may be offensive to some people.
Questioning: Someone who is unsure or exploring their sexual and gender identity.
Demi-sexual: Someone who only feels sexual attraction to someone they have formed a deep emotional bond.
Skoliosexual: Someone whose primary sexual attraction is to transgender, genderqueer, and non-binary people.
MSM: Men who have sex with men. This is an unusual term and is most common in a medical setting. It can be useful to describe sexual behavior since some men who engage in sexual contact with other men do not identify as gay, bisexual, or any other non-straight orientation.
SGL: Same Gender Loving. A description for LGB individuals which was adopted as a culturally affirming African-American LGBQ identity.
Down low: Refers to men who identify as straight but discretely have sexual contact with other men. It originated in and is used most commonly by communities of color.
Gynesexual: Having a primary sexual attraction to women, females, or femininity.
Terms that describe gender
Transgender: Someone who identifies as a gender that is not the one they were assigned at birth.
Queer: An umbrella term that refers to anyone who does not identify as straight and/or cis-gendered. In the past, it has been a slang. So, it's important to remember that it may be offensive to some people.
Questioning: Someone who is unsure or exploring their sexual and gender identity.
Intersex: A term that describes people who do not fit neatly into the male or female box. This could be because their chromosomes and anatomy do not match or because their genitalia is not completely male or female or for another reason.
Two-Spirit: a term associated with Native American communities which refers to people who possess qualities of multiple genders or fill multiple gender roles.
Agender: Someone with little or no affiliation with traditional gender roles, does not see themselves as either male or female, and/or someone who sees themselves as existing without a gender. This is also sometimes called gender neutral, genderless, or gender neutrois.
Cis-Gender: Someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth.
FtM/F2M: Female to Male, someone who was assigned female at birth but is transitioning to a male appearance, also called transman or trans-masculine.
MtF/M2F: Male to Female, someone who was assigned male at birth but is transitioning to a female appearance, also called transwoman or trans-femme.
Gender fluid: Someone whose gender identity is not fixed but can fluctuate between maleness and femaleness.
Gender Non-conforming: Someone whose gender expression is not strictly male or female. It can also refer to someone whose gender is not in the typical male or female boxes.
Transman/transwoman: Transman refers to someone who was assigned female at birth and transitioned to a male appearance. Transwoman refers to someone who was assigned male at birth and transitioned to a female appearance.
Androgyny: Having characteristics of maleness and femaleness; being neither completely male nor completely female. It can refer to appearance or be used to identify one’s gender.
Drag King: Someone who performs masculinity theatrically. This does not mean they are transgendered, identify as non-cisgendered, or will come out as transgendered in the future.
Drag Queen: Someone who performs femininity theatrically. This does not mean they are transgendered, identity as non-cisgendered, or will come out as transgendered in the future.
Transvestite: A person who dresses in clothing typical of a gender which is not their own for any reason including relaxation, fun, or sexual gratification. It does not imply a wish to transition or that they identify as non-cisgendered.
Transexual: A person who identifies psychologically as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth. They often wish to physically transform their bodies to match their psychological identity.
Other Helpful Terms
Ally: Someone who supports and respects members of the LGBTQ+ community. This often includes challenging homophobic and transphobic remarks and behaviors as well as exploring and understanding heterosexist and cissexist forms of bias in themselves.
Passing: The ability of a person to "pass" as something that allows them to have a more hetero-normative life experience. For example, transwomen may talk about "passing" as female or bisexual people may be accused of "passing" as straight. Being able to "pass" may not be a benefit since it implies that the person must hide part of their identity to get along smoothly in the world. Accusing someone of "passing" may also be a way to delegitimize or minimize the experiences of some people.
Cissexism: Ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and policies which reinforce the idea that cis-gendered people are superior to transgender people or that their experiences are less valid; this might include anything from believing that transgender people are just going through a phase to barring transgender people from accessing public services.
Coming Out: Revealing one's LGBTQ+ status in a conversation, in a group, or in a public setting. It often involves risk on the part of the person coming out since they risk rejection. Coming out is often a life-long process.
Heterosexism: Ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and policies which reinforce the idea that everyone is naturally heterosexual or that opposite-gender attractions are the only form of normal. This does not imply homophobia. It can include things like asking women if they have a boyfriend or assuming that all married men are married to women.
Transitioning: Refers to the process a transgender person goes through to change the appearance of their body to be more consistent with their gender identity and preferred gender expression. It can include taking hormones, surgically removing secondary sex characteristics, changing one's hair and clothing, changing one's name, changing legal identification, etc. It is often a process which takes months or years to complete.
QPOC/QTPOC: Queer People of Color OR Queer/Trans People of Color
PGPs: Prefered Gender Pronouns
GSM: Gender and Sexual Minorities
DSG: Diverse Sexualities and Genders
QUILTBAG: Queer/Questioning, Undecided, Intersex, Lesbian, Trans, Bisexual, Asexual/Allied, Gay/Genderqueer