LGBTQ Youth Centre

First, please read the following important point about the words and definitions you'll find here:

Words, specifically those that people use to describe themselves, can have a myriad of different meanings and associations depending on the context in which they are being used. These are not “official” definitions, but ones to help give us all a vocabulary we can use to talk about complex issues of sex, gender, and sexuality. The most important thing to remember is that everyone has the right to decide for themselves what words describe them, and what they mean for them. The language that makes one person feel most empowered or comfortable may feel alienating or inaccurate to another person who, to an onlooker, may appear to have the same sexual preferences or gender identity. This is by no means an exhaustive list of words that people may apply to themselves, but an assembly of some that may come up more frequently. [from the OUTspoken Definitions Handout, sent to us by the kind folks at Project 10 in Montreal]

Asexual - someone who has a lack of sexual attraction, or interest in or desire for sex. Sometimes, it is considered a lack of a sexual orientation. Unlike celibacy, which is a choice, asexuality is a sexual orientation. Asexual people have the same emotional needs as everybody else and are just as capable of forming intimate relationships.

Bisexual – Someone who is attracted, emotionally and/or physically, to both men and women.

Closeted – a lesbian, gay, or bi-sexual person who hides their sexual orientation from either themselves or others or both. A closeted person has yet to come out, has decided not to do so or does not identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans. This term can be used disparagingly.

Coming out – (the affirmation of one's sexual orientation) Process that a person undertakes to begin accepting sexual orientation or gender identify, and/or identifying as gay, lesbian or bisexual, queer, intersex, transsexual, transgender, two-spirit, etc.

Cross dressers, drag or transvestites – People who wear clothes and assume the identity of a gender other than that assigned to them at birth, dressing in clothes commonly worn by the other gender for entertainment or to make a political statement against the rigid gender roles demanded by our society.

Disorders of sex development (DSD) - defined in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics 2006 article, “Consensus Statement on Intersex Disorders” as “congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomic sex is atypical.” The definitions of such older terms such as “hermaphrodite” and "“intersex” were considered problematic because of a lack of consensus on definitions and because they labeled persons (rather than conditions).
For more information, see Accord Alliance, who provide on-line information and resources to support understanding and improvements in the care and well-being of persons with DSD and their families.

Gay – Refers mainly to men with a homosexual orientation (may also refer to women).

Gender identity – One's internal sense of being male or female. A person's sense of him or herself, as masculine or feminine or somewhere in between. It is how people perceive themselves and how they expect others to behave. It is largely culturally determined and does not have to be a bipolar state. Gender possibilities are broad, and people can exist anywhere along a continuum.

Hermaphrodite - a medical term used to describe people born with genitals of both sexes

Heteronormative - A viewpoint that expresses heterosexuality is the "normal" sexual preference instead of being one of many possibilities. Often expressed subtly, heterosexuality is widely "accepted" as the default sexuality by both print and electronic media, education, law makers, and a range of attitudes expressed by society in general. The subtle assumption of heterosexuality can be harmful to those who do not entirely fit within its bounds.

Heterosexism – The conviction, bias or assumption that heterosexuality is the only way to live normally or naturally one's life. This belief reinforces the idea that gays, lesbians and bisexuals are not normal, are rejected and invisible, and that heterosexuality is better than homosexuality.

Heterosexual orientation – Attraction to individuals of the opposite gender.
Straight – a term used to describe heterosexual people.

Heterosexual ally – A person who actively supports and respects sexual diversity, and who acts accordingly to challenge homophobic and heterosexist remarks and actions of others, and is willing to explore these forms of bias within him/herself.

Homophobia – Irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuals.The discomfort, fear, hatred and ignorance towards the realities of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people. It is expressed through discrimination, exclusion, prejudice, abuse and violence (verbal or physical).

Homosexual orientation – A person who is attracted emotionally and/or physically to people of the same sex - lesbian or gay. The term ‘homosexual’ is no longer used to refer to an individual – the terms gay for a man and lesbian for a woman are preferred.

Internalized homophobia – Assimilation of homophobic attitudes and behaviours leading to a lack of affirmation of one's sexual orientation to others or to oneself. A person that experiences internalized homophobia may refuse to accept him or herself as a gay, bisexual or lesbian and may reject or denigrate homosexuals or bisexuals.

Intersex – Someone whose sex glands do not totally match the sex assigned at birth (e.g. male with ovarian tissue or female with testicular tissue), or one whose sexual development does not match the sex assigned at birth.

Intersexuals - People who are born with genitals of both sexes (ranging in degree); often an infant who is born intersexed will be surgically altered to represent one gender. This is done before the child has had a chance to express which gender he or she is or would choose to be.

LGBT – An acronym for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered. Can also included TS for two-spirited, Q for queer or questioning, and an asterisk to cover those who are not heterosexual but resist being placed under another label. The term "queer identified" is begining to replace this acronym.

Out – An out gay, lesbian or bisexual person has already revealed his or her sexual orientation and lives “openly”.

Outing – the deliberate or accidental disclosure of an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity and without his or her consent. Outing yourself is unintentional LGBT self-disclosure.

Pansexual - someone who is attracted to other people regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. Pansexual can also refer to an organization, event or group. In this situation, the pansexual is defined as meaning open or welcome to all genders and not referencing one's sexual orientation or gender.

Passing - transgender/intersex people dressing in public as their desired gendered. No deception or attempt to "fool" other people is implied as they dress, talk or style their hair as the gender they truly feel they are.

Queer – Originally a derogatory label used to refer to lesbian and gay people or to intimidate or offend heterosexuals. Some lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people have recently reclaimed this term as an inclusive and positive way to identify all people targeted by heterosexism and homophobia, and use it as a term of defiant pride. Nevertheless, a sizable percentage of people to whom this term might apply still hold queer to be a hateful insult, and its use by heterosexuals is often considered offensive. Similarly, other reclaimed words (such as faggot and dyke) are usually offensive to the in-group when used by outsiders, so extreme caution must be taken concerning their use when one is not a member of the group.

Queer-identified - People who don't necessarily fit into the major categories of gay, lesbian, or bisexual, may say that they are queer-identified. Many people who are categorized by others as being bisexual consider themselves queer-identified. And also gay men and lesbians who don't want to be labelled exclusively as gay/lesbian use the word queer. Pretty much anyone who is not straight in the typical sense may choose to say that they are queer-identified or simply call themselves queer.

Queer-positive - accepting and embracing queer identities.

Safe space - a judgment-free opportunity to talk openly where there are no categories, just people.

Sexual Orientation – An enduring emotional, romantic, sexual, or affectionate attraction to individuals of a particular gender; the direction of one’s attention i.e. one’s tendancy to be primarily attracted to the same sex (lesbian or gay), other sex (heterosexual), both sexes (bisexual), neither sex (nonsexual or asexual), or any sex (pansexual).

Transgendered – A person whose gender identity or expression differs from conventional expectations of masculinity or femininity based on their sex. An umbrella term that includes transsexuals, cross-dressers, drag queens and drag kings, gender outlaws, and all those whose gender roles are ambiguous. This identification challenges traditional notions of sexuality and gender. Transgendered people may be heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual.

Transsexual – A person who pursues gender reassignment through gender confirmation treatment, the use of hormones, surgery, and/or changes in identity, to live as a gender other than the one assigned to him or her at birth.

Transvestite – A person who derives pleasure in dressing in clothing of the opposite sex, for example a man who enjoys dressing in women's clothing.

Two-spirited – An aboriginal term used to describe people who embody both the male and female spirit. This concept is used by some native people to represent gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered aboriginal people are reclaiming this term.