Vocabulary
We’ve updated our vocabulary sheets. We also have this vocabulario resource in Spanish as well.
These definitions and terms are ever-evolving and shift depending on region, context, and other variables. The most important thing to keep in mind is that people should be allowed to self-identify. This list is intended as a starting point and is not exhaustive.
Ally - A person who supports and advocates for marginalized groups/identities to which they do not necessarily belong. A person who interrupts the disrespectful or problematic remarks and actions of others, and who is willing to explore forms of bias and privilege within themselves. (Praxis believes that “ally” isn’t a label you give yourself, but rather one given to you by the people directly impacted.)
Asexual - A sexual orientation for a person who experiences little or no sexual attraction.
Assigned sex - Sex recorded at birth by a doctor or other birth attendant, usually based solely on external genitalia. This determines what gender marker (M for male, F for female or I for intersex) goes on a baby’s birth certificate.
Bisexual - A sexual orientation for a person who is attracted (romantically, sexually, and/or emotionally) to people with the same gender identity as them, as well as to people with gender identities different from theirs.
Cisgender
▴ A person whose gender identity and/or expression aligns with their sex assigned at birth
▴ Cisgender generally means “not transgender”
▴ “Cis” is the Latin for “on the same side as.”
▴ Cisgender is an adjective and therefore needs a noun after it (cisgender woman, cisgender person)
Drag queen/king - A person who dresses as another persona periodically for the purpose of entertainment, making a political statement, and/or as a form of self-expression. Drag queens/kings do not necessarily identify as another sex or gender, although they may refer to themselves as someone of another gender while in drag.
FTM/F2M - Female to male. A trans person who was assigned female at birth and today is a boy/man.
Gay - A sexual orientation for a person who is attracted (romantically, sexually and/or emotionally) to someone of the same gender. Gay is not limited to a specific gender although it is sometimes assumed to be only for men.
Gender - Various traits, characteristics, and roles that a culture associates with or assigns to physical sex. Someone’s internal sense of who they are.
Gender binary - A code (rooted in colonial, white supremacist concepts) of acceptable and expected identities and behaviors that teaches that there are only two sexes (male and female) and only two genders (man and woman). This system also presupposes that anyone assigned male at birth is a man, and anyone assigned female at birth is a woman. Most discussions about gender assume a binary gender system and disregard the idea that there are people who may not identify within the binary/only two options.
Gender expression - The way a person expresses their gender identity externally, through behavior and appearance. Gender expression can be read and perceived by others, however perceptions about someone’s gender identity based on their gender expression may or may not accurately correspond with how that person identifies.
Gender identity - How an individual experiences and conceptualizes their gender, regardless of their assigned sex at birth. Gender identity is what a person knows about their gender on the inside, and may or may not be apparent to others.
Gender nonconforming (GNC) - The gender identity and/or gender expression of a person whose gender expression differs from or does not conform to societal expectations associated with their sex assigned at birth. Gender nonconforming people may not be either man or woman, but rather as a gender outside of the gender binary. Some people use the term nonbinary or gender expansive.
Intersex - Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of “male” or “female” bodies. (1)
Lesbian - A sexual orientation for a woman who is attracted (romantically, sexually and/or emotionally) to other women.
MTF/M2F - Male to female. A trans person who was assigned male at birth and today is a girl/woman.
Pansexual - A sexual orientation for a person who is attracted (romantically, sexually and/or emotionally) to people regardless of sex or gender. “Consider pansexual attraction as being transcendent of gender, meaning: it isn’t limited by gender… or sex.”
Queer - Having a sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, and/or gender expression that differs from cultural norms. This term was traditionally derogatory but has been reclaimed by some because of its broad definition and fluid and inclusive quality. Not all people under the LGBT+ umbrella are queer.
Sex - The categorization of bodies by chromosomes, hormone levels, genitalia, and secondary sex characteristics. Doctors often simplify this by determining sex solely based on external genitalia. Sex is assigned male, female or intersex at birth.
Sexual orientation - Who a person is/is not romantically, emotionally, and/or physically attracted to.
Two-spirit - An umbrella term indexing various indigenous gender identities in North America. Many tribes have specific terms, but there was a need for universal terms to describe gender concepts that do not exist in English. For example, Navajo uses Nádleehí, Lakota uses Winkté, Ojibwe uses Niizh Manidoowag and Cheyenne uses Hemaneh.
Transgender
▴ A person whose gender identity and/or expression does not align with their sex assigned at birth
▴ Transgender generally means “not cisgender”
▴ “Trans” is the Latin for "across" or "beyond" or "on the other side of"
▴ Transgender is an adjective and therefore needs a noun after it (transgender woman, trans person)
▴ There is no one way to be trans and trans people may or may not take steps to transition medically
(1) adapted from www.pidgeonismy.name
(2) adapted from www.teenvogue.com/story/what-is-pansexuality
Terms to be cautious of:
Hermaphrodite, transvestite, tranny, he-she, she-male, it.
These words have historically been used as derogatory terms for transgender and gender nonconforming people. Although some people within queer and trans communities have reclaimed these words and may use them positively, they are not considered positive words by everyone and use of them by cisgender people is almost always inappropriate.
Notes on the LGBTQ2IA+ Acronym
Lesbian
Gay
Bisexual
Transgender
Queer (sometimes also Questioning)
2 (two) spirit (2 or 2S)
Intersex
Asexual and/or Agender (not ally)
Every person chooses which word(s) are applicable to them
The plus (+) indicates that the acronym does not include all sexual orientations, genders, etc.
The acronym mixes concepts together:
LGBQA = sexual orientations
T = gender identity
I = sex assigned at birth
2S = culturally specific
