LGBTQIA+ support and resources: Gender & sexual identity

Understanding key terms

(click on image to enlarge, cited below)

Gender identity

One’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.

Gender expression

External appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.

Sex assigned at birth

The sex, male, female or intersex, that a doctor or midwife uses to describe a child at birth based on their external anatomy.

Gender non-conforming

A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category. While many also identify as transgender, not all gender non-conforming people do.
 

- The definitions below come from The Human Rights Campaign, linked and cited below.

Image source: GLSEN. (n.d.). Gender terminology visual [Illustration]. GLSEN. https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/ files/

Text source:  The Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.). Glossary of terms. The Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms

As language evolves, and as new identity categories emerge, it may feel like a challenge to know which acronym for various queer people is the right one, the most respectful one, and the most accurate one. In truth, every version of the acronym is imperfect, as it attempts to lump people with very diverse identities and experiences into a single, digestible chain of letters. For the most part, as long as you are approaching language respectfully and being as specific as possible, these acronyms are interchangeable. If you are speaking about a specific identity group, it's best practice to use wording specifically for that identity group, rather than using an acronym. For example, if I am speaking about transgender people, I would want to say so specifically, rather than using an LGBTQIA2s+ acronym. In the boxes below you will find definitions for the identity groups most commonly included in LGBTQI2S+ acronyms as well as links to glossaries.

NOTE: The definitions below are derived from the ones in the UC Davis LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary (full citation at the bottom of this page).

• Lesbian: Usually, a woman whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of the same gender. However, some nonbinary people also identify as lesbians, often because they have some connection to womanhood and are primarily attracted to women.
   
• Gay: A sexual and affectional orientation toward people of the same gender.
   
• Bisexual: A person whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of the same and other genders, or towards people regardless of their gender. Some people may use bisexual and pansexual interchangeably.
   
• Transgender: An adjective used most often as an umbrella term and frequently abbreviated to “trans.” Identifying as transgender, or trans, means that one’s internal knowledge of gender is different from conventional or cultural expectations based on the sex that person was assigned at birth. While transgender may refer to a woman who was assigned male at birth or a man who was assigned female at birth, transgender is an umbrella term that can also describe someone who identifies as a gender other than woman or man, such as non binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, no gender or multiple genders, or some other gender identity.
   
• Queer: One definition of queer is abnormal or strange. Historically, queer has been used as an epithet/slur against people whose gender, gender expression and/or sexuality do not conform to dominant expectations. Some people have reclaimed the word queer and self identify in opposition to assimilation. For some, this reclamation is a celebration of not fitting into social norms. Not all people who identify as LGBTQIA use “queer” to describe themselves.
   
• Questioning: The process of exploring one’s own gender identity, gender expression, and/or sexual orientation. Some people may also use this term to name their identity within the LGBTQIA community.
   
• Intersex: An umbrella term to describe a wide range of natural body variations that do not fit neatly into conventional definitions of male or female. Intersex variations may include, but are not limited to, variations in chromosome compositions, hormone concentrations, and external and internal characteristics. Many visibly intersex people are mutilated in infancy and early childhood by doctors to make the individual’s sex characteristics conform to society’s idea of what normal bodies should look like. Intersex people are relatively common, although society's denial of their existence has allowed very little room for intersex issues to be discussed publicly. Hermaphrodite is an outdated and inaccurate term that has been used to describe intersex people in the past.
   
• Asexual: A broad spectrum of sexual orientations generally characterized by feeling varying degrees of sexual attraction or a desires for partnered sexuality. Asexuality is distinct from celibacy, which is the deliberate abstention from sexual activity, despite sexual desire. Some asexual people do have sex and do experience varying levels of sexual attraction. There are many diverse ways of being asexual. A person who does not experience sexual attraction can experience other forms of attraction such as romantic attraction, as physical attraction and emotional attraction are separate aspects of a person’s identity. These may or may not correlate with each other - for instance, some people are physically and romantically attracted to women. However, others might be physically attracted to all genders and only emotionally attracted to men.
   
• 2S = Two Spirit: An umbrella term encompassing sexuality and gender in Indigenous Native American communities. Two Spirit people often serve integral and important roles in their communities, such as leaders and healers. It may refer to an embodiment of masculinity and femininity but this is not the only significance of the term. There are a variety of definitions and feelings about the term two spirit – and this term does not resonate for everyone.  Two Spirit is a cultural term reserved for those who identify as Indigenous Native American. Although the term itself became more commonly used around 1990, two spirit people have existed for centuries.
   
• +: A symbol to acknowledge that there are infinitely more identities that fall under the "queer" umbrella term, and a way to acknowledge the need for flexibility and inclusion in our groupings.