Affirmed Gender: The gender that matches someone’s gender identity. For example, if someone was assigned male at birth and identifies as female, their gender affirmation is female.

Agender: A term referring to a person without a specific gender. This can be either a non-binary gender identity or just gender-neutral.

Ally: A person who actively supports and advocates for marginalized groups by working to challenge discrimination and promote belonging, even if they do not belong to those groups themselves.

Biphobia: Prejudice, fear, or discrimination against bisexual people, which can manifest in stereotypes, exclusion, or denial of bisexuality as a valid identity.

Bisexual: A person who is emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to more than one gender. Also called “bi”.

Cisgender: A person whose gender identity and expression matches the gender typically associated with their biological sex. For example: a female who identifies as a woman.

Gay: A sexual orientation describing people who are romantically or sexually attracted to others of the same gender. While often used to refer to men, some women and non-binary individuals also identify as gay.

Gender expression: Refers to the ways in which people externally communicate their gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyle, and voice. It also includes emphasizing, de-emphasizing, or changing their body’s characteristics. Gender expression is not necessarily an indication of sexual orientation.

Gender identity: A person’s deeply felt sense of their gender, which may align with or differ from the sex assigned at birth. Gender identity is not limited to male or female and can be non-binary, fluid, or outside traditional categories.

Gender-fluid: A person who doesn’t identify with one fixed gender or has a fluid gender identity.

Heterosexual: A person who is emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex. Also called “straight”.

Homophobia: Prejudice, fear, or discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, which can manifest in exclusion, harassment, or violence.

Homosexual: A term historically used to describe individuals attracted to the same gender. While still used in medical and legal contexts, many prefer terms like ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ due to the clinical and historical connotations of ‘homosexual.’

Intersex: A term for people born with physical sex characteristics – such as chromosomes, hormones, or anatomy – that do not fit typical definitions of male or female. Intersex is a natural biological variation and is not the same as being transgender.

Lesbian: A woman (assigned at birth or otherwise) who is attracted to other women.

Misgender: The act of referring to someone using pronouns, names, or terms that do not align with their gender identity.

Non-binary:An umbrella term for gender identities that do not fit strictly within the male-female binary. Non-binary people may identify as both, neither, or a different gender altogether.

Pansexual:A sexual orientation describing individuals who experience romantic or sexual attraction to people of all gender identities.

Polysexual: A person who is attracted to multiple, but not necessarily all, genders. Different from pansexuality, which includes attraction to all genders

Pronouns: Words used to refer to people in place of their names, often reflecting their gender identity. Common examples include she/her, he/him, they/them, and neopronouns like ze/hir.

Queer: An umbrella term for individuals whose sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression falls outside of societal norms. While historically used as a slur, it has been reclaimed by many as a term of empowerment.

Sexual orientation: A person’s emotional, physical, and sexual attraction, and the expression of that attraction with other individuals. Some of the better-known labels or categories include “bisexual” (or “multisexual”, “pansexual”, “omnisexual”), “lesbian”, “gay” (“homosexual” is more clinical), or “heterosexual”.

Transgender: A term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender individuals may identify as male, female, non-binary, or another gender. Some may choose to transition socially, medically, or both, while others may not. Being transgender is not dependent on medical procedures, and gender identity is distinct from sexual orientation.

Transphobia: Prejudice, fear, or discrimination against transgender or gender-nonconforming individuals, which can manifest as exclusion, denial of rights, harassment, or violence.

Transsexual: A term used by some transgender individuals to describe their experience of transitioning to align their physical characteristics with their gender identity, often through medical interventions such as hormone therapy or surgery. While historically more common, the term is now considered outdated by many and has largely been replaced by “transgender.”