TERMINOLOGY

Abrosexual refers to an individual whose sexuality is fluid. For example, someone could be gay one day, then be asexual the next.. While it is possible, for a person's sexual identity to change in some way throughout life, an Abrosexual person's sexuality may change more frequently, over the course of hours, days, months, or years.  

Aceflux is a sexual orientation on the asexual spectrum. It is defined as someone who's sexual orientation fluctuates but generally stays on the asexual spectrum.

Agender - Not having a gender or identifying with a gender. They may describe themselves as being gender neutral or genderless. 

Alloromantic (NO FLAG) - A person who identifies as alloromantic experiences romantic attraction to others.

Allosexual (NO FLAG) - This is an umbrella term. A person who identifies as allosexual typically feels physical attraction toward other people. People who identify with this orientation may also identify with another sexuality, such as being gay, lesbian, or bisexual

Ally - An ally is someone who supports a cause with another individual or group of people. A straight ally is an individual outside of the LGBTQIA+ community that supports their rights for equality and acceptance.

Androsexual - People who consider themselves androsexual feel attraction toward men, males, or perceived masculinity irrespective of whether or not they were assigned male at birth.

Aromantic - Experiencing no romantic attraction to others.

Asexual - Often called “ace” for short, asexual refers to a complete or partial lack of physical attraction or lack of interest in physical activity with others. Asexuality exists on a spectrum, and asexual people may experience no, little or conditional physical attraction. Some types of asexuality include Graysexual and Grayromantic.

Graysexual - Those who are graysexual experience physical attraction either infrequently or not very intensely.

Grayromantic - People who identify as grayromantic may experience romantic attraction either rarely or not very strongly.

Avansexuality (NO FLAG) - Avansexuality is the feeling of attraction to exclusively non-binary individuals.

Bicurious (NO FLAG) - People who identify as bicurious are interested in having an experience with someone of the same gender. The term indicates that the person experiences some uncertainty as to how they identify.

Bigender  - A person who fluctuates between traditionally “male” and “female” gender-based behaviors and identities. 

Biromantic - People who identify as biromantic feel romantic, but not physical, attraction to more than one gender.

Bisexual - A person attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. 

Cisgender (NO FLAG) - A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.  Coming Out (NO FLAG) - The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts and appreciates their sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with others. 

Coming Out (NO FLAG) - The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts and appreciates their sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with others. 

Demiromantic - People who identify as demiromantic only feel romantic attraction to people who they have a strong emotional bond with. 

Demiboy - An identity that describes someone who identifies with both male and agender genders. They do not necessarily identify with both equally, but always identify with both and only male and agender. 

Demigirl - An identity that describes someone who identifies with both female and agender genders. They do not necessarily identify with both equally, but always identify with both and only female and agender. 

Demisexual - A person who identifies as demisexual only feels physical attraction toward a person who they have already established a strong emotional bond with. 

Fa’Afafines (NO FLAG) - In traditional Samoan culture, boys who are born into male bodies who identify as female are known as Fa’Afafines. They are fully accepted into Samoan culture and is considered a "social norm".

Gay - A person who is emotionally, romantically or physically attracted to members of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves.

Gender binary (NO FLAG) - A system in which gender is constructed into two strict categories of male or female. Gender identity is expected to align with the sex assigned at birth and gender expressions and roles fit traditional expectations.

Gender dysphoria (NO FLAG) - Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.

Gender-expansive (NO FLAG) - A person with a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system. Often used as an umbrella term when referring to young people still exploring the possibilities of their gender expression and/or gender identity.

Gender expression (NO FLAG) - 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.

Gender-fluid - A person who does not identify with a single fixed gender or has a fluid or unfixed gender identity.

Gender identity (NO FLAG) - 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 non-conforming (NO FLAG) - 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. 

Genderqueer - Genderqueer people reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as "genderqueer" may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories.

Gynosexual - People who identify as gynesexual feel physical attraction toward women, females, and perceived femininity irrespective of whether or not they were assigned female at birth.

Heteromantic - Those who are heteromantic may experience romantic attraction, but not physical attraction, to those of a different gender.

Heterosexuality (NO FLAG) - People who are heterosexual, or “straight,” typically feel physical and romantic attraction toward people who are of a gender different from their own.

Hijras (NO FLAG) - Hijras have served monarchs in South Asian regions for centuries, and they have their own language, Hijras Farsi. Today, they are considered outsiders in their communities, however, despite of marginalization from the rest of the world,  the Hijras maintain their own language and culture where gender knows no boundaries.

Homoromantic - Homoromantic refers to people who are romantically attracted to those of a similar gender to their own. 

Intersex - Intersex people are born with a variety of differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy. There is a wide variety of difference among intersex variations, including differences in genitalia, chromosomes, gonads, internal sex organs, hormone production, hormone response, and/or secondary sex traits.

Lesbian - A woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves.

LGBTQIA+ (NO FLAG) - An acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and aromantic” with a "+" sign to recognize the limitless sexual orientations and gender identities used by members of our community. 

Muxes (NO FLAG) - Muxes primarily live in Oaxaca State, Mexico and they are people who are born in a male’s body but identify as neither female nor male. Muxes are part of ancient culture in Oaxaca State, and are well-known in the town and culture.

Mx. (NO FLAG) - Is a title (e.g. Mr., Ms., etc.) that is gender neutral. Pronounced miks, (similar to Ms) it is often the option of choice for folks who do not identify as cisgender.  

Neopronouns (NO FLAG) - Pronouns used in place of she/her, they/them, or he/him pronouns. Some examples are xe/xem/xyrs, ze/zem/zirs, and ey/em/eirs. Neopronouns can be used by anyone, but they are  most often used by transgender, non-binary, and/or gender nonconforming people. 

Non-binary - An adjective describing a person who does not identify as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do. 

Pansexual - This sexual orientation refers to people who feel attraction toward people of all genders. An identifier for those who are pan is that gender is not a factor in attraction.

Omnisexual - This sexual orientation refers to people who feel attraction toward people of all genders. An identifier for those who are omni is that gender is not a factor in attraction.

Panromantic - This is a term that refers to those who experience romantic attraction, but not physical attraction, to someone of any gender or sex.

Queer - A term people often use to express a spectrum of identities and orientations that are counter to the mainstream. Queer is often used as a catch-all to include many people, including those who do not identify as exclusively straight and/or folks who have non-binary or gender-expansive identities. This term was previously used as a slur, but has been reclaimed by many parts of the LGBTQ+ movement. 

Questioning (NO FLAG) - A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.  

Same-gender loving (NO FLAG) - A term some prefer to use instead of lesbian, gay or bisexual to express attraction to and love of people of the same gender. 

Sekrata (NO FLAG) - In Madagascar, the Sakalava people recognize a third gender, which they call Sekrata. Boys in Sakalava communities who show "feminine" behavior are raised as girls, and instead of labeling them as gay, they are seen as being born into a male body but identifying as a female. 

Sex assigned at birth (NO FLAG) - The sex, male, female or intersex, that a doctor or midwife uses to describe a child at birth based on their external anatomy.

Sexual orientation (NO FLAG) - An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or physical attraction to other people. Note: an individual’s sexual orientation is independent of their gender identity. 

Skoliosexual - People who identify as skoliosexual typically only feel attraction toward people who are nonbinary.

Spectrasexual - Spectrasexual is a term that describes those who are romantically and physically attracted to multiple sexes, genders, and gender identities but not all of them.

Third Gender (NO FLAG) - A term for a person who does not identify with either man or woman, but identifies with another gender. This gender category is used by societies that recognize three or more genders, both contemporary and historic, and is also a conceptual term meaning different things to different people who use it. 

Transgender - An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.

Transitioning (NO FLAG) - A series of processes that some transgender people may undergo in order to live more fully as their true gender. This typically includes social transition, such as changing name and pronouns, medical transition, which may include hormone therapy or gender affirming surgeries, and legal transition, which may include changing legal name and sex on government identity documents. Transgender people may choose to undergo some, all or none of these processes. 

Two-Spirit - Is an umbrella term traditionally used by Indigenous people to recognize individuals who possess qualities of both genders or multiple sexualities.