LGBTQ Definitions
Ally |听A person who is not LGBTQ but shows support for LGBTQ people and promotes equality in a variety of ways.
Androgynous |听Identifying and/or presenting as neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine.
Androsexual |听A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted听to masculinity or people with masculine traits regardless of听 their own, or the other person's gender identity.
Asexual |听The lack of a sexual attraction or desire for other people.
Bisexual |听A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.
Cisgender |听A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.
Gay |听A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender.
Gender dysphoria |听Clinically significant distress caused when a person鈥檚 assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. According to the American Psychiatric Association鈥檚 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the term 鈥 which replaces Gender Identity Disorder 鈥 鈥渋s intended to better characterize the experiences of affected children, adolescents and adults.鈥
Gender-expansive |听Conveys a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system.
Gender expression |听External appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut 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 |听According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a person who does not identify with a single fixed gender; of or relating to a person having or expressing a fluid or unfixed gender identity.
Gender identity |听One鈥檚 innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither听鈥 how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One鈥檚 gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.
Gender non-conforming |听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.
Genderqueer |听Genderqueer people typically 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.
Gender transition |听The process by which some people strive to more closely align their internal knowledge of gender with its outward appearance. Some people socially transition, whereby they might begin dressing, using names and pronouns and/or be socially recognized as another gender. Others undergo physical transitions in which they modify their bodies through medical interventions.
Gender X |听Gender X refers to Colorado law allowing for intersex individuals to have birth certificates issued as X rather than male or female.
Gynosexual |听A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted听to femininity or people with feminine traits regardless of their own, or the other person's gender identity.
Intersex听|听An umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. In some cases, these traits are visible at birth, and in others, they are not apparent until puberty. Some chromosomal variations of this type may not be physically apparent at all.听
Lesbian |听A woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women.
LGBTQ |听An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual,听transgender and queer.
Non-binary听|听An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively 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 completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do.听
Pansexual |听Describes someone who has the potential for听emotional, romantic or sexual attraction听to people of any gender听though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.
Queer |听A term people often use to express fluid identities and orientations. Often used interchangeably with LGBTQ.
Questioning |听A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Same-gender loving |听A term some prefer to use instead of lesbian, gay or bisexual to express attraction to and love of people of the same gender.听
Sex assigned at birth听|听The sex (male or female) given to a child at birth, most often based on the child鈥檚 external anatomy. This is also referred to as assigned sex at birth.
Sexual orientation |听An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.
Transgender |听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.
Transphobia |听The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, transgender people.