Understanding LGBTQ+ Terminology: Definitions and Language to Know
The last few years has seen an increase in awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. Nevertheless, many people are still not well-versed with the terminologies used in this group. Consequently, individuals of different sexual orientation and gender identities face unintentional insensitivity or even discrimination.
This blog post serves as a summary of some most common LGBTQ+ terminologies and definitions. We can thus become more empathetic to people of all sexual preferences and gender identities by understanding better how they talk among themselves.
A person’s emotional, romantic, and/or sexual feelings towards others is what is referred to as their sexual orientation. There are several such orientations which include:
Heterosexual: attraction to people who belong to opposite sex
Homosexual: attraction to someone who shares the same sex
Bisexual: attraction towards both sexes
Pansexual: an attraction for any sex
Asexual: a lack of attraction for either sex
Gender Identity
Gender identity means how one personally experiences their own gender regardless if it aligns with birth-given biological sex or not. Some common genders include:
Female: a person who considers herself as a woman
Male: a person who considers himself as being male
Non-binary: neither male nor female but sometimes may be both at once. It all depends on how one feels at any given time.
Transgender: when someone realises that his/her true self does not match their birth-assigned sexual category, he/she is described as transgender.
Terminology and Language
There are some terms commonly used by those within the LGBTQ+ community:
Coming out: The process of informing someone about your sexual orientation or gender identity.
Queer: An inclusive term that refers to anyone who identifies as heterosexual or does not fit into traditional stereotypes based on gender-related expectations.
Ally:Any individual offering support for LGBTQ+ members irrespective of whether they identify with these groups or otherwise.
Deadname: Refers to a name given to a transgender person when they were born, but no longer use it after transitioning to their true gender identity.
Misgendering: Refers to using someone’s wrong pronouns as well as other language that does not concur with their gender identity.
We can make our society more welcoming and accepting of people having different sexual orientations or gender identities by gaining awareness about the terms used among them and applying them appropriately.
Conclusion
To be able to be sensitive towards everyone visiting us irrespective of all sexual orientations as well as gender identities, we should be familiar with LGBTQ+ terminology. Language and terms always change hence it is always important to follow up on new developments for your consideration.
Towards this more inclusive world, let us each play our part in making sure that everyone can live anywhere without prejudice against his/her sexual orientation or gender identity.