Glossary
Terms and definitions relating to sexual orientation, gender identities and gender expression (SOGIE) and LGBTQ+ and gender diverse people.
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Bisexual | Refers to a person (cisgender and transgender) who is romantically and/or sexually attracted to men and women. |
| Cisgender | Refers to a person who feels that the identity assigned to him or her at birth is in line with his or her feelings, the way they see themselves, and their lived experiences. For example, a baby who is given a female identity based on assumptions of their genitals, finds that the assigned identity matches their feelings, the way they see themselves, and their life experiences. |
| Conversion Practices | Sustained and deliberate efforts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. These practices are often referred to as "conversion therapy", though they do not have therapeutic value and have been rejected as harmful by leading healthcare associations, and often take place outside of healthcare settings. |
| Gay | Refers to men (cisgender and transgender) who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to men (cisgender and transgender). |
| Gender | The social and cultural codes (linked to but not congruent with ideas about biological sex) used to distinguish between society's conceptions of "feminity" and "masculinity". |
| Gender Expression | Refers to the way we express our gender through actions and characterization, including dress, speech and behaviour. A person’s gender expression is not necessarily ‘aligned’ with sex, gender identity or sexual orientation. |
| Gender Identity | Refers to the profound experiences felt by each individual regarding their gender identity, which may or may not match the identity assigned at birth. This includes their feelings about the body (which may involve, if freely chosen, modification of the appearance or function of the body through medical processes, surgery, or other means) and expression of their gender identity through, dress, speech and actions or movements of the body. |
| Gender Nonconforming | Behaving or appearing in ways that do not fully conform to socially prescribed gender roles and norms. |
| Gender-Diverse | Umbrella term used to include non-binary, fluid gender, non-conforming gender and so on. |
| Heterosexual | The sexual orientation of a person whose primary sexual and romantic attraction is toward people of another sex. |
| Homophobia | Fear of, contempt of, or discrimination against homosexuals or homosexuality, usually based on negative stereotypes of homosexuality. |
| Homosexual | The sexual orientation of a person whose primary sexual and romantic attraction are toward people of the same sex. |
| Intersex | Refers to individuals born with sex characteristics, which include genitals, gonads and chromosomal patterns, that are beyond the binary understanding of the male and female bodies. |
| Lesbian | Refers to women (cisgender and transgender) who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to women (cisgender and transgender). |
| LGBT | Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; an inclusive term for groups and identities sometimes also grouped as "sexual and gender minorities" |
| LGBTI/LGBTQ/LGBTIQ/LGBTQI | Umbrella terms used to refer inclusively to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender along with those who are queer and/or intersex. |
| Mak Nyah | Transgender woman |
| Non-Binary | Umbrella term used for people who identify as both, a combination of, or neither of the two available models of gender. |
| Queer | Acts as an umbrella term for LGBTQ. It can refer to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. In terms of sexual orientation, it refers to romantic and/or sexual attraction that is not determined by one’s gender identity. |
| Sex | Refers to a combination of genitals and other reproductive anatomy, chromosomes and hormones, and other physical characteristics that may be present due to puberty. |
| Sexual Orientation | Refers to sexual and/or romantic attraction. |
| Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Change Efforts | Attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, which may include conversion practices. |
| Transgender | Transgender is also an umbrella term used for persons who do not identify with the assigned identity at birth. Trans is short for transgender. The trans umbrella include trans men, trans women, gender-non binary or genderqueer identities. |
| Transgender Men | Persons designated female at birth but who identify and may present themselves as men. Transgender men are generally referred to with male pronouns. |
| Transgender Women | Persons designated male at birth but who identify and may present themselves as women. Transgender women are generally referred to with female pronouns. |
| Transphobia | Fear of, contempt of, or discrimination against transgender persons, usually based on negative stereotypes of trangender identity. |