Inclusive Youth Literature: LGBTQIA

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexuality.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for more helpful definitions.

article: Reading LGBTQ-Inclusive Children's Books in Schools

DEFINITIONS

Ace - Someone who identifies as asexual.

Agender – A person without gender. An agender individual‟s body does not necessarily correspond with their lack of gender identity. Often, agender individuals are not concerned with their physical sex, but some may seek to look androgynous. [Related Terms: neutrois, genderless, gender neutral]

Alloromantic – Someone who is not on the aromantic spectrum.

Allosexual – Someone who is not on the asexual spectrum.

Androgynous - dentifying and/or presenting as neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine.

Aromantic; Aro – Person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others.

Asexual - The lack of a sexual attraction or desire for other people.

Bear – 1. A gay or bisexual man who has facial/body hair and a cuddly body. 2. An umbrella term that is often defined as more of an attitude and a sense of comfort with natural masculinity and bodies.

Bicurious – A person who identifies as gay or straight while showing some curiosity for a relationship or sexual activity with a person of a sex/gender they do not usually engage with. [Related terms: heteroflexible, homoflexible]

Bigender – A person whose gender identity is a combination of or alternation between two genders.

Biphobia - Prejudice, fear or hatred directed toward bisexual people.

Bisexual - 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.

Brown Boi – A masculine of center person of color.

Butch – 1.A person who identifies themselves as masculine, whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally 2. Sometimes used as a derogatory term for lesbians, but it can also be claimed as an affirmative identity label.

Cisgender – someone who feels comfortable with the gender identity assigned to them based on their physical sex.

Cisgender Privilege – The set of privileges conferred to people who are cisgender (some of which are conferred conditionally to transgender people who are perceived to be cisgender). (Examples: having one‟s gender pronouns used correctly, no harassment in public restrooms, no barriers to correct name and gender marker documentation, no denial of expected access to health care, etc.)

Cissexism – A pervasive and institutionalized system that “others” transgender people by treating their needs and identities as less important than those of cisgender people. Any attitude, action, or practice – backed by institutional power – that subjugates people because of their status as transgender.

Closeted - Describes an LGBTQ person who has not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Cross-dressing – Wearing clothing that conflicts with the traditional gender expression of your sex and gender identity (e.g., a man wearing a dress) for any one of many reasons, including relaxation, fun, and sexual gratification.

Demiromantic – A person who does not experience romantic attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone.

Demisexual – A person who does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone. It's more commonly seen in but by no means confined to romantic relationships.

Drag – The performance of one or multiple genders theatrically.

Femme – An individual of any assigned sex who identifies with femininity as dictated by traditional gender roles. A femme person who is read as a woman may often be read as straight or gender normative, even if this is not the case.

Gay - A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender.

Gender – 1. A complex system of roles, expressions, identities, performances, and more that are given gendered meaning by a society and usually assigned to people based on the appearance of their sex characteristics at birth. How gender is embodied and defined varies from culture to culture and from person to person.

Gender Binary – The idea that there are only two genders – male/female or man/woman and that a person must be strictly gendered as either/or. [See also: Identity Sphere]

Gender-expansive - Conveys a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system.

Gender expression - 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 - 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 non-conforming - 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.

Gender Normative – A person who by nature or by choice conforms to gender based expectations of society.

Gender Variance (GV) - Cultural expressions of multiple genders (i.e., more than two) and the opportunity for individuals to change gender roles and identities over the course of their lifetimes.

Genderqueer - 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.

Grey Ace – Someone who identifies as part of the asexual community but does not identify as completely asexual. This differs from demisexuality in that being demisexual is a specific orientation and a grey ace is used as a catch all for any unspecified identity under the Ace umbrella.

Heteronormativity – The assumption, in individuals or in institutions, that everyone is heterosexual, and that heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality, bisexuality, and other sexual orientations.

Heteroromantic – Someone who has romantic feelings for someone of the opposite sex or gender.

Heterosexual – A medical definition for a person who is primarily or exclusively attracted to those of the other binary gender or sex than they have . Also known as „straight.

Homophobia - The fear and hatred of or discomfort with people who are attracted to members of the same sex. 

Identity Sphere – The idea that gender identities and expressions do not fit on a linear scale, but rather on a sphere that allows room for all expression without weighting any one expression as better or more important than another.

Intersex - 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. 

Lesbian - A woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women.

Lipstick Lesbian – Usually refers to a lesbian with a feminine gender expression. Can be used in a positive or a derogatory way, depending on who is using it. Is sometimes also used to refer to a lesbian who is seen as automatically passing for heterosexual.

LGBTQ - An acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.”

Monosexual – Attracted to one gender. May be used for individuals who identify as straight, heterosexual, gay, lesbian, etc.

Non-binary - 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. 

Outing - Exposing someone’s lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender identity to others without their permission. Outing someone can have serious repercussions on employment, economic stability, personal safety or religious or family situations.

Pansexual - Describes someone who has the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.

Polyamory – Refers to having honest, non-monogamous relationships with multiple partners and can include: open relationships, polyfidelity (which involves multiple romantic relationships with sexual contact restricted to those), and sub-relationships (which denote distinguishing between a „primary‟ relationship or relationships and various „secondary‟ relationships).

Queer - A term people often use to express fluid identities and orientations. Often used interchangeably with "LGBTQ."

Queerplatonic – Refers to a relationship that has the sort of intensity, closeness, and emotional connection expected of a romantic relationship, but is not romantic. Often abbreviated to QP, with QPR meaning a QP relationship and QPP standing for QP partner. People who are uncomfortable using the term “queer” use quasiplatonic instead to refer to the same type of relationship.

Questioning - A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Sexual Identity – How a person identifies physically: female, male, in between, beyond, or neither

Sexual orientation - An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.

Transgender – A person who identifies witha gender other than that the gender they were assigned at birth. Sexual orientation varies and is not dependent on gender identity.

Transition – This term is primarily used to refer to the processes a transgender or gender variant person undergoes when changing their bodily appearance (via hormone replacement therapy, surgery, or other medical procedures), gender expression, and/or documentation to be more congruent with the gender/sex with which they identify.n.

Trans feminine – 1. An umbrella term used to describe those who were assigned male at birth (AMAB), but identify as more female than male. Can include both trans women and non-binary trans people. 2. An AMAB person who identifies as trans and to some degree identifies with femaleness or womanhood, but does not identify completely or solely as a woman. It should be noted that trans feminine is not a descriptor of gender expression but of identity. Trans feminine people do not necessarily have to be stereotypically feminine in their interests or even presentation.

Trans masculine – 1. An umbrella term used to describe those who were assigned female at birth (AFAB), but identify as more male than female. Can include both trans men and non-binary trans people 2. An AFAB person who identifies as trans and to some degree identifies with maleness or manhood, but does not identify completely or solely as a man. It should be noted that trans masculine is not a descriptor of gender expression but of identity. Trans masculine people do not necessarily have to be stereotypically masculine in their interests or even presentation.

Trans Man – A man who was assigned female at birth. Signifies that he is a man while still affirming his transgender history.

Transphobia – Direct negative attitudes toward and unfair treatment of those who are transgender or gender non-conforming. Transphobic behavior can range from ridiculing trans* people, to verbal abuse, to acts of physical violence, often including murder. Transphobia can be seen within the LGBQ community, as well as in general society.

Transsexual – A person who identifies as a member of a gender/sex other than the one to which they were assigned at birth. Transsexuals often wish to transform their bodies hormonally and surgically to match their inner sense of gender/sex [See „Transition‟]. Not all people who medically transition identify as transsexual, and as such this label should be used with caution.

Trans Woman – A woman who was assigned male at birth. Signifies that she is a woman while still affirming her transgender history.

Two-Spirit – A Native American term for people who blend the masculine and the feminine. It is commonly used to describe individuals who historically crossed gender. It is often used by contemporary LGBTQ Native American people to describe themselves.  

Ze / Hir / Hirs – Alternate pronouns that are gender neutral and preferred by some gender variant persons. Pronounced /zee/, /heer/, and /heers/, they replace “he”/”she,” “him”/”her,” and “his”/”hers,” respectively.

source: MSU Glossary of LGBTQIA Terms; Human Rights Campaign Glossary of Terms