Queer Youth Rises has curated a glossary to specifically clear up ambiguities any ally or queer individual might have on mainstream and commonly used queer terminologies so that conversations on the topic can be easier, more comfortable, and ultimately normalized. This glossary is, however, not all-encompassing and queer individuals may use other terms to define themselves as well, which is why it’s important to ask instead of assuming.
Terms of Identification:
Ally: A term used to describe someone who advocates for queer individuals, whether on a larger platform or a smaller one, and is an umbrella term that includes cisgender and heterosexual supporters as well as those within the community.
Asexual/Ace: Asexual individuals experience little to no sexual attraction to other people. Since asexuality exists on a spectrum, asexual individuals can experience none, some, or even conditional sexual attraction.
Bisexual: Bisexual individuals experience attraction to 2 or more genders. Mainstream definitions limit this attraction to men and women, but essentially bisexuals can experience attraction to any genders. They may not even be attracted to said genders to the same degree, and may instead “lean” towards one preference. However, that does not, in any manner or form, negate them being bisexual.
Cisgender: Cisgender individuals are people whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at their birth
Feminine-of-center/Masculine-of-center: An individual who presents themselves in a generally more feminine/masculine manner but do not necessarily identify as that gender.
Gay/Homosexual: An individual who is attracted to others of the same gender. Although specific terms like “lesbian” also denote this sexuality, this term is used by males, females and non-binaries alike.
Genderfluid: An individual who has no fixed gender identity and identifies fluidly, meaning their gender fluctuates from time to time. This could be years, months, weeks, or even days.
Non-binary: Individuals who may identify as both a man and woman, somewhere in between, or completely outside these boundaries. Essentially, they do not identify exclusively as a man or woman.
Pansexual: Individuals who face attraction to any gender
Transgender: An umbrella term for individuals whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at work.
Other Mainstream Terms:
Coming out: The process by which an individual either works toward accepting their gender identity or sexual orientation or start opening up to others regarding it.
Feminine-presenting/Masculine-presenting: Used to describe an individual who expresses gender in a typically considered feminine/masculine way. This is often confused with feminine-of-center/masculine-of-center, but is not used to refer to identity, but only how an individual presents themself.
Gender Dysphoria: It is the psychologically recognized distress caused in some individuals when their gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth.
Homophobia: The fear, but more often, hatred, of someone who is attracted to their own gender.
Outing: The disclosure of someone’s gender and/or sexual identity to others without their consent. This can be severely emotionally distressing for the person outed, and may even have significant financial and social impacts for them.
Transitioning: Transitioning consists of an individual undergoing certain changes to represent their gender identity. This may be medical, in the form of reassignment surgeries or hormone therapies; simply social, in which one may change their name and/or pronouns; or legal, by which a person changes their names and pronouns in legal documents.
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