LGBTQQI2SPAA+
The traditional rainbow flag, introduced in 1977, is known across the world. Its eight stripes became the global symbol championing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people’s equality. The Progress Pride flag was created in 2018 and added a left-hand side chevron of black, brown, light blue, pink, and white stripes to represent people of colour, trans individuals and those living with or who have died from HIV/AIDS. The chevron forms the shape of an arrow to depict the need to drive forward movement. But in 2021 even that was updated. Inside the chevron is a yellow triangle with a purple circle to represent intersex people.
In some indigenous cultures, cross-gendered persons were considered shamans gifted with extraordinary psychic powers, and they assumed special ceremonial roles. In many religions, the gods themselves can transform their sex at will, cross-dress, or are androgynous. The Judeo-Christian heritage, founded on a belief in an exclusively male deity, has frowned on such gender fluidity.
Bi-gendered is one who has a significant gender identity that encompasses both genders, male and female. Some may feel that one side or the other is stronger, but both sides are there. Two-Spirit is a contemporary term that references historical multiple-gender traditions in many First Nations cultures. Many Native/First Nations people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming identify as Two-Spirit; in many Nations, being Two-Spirit carries both great respect and additional commitments and responsibilities to one’s community.
The concept of gender is a social occurrence that describes what it means to be a man or a woman according to society. Ideas of gender are culturally explicit and adjust over time. Biological sex is the physical anatomy and gendered hormones one is born with, generally described as male, female, or intersex, but not to be confused with gender.
Heterosexim is prejudice against individuals and groups who display non-heterosexual behaviors or identities, combined with the majority power to impose such prejudice. Usually used to the advantage of the group in power. Any attitude, action, or practice? backed by institutional power that subordinates people because of their sexual orientation. It was not until a sixth printing in 1973 that homosexuality was removed from the second edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the Mental Disorders (DSM-II) and considered "normal" (DSM–II, 1968). In 1980, the term gender identity disorder was included to describe transgender individuals despite lack of empirical research to support the label.
The term "Cisgender" was coined for someone who feels comfortable with the gender identity assigned to them based on their sex assigned at birth. The longest list by 2015 was twelve letters long (LGBTQQI2SPAA+ - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Intergender, 2 Spirit, Asexual, Ally), and was still not inclusive. In Canada, the June 2019 "The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls" had pruned the list back to ten letters, 2SLGBTQQIA, for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual. This is part of the reason for the push towards new acronyms such as GSD or GS(O)M (Gender and Sexual Diversities or Gender and Sexual Orientation Minorities, respectively).
- LESBIAN: Women who experience sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction to other women.
- GAY: Used in some cultural settings to represent men who are attracted to men in a romantic, erotic and/or emotional sense. Not all men who engage in same gender sexual behavior identify as gay, and as such this label should be used with caution.
- BISEXUAL or BI: A person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction to people of their own gender as well as other genders, not necessarily at the same time, in the same way, or to the same degree.
- TRANSGENDER: A person who lives as a member of a gender other than that expected based on sex or gender assigned at birth. Sexual orientation varies and is not dependent on gender identity.
- TRANS WOMAN: An identity label sometimes adopted by male to female trans people to signify that they are women while still affirming their transgender history.
- TRANS MAN: An identity label sometimes adopted by female to male trans people to signify that they are men while still affirming their transgender history.
- QUEER: A political statement, as well as a sexual orientation, which advocates breaking binary thinking and seeing both sexual orientation and gender identity as potentially fluid. The term is a simple label to explain a complex set of sexual behaviors and desires. For example, a person who is attracted to multiple genders may identify as queer. Many older LGBT people feel the word has been hatefully used against them for too long and are reluctant to embrace it. “Queer” can be used as an umbrella term to refer to all LGBTQI people.
- QUESTIONING: An individual who is unsure of and/or exploring their gender identity and/or sexual orientation.
- INTERSEX: Intersex is a set of medical conditions that feature congenital anomaly of the reproductive and sexual system. That is, intersex people are born with “sex chromosomes,” external genitalia, or internal reproductive systems that are not considered “standard” for either male or female. The existence of intersexuals shows that there are not just two sexes and that ways of thinking about sex (trying to force everyone to fit into either the male box or the female box) is socially constructed.
- AFAB: (pronounced a-fab) Acronym meaning Assigned Female at Birth. . AFAB people may or may not identify as female some or all of the time.
- Affirmed Gender: An individual’s true gender, as opposed to their gender assigned at birth. This term should replace terms like new gender or chosen gender, which imply that an individual chooses their gender.
- Agender: (pronounced a-'jen-d?r) Refers to a person who does not identify with or experience any gender. Agender is different from nonbinary (see Nonbinary) because many nonbinary people do experience gender.
- Ally: A term relating generally to individuals who support marginalized groups. In the LGBTQ+ community, this term is used to describe someone who is supportive of LGBTQ+ individuals and the community, either personally or as an advocate. Allies include both heterosexual and cisgender people who advocate for equality in partnership with LGBTQ+ people, as well as people within the LGBTQ+ community who advocate for others in the community. “Ally” is not an identity, and allyship is an ongoing process of learning that includes action.
- AMAB: (pronounced a-mab) Acronym meaning Assigned Male at Birth. AMAB people may or may not identify as male some or all of the time . AMAB is a useful term for educating about issues that may happen to these bodies without connecting to manhood or maleness.
- Androgynous: Having physical elements of both femininity and masculinity, whether expressed through sex, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Androgyne (pronounced an-druh-jain ) is another term for an androgynous individual.
- AROMANTIC: Sometimes abbreviated as aro (pronounced a-row), the term refers to an individual who does not experience romantic attraction. Aromantic people exist on a spectrum of romantic attraction and can use terms such as gray aromantic or grayromantic to describe their place within that spectrum. Aromantic people can experience sexual attraction.
- ASEXUAL: A person who does not experience sexual attraction. They may or may not experience emotional, physical, or romantic attraction. Asexuality differs from celibacy in that it is a sexual orientation, not a choice. Sometimes abbreviated as ace, the term refers to an individual who does not experience sexual attraction. Each asexual person experiences relationships, attraction, and arousal differently. Asexuality is distinct from chosen behavior such as celibacy or sexual abstinence; asexuality is a sexual orientation that does not necessarily entail specific chosen behaviors. Asexual people exist on a spectrum of sexual attraction and can use terms such as gray asexual or gray ace to describe themselves.
- 2S stands for the identity, “Two Spirited”, an expression most commonly used among people of First Nations’ backgrounds.
- “A” / LGBTQI ALLY: Someone who confronts heterosexism, anti- LGBTQIA biases, heterosexual and cisgender privilege in themselves and others; believes that heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are social justice issues.
- + :
- Agender
- Androgyne
- Androgynous
- Bigender
- Female to Male
- FTM
- Gender Fluid
- Gender Nonconforming
- Gender Questioning
- genderqueer is "an umbrella term for people whose gender identity is outside of, not included within, or beyond the binary of female and male." But everyone's interpretations of their genderqueerness is at least slightly different. Genderqueer is one of the most radical identities, inspired by the queer movement’s effort to “queer” the normalcy of cisgenderness and heterosexuality. People who identify as genderqueer understand that gender is not fixed, but rather something fluid that can change from day to day and even minute to minute.
“Non-binary” is the umbrella term for people who understand their gender as both male and female, neither, or somewhere in between, as well as those who are agender, gender fluid or another gender entirely. Many in this diverse group, prefers to be referred to using gender-neutral words, such as “they,” rather than “he” or “she”. Facebook extended its list of gender options from 2 to 58 in 2014 before allowing users to use their own custom descriptions the following year. Upwards of 50% of millennials believe gender is a spectrum according to a 2015 Fusion poll. Nonbinary, gender nonconforming, gender expansive, genderqueer ? people call it different things.
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