WHAT DOES LGBTQ+ MEAN?

LGBTQ+ is an initialism that means:

L Lesbian

G Gay

B Bisexual

T Transgender

Q Queer or Questioning

People often use LGBTQ+ to mean all of the communities included in the “LGBTTTQQIAA”:

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Transsexual 2/Two-Spirit Queer Questioning Intersex Asexual Ally

+ Pansexual + Agender + Gender Queer + Bigender + Gender Variant + Pangender

LGBTQ is the more commonly used term in the community; possibly because it is more user friendly! You may also hear the terms “Queer Community” or “Rainbow Community” used to describe LGBTQ2+ people. This initialism and the various terms are always evolving so don’t try to memorize the list. The most important thing is to be respectful and use the terms that people prefer.

Definition:

Lesbian

A lesbian is a female homosexual: a female who experiences romantic love or sexual attraction to other females.

Gay

Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. Gay is often used to describe homosexual males but lesbians may also be referred to as gay.

Bisexual

Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior toward both males and females, or romantic or sexual attraction to people of any sex or gender identity; this latter aspect is sometimes termed pan-sexuality

Transgender

Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. It is sometimes abbreviated to trans.

Transsexual

experience a gender identity inconsistent or not culturally associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Two-Spirit

Two-Spirit is a modern umbrella term used by some indigenous North Americans to describe gender-variant individuals in their communities, specifically people within indigenous communities who are seen as having both male and female spirits within them.

Queer

Queer is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities that are not heterosexual or cisgender. Queer was originally used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires but, beginning in the late-1980s, queer scholars and activists began to reclaim the word.

Questioning

The questioning of one’s gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation, or all three is a process of exploration by people who may be unsure, still exploring, and concerned about applying a social label to themselves for various reasons.

Intersex

Intersex is a variation in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, or genitals that do not allow an individual to be distinctly identified as male or female.

Asexual

Asexuality (or no sexuality) is the lack of sexual attraction to anyone, or low or absent interest in sexual activity. It may be considered the lack of a sexual orientation, or one of the variations thereof, alongside heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality.

Ally

An Ally is a person who considers themselves a friend to the LGBTQ+ community.

Pansexual

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