Gender and Sexuality Terms

Language is constantly evolving, as is evident by outdated and emerging terms in the community. It is important to note that while only you can decide your identities and what labels feel most comfortable, you should not question identities and labels used by others.

This list functions under the pretense of the split attraction model (see below).

  • AFAB

    Assigned Female at Birth.

  • AMAB

    Assigned Male at Birth.

  • Agender

    having no gender, without gender.

  • Asexual (ace)

    experiencing no sexual attraction, also an umbrella term for identities that experience little to no sexual attraction.

  • Aromantic (aro)

    experiencing no romantic attraction, also an umbrella term for identities that experience little to no romantic attraction.

  • Bisexual/Biromantic (bi)

    being attracted (bisexual - sexually attracted; biromantic romantically attracted) to two or more genders.

  • Cisgender (cis)

    identifying with the gender someone was assigned at birth.

  • Demiboy

    a person who feels their gender identity partially identifies with a masculine identity but is not wholly binary.

  • Demigirl

    a person who feels their gender identity partially identifies with a feminine identity, but is not wholly binary.

  • Demisexual

    experiencing little to no sexual attraction without an emotional connection, falling under the ace umbrella.

  • Gay

    While this term originated as the definition for men loving men, the term has now evolved to be used by many people across the gender, sexual attraction, and romantic attraction spectrums. It is also sometimes used by people in the LGBTQA+ community as an umbrella term.

  • Genderfluid

    regarding a person whose gender identity is not fixed or can fluidly vary between multiple gender identities.

  • Genderqueer

    regarding a person who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identifies with no gender, multiple genders, or any combination of genders.

  • Heterosexual

    regarding people who are attracted to people of a different gender from themselves.

  • Intersex

    regarding a person who was unable to be categorized as male or female at birth, due to genital, chromosomal, hormonal, and/or other natural bodily variations that deviate from a binary view of sex.

  • Lesbian

    While this term originated as the definition for women loving women, the term has now evolved to be used by many people across the gender, sexual attraction, and romantic attraction spectrums.

  • Monogamy

    the practice of having only one partner at a time.

  • Nonbinary

    regarding a person who does not identify as a man or woman, or otherwise identifies outside of the gender binary.

  • Pansexual

    attraction to all genders without preference, or regardless of gender.

  • Polyamory

    the practice of engaging in multiple relationships, with the consent of all the people involved.

  • Queer

    originally used as a slur against LGBTQA+ people, now reclaimed and used as an umbrella term for the LGBTQA+ community.

  • Split Attraction Model

    the idea that romantic and sexual attraction are different from each other.

  • Transgender

    regarding someone who identifies with a gender other than the gender they were assigned at birth.

  • Two Spirit

    regarding a Native American identity in which one person contains female and male spirits within them.

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