The LGBTQ+ glossary: 53 terms you should know when you're talking about gender and sexuality

Canela LópezFeb 19, 2021, 04:47 IST

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Words to describe the spectrums of gender and sexuality and the experiences of being LGBTQ are ever evolving.
Insider has compiled a comprehensive list of terms regarding sexuality, gender, and gender expression.

The list of LGBTQ-related terms is always evolving to encapsulate every queer identity.

Insider has put together a list of terms on gender and sexuality to best describe everything under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.

This is an ever-expanding list, as language is always evolving and growing to best suit our changing perceptions of gender, sexuality, and queerness.

Agender (adj.): someone who is genderless and does not identify as a man, a woman, or any gender along the nonbinary spectrum

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Androgenous (adj.): a person who presents their gender in a fluid way that incorporates both typically feminine and masculine traits

Zackary Drucker/The Gender Spectrum Collection

Androsexual (adj.): a person who is attracted to people on the masculine side of the gender spectrum

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Aromantic (adj.): a person who has little to no romantic attraction to people

Zackary Drucker/Gender Spectrum Collection

Asexual (adj.): a person who has little to no sexual attraction to people

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Ballroom culture (noun): a subculture created by Black and Latinx queer communities in the 1920s where people dress up and are scored based on their presentation

Indya Moore as Angel on FX's "Pose." FX

Bicurious (adj.): a person who is questioning whether they're attracted to people of multiple genders

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Bigender (adj.): a person who fluctuates across two or more genders on the spectrum or identifies as two or more genders

Zackary Drucker/The Gender Spectrum Collection

Binder (noun): a vest used to compress someone's chest to give it a flatter appearance, often used by trans men and nonbinary people

GC2B

Biphobia (noun): the specific discrimination that bisexual people face for being bi

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Bisexual (adj.): a person attracted to more than one gender

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BTLM (noun): an abbreviation for Black Trans Lives Matter; used as a chant to protest the epidemic of violence against trans Black women and femmes

People take part in an All Black Lives Matter march, organized by Black LGBTQ+ leaders, in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 14, 2020. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu

Butch (noun and adj.): a queer person who identifies as masculine

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Cisgender (adj.): someone whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth

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Cis-het (adj.): short for "cisgender and heterosexual"

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Cissexism (noun): giving cisgender people better treatment than transgender people, whether intentional or not

Zackary Drucker/The Gender Spectrum Collection

Closeted (adj.): a person who is not openly out about their gender or sexuality

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Coming out (verb): when a person tells people about their gender or sexuality

People take part in the Berlin Pride 2020 event, in Berlin, Germany, June 27, 2020. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

Crossdressing (verb): dressing in clothes associated with a gender that is not your own

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Demiromantic (adj.): a person who has little to no romantic connection to someone until they have established a strong sexual dynamic

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Demisexual (adj.): someone who cannot feel sexual attraction until they have established an emotional connection with someone

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Down Low (noun): a term that originated in Black and brown communities used to refer to men who outwardly identify as straight but have sex with other men behind closed doors

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Down Low (noun): a term that originated in Black and brown communities used to refer to men who outwardly identify as straight but have sex with other men behind closed doors

Drag (noun): typically associated with gay men dressing up as women, drag refers to the art of a person of any gender identity dressing up extravagantly and performing in a drag show

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Drag (noun): typically associated with gay men dressing up as women, drag refers to the art of a person of any gender identity dressing up extravagantly and performing in a drag show

Dyke (noun): originally used as a slur against masculine lesbians, the term has been reclaimed by some queer people to self-identify

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Femme-of-center (adj.): a queer person who is feminine. Masc-of-center (adj.): a queer person who is masculine.

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Femme (noun and adj.): a queer person who is feminine in ways that break from traditional femininity and is not necessarily a woman

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FtM (adj.): a female-to-male transgender person, or a trans man.

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Gay (adj.): a man who is attracted to other men

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Gender expression (noun): how someone dresses, cuts their hair, or outwardly expresses their gender

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Gender identity (noun): what someone's gender is, regardless of what they were assigned at birth, how they look, or who they are attracted to

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Gender-nonconforming (adj.): a person who does not fit into traditional gender norms, whether because of their gender expression or gender identity

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Genderfluid (adj.): someone who fluctuates along the gender spectrum, sometimes identifying as more masculine and other times as more feminine

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Genderqueer (adj.): a person who does not identify as a man or a woman

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Heterosexual (adj.): a person who is attracted to people of the opposite sex

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Homophobia (noun): discrimination against queer people

A new study suggests homophobia could be a mental illness, but leading experts say it's more of a societal problem. Monika Graff/Getty Images

Intersex (adj.): someone born with sexual characteristics, such as genitalia and hormone levels, that are considered both male and female

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Lesbian (noun and adj.): a woman who is attracted to other women

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LGBTIQA+ (noun): an abbreviation for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual, and more"

The outcome of a scuffle over pride flags at a California farmers' market demonstrates how video footage of bad behavior is having a moment online. Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

Masc (adj.): a queer person who is masculine in ways that break from traditional masculinity and is not necessarily a man

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MtF (adj.): a male-to-female transgender person, or a transwoman.

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Mx. (noun): a prefix used to refer to people who are nonbinary

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Nonbinary (adj.): an umbrella term for a person who does not identify as a man or a woman

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Outing (verb): the act of exposing someone's gender identity or sexuality without their consent

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Pansexual (adj.): someone who is attracted to people of all genders

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Polyamory (noun): the concept of ethical nonmonogamous dating and love

Omar Lopez/Unsplash

Queer (adj.): an umbrella term used to describe LGBTQ+ people

Athena Sylvers addresses the crowd at the Pride Liberation March, an event highlighting the Black Lives Matter movement within the LGBTQ community in Denver, Colorado, U.S., June 14, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

QTPOC (noun and adj.): an abbreviation for "queer transgender people of color"

People participate in a Black Trans Lives Matter rally in the Brooklyn borough in New York City, U.S., June 14, 2020. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

Sex assigned at birth (noun): the sex that doctors assign an infant based on their genitalia

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Sexual orientation (noun): a category that refers to who a person is attracted to

A woman walks past rainbow flags placed on a street during the International LGBT Pride Day, in Villanueva de Algaidas Reuters

Straight (adj.): someone who is heterosexual

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Stud (adj.): a term used to refer to masculine Black lesbians

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Transgender (adj.): a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth

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Two-Spirit (adj.): an umbrella term for Native American nonbinary communities

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The LGBTQ+ glossary: 53 terms you should know when you're talking about gender and sexuality

Agender (adj.): someone who is genderless and does not identify as a man, a woman, or any gender along the nonbinary spectrum

Androgenous (adj.): a person who presents their gender in a fluid way that incorporates both typically feminine and masculine traits

Androsexual (adj.): a person who is attracted to people on the masculine side of the gender spectrum

Aromantic (adj.): a person who has little to no romantic attraction to people

Asexual (adj.): a person who has little to no sexual attraction to people

Ballroom culture (noun): a subculture created by Black and Latinx queer communities in the 1920s where people dress up and are scored based on their presentation

Bicurious (adj.): a person who is questioning whether they're attracted to people of multiple genders

Bigender (adj.): a person who fluctuates across two or more genders on the spectrum or identifies as two or more genders

Binder (noun): a vest used to compress someone's chest to give it a flatter appearance, often used by trans men and nonbinary people

Biphobia (noun): the specific discrimination that bisexual people face for being bi

Bisexual (adj.): a person attracted to more than one gender

BTLM (noun): an abbreviation for Black Trans Lives Matter; used as a chant to protest the epidemic of violence against trans Black women and femmes

Butch (noun and adj.): a queer person who identifies as masculine

Cisgender (adj.): someone whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth

Cis-het (adj.): short for "cisgender and heterosexual"

Cissexism (noun): giving cisgender people better treatment than transgender people, whether intentional or not

Closeted (adj.): a person who is not openly out about their gender or sexuality

Coming out (verb): when a person tells people about their gender or sexuality

Crossdressing (verb): dressing in clothes associated with a gender that is not your own

Demiromantic (adj.): a person who has little to no romantic connection to someone until they have established a strong sexual dynamic

Demisexual (adj.): someone who cannot feel sexual attraction until they have established an emotional connection with someone

Down Low (noun): a term that originated in Black and brown communities used to refer to men who outwardly identify as straight but have sex with other men behind closed doors

Drag (noun): typically associated with gay men dressing up as women, drag refers to the art of a person of any gender identity dressing up extravagantly and performing in a drag show

Dyke (noun): originally used as a slur against masculine lesbians, the term has been reclaimed by some queer people to self-identify

Femme-of-center (adj.): a queer person who is feminine. Masc-of-center (adj.): a queer person who is masculine.

Femme (noun and adj.): a queer person who is feminine in ways that break from traditional femininity and is not necessarily a woman

FtM (adj.): a female-to-male transgender person, or a trans man.

Gay (adj.): a man who is attracted to other men

Gender expression (noun): how someone dresses, cuts their hair, or outwardly expresses their gender

Gender identity (noun): what someone's gender is, regardless of what they were assigned at birth, how they look, or who they are attracted to

Gender-nonconforming (adj.): a person who does not fit into traditional gender norms, whether because of their gender expression or gender identity

Genderfluid (adj.): someone who fluctuates along the gender spectrum, sometimes identifying as more masculine and other times as more feminine

Genderqueer (adj.): a person who does not identify as a man or a woman

Heterosexual (adj.): a person who is attracted to people of the opposite sex

Homophobia (noun): discrimination against queer people

Intersex (adj.): someone born with sexual characteristics, such as genitalia and hormone levels, that are considered both male and female

Lesbian (noun and adj.): a woman who is attracted to other women

LGBTIQA+ (noun): an abbreviation for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual, and more"

Masc (adj.): a queer person who is masculine in ways that break from traditional masculinity and is not necessarily a man

MtF (adj.): a male-to-female transgender person, or a transwoman.

Mx. (noun): a prefix used to refer to people who are nonbinary

Nonbinary (adj.): an umbrella term for a person who does not identify as a man or a woman

Outing (verb): the act of exposing someone's gender identity or sexuality without their consent

Pansexual (adj.): someone who is attracted to people of all genders

Polyamory (noun): the concept of ethical nonmonogamous dating and love

Queer (adj.): an umbrella term used to describe LGBTQ+ people

QTPOC (noun and adj.): an abbreviation for "queer transgender people of color"

Sex assigned at birth (noun): the sex that doctors assign an infant based on their genitalia

Sexual orientation (noun): a category that refers to who a person is attracted to

Straight (adj.): someone who is heterosexual

Stud (adj.): a term used to refer to masculine Black lesbians

Transgender (adj.): a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth

Two-Spirit (adj.): an umbrella term for Native American nonbinary communities