Sexuality Terms
Ally: An ally is anyone who works to end oppression within their
personal and professional life especially oppression which they
receive privilege from. For example, a white person who works to end
racism or a straight man who combats homophobia.
Bisexual: This term refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to
people of both sexes.
Gay: A phrase for someone who forms physical and emotional
relationships with persons of the same gender. Gay may be used as an
umbrella term encompassing men, women or the "gay community" but most
commonly refers to men.
Gender Queer: A person who redefines or plays with gender, or who
refuses gender all together. This term may also be used as statement
for those who bend or "break" the rules of gender and blur the
bounderies.
Heterosexism: The belief or assumption everyone is heterosexual and
heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality and results in the
invisibility of anyone who doesn't fit into the heterosexual category.
Homophobia: An irrational fear, hatred or repulsion of homosexuality.
Homosexual: Someone who is physically and emotionally attracted to
people of the same gender. The term was historically used in the
context of illness and abnormal sexual behavior within the medical
world.
Internalized Homophobia: Homophobic messages, stereotypes and negative
labels that are accepted and internalized by a gay, lesbian, bisexual
or transgendered person.
Lesbian: A woman who has physical and emotional relationships with other women.
LGBTT-2IQQ: An acronym for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual,
transgendered, two-spirited, intersexed, questioning and queer.
Queer: Although this word has been used as a derogatory term for gay
men, it is gaining popularity in the LGBTQ community as a political
statement of pride in sexual identity.
Sexual Orientation: This is how an individual identifies sexually, as
in the physical and emotional ways we are attracted people of the same
gender, another gender, or all genders. Sexual identity does not
always correlate with sexual behavior or orientation.