Glossary & Symbols

ALLY: Anyone who does not identify as a member of a particular marginalized group, but advocates for equality, integration, and understanding of that group is an ally. The LGBT community embraces heterosexual and asexual allies and appreciates their help in reducing homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, heterosexism, and genderism.

ASEXUAL: Anyone without sexual feelings or a sexual orientation. Many asexual individuals have deep and meaningful relationships with others exclusive of sexual intimacy.

BISEXUAL or BI: Anyone who is emotionally, physically, affectionately, and/or sexually attracted to both men and women and identifies as such is bisexual or bi.

GAY: Any self-identified man who is emotionally, physically, affectionately, and/or sexually attracted to men and identities as a gay man. Some women also identify as gay, preferring the term to lesbian.

GENDER: A sociological construct defining the collection of characteristics that are culturally associated with maleness or femaleness (i.e. masculinity and femininity). Gender is not something that you have; instead, it is something that you learn from others.

GENDER ROLE: The norms of expected behavior for men and women assigned primarily on the basis of biological sex; a sociological construct which varies from culture-to-culture.

HETEROSEXISM: The individual, group, or institutional norms and behaviors resulting from the assumption that all people are heterosexual. This system of oppression assumes that heterosexuality is “natural” or superior to other sexual orientations.

HETEROSEXUAL: Anyone who is emotionally, physically, affectionately, and/or sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex.

HOMOPHOBIA: The fear, hatred, and/ or discomfort with people in the LGBT community.

HOMOSEXUAL: Anyone who is emotionally, physically, affectionately, and/or sexually attracted to people of the same sex.

INTERSEX: Anyone born with sexual traits (chromosomes, anatomy, or hormones) not considered “standard” for either males or females is intersex. Intersex people can be of any sexual orientation and gender identity.

LESBIAN: Any self-identified woman who is emotionally, physically, affectionately, and/or sexually attracted to women and identities as a lesbian female.

SEX: A biological term dividing a species into male or female usually based on sex chromosomes (XX female, XY male), hormone levels, secondary sex characteristics, and internal and external genitalia.

SEXUAL OREINTATION: An enduring emotionally, physically, affectionately, and/or sexually attraction to another person.

TRANSGENDER: Anyone whose gender identity (inner sense of being a woman, man, or another gender), gender expression (outward display of one’s gender identity) or behavior is different from what is traditionally associated with their biological sex and who identifies as transgender. This umbrella term may include people who have altered or wish to alter their bodies and/or self-presentation to match their gender, and people who do not wish to change their bodies but who nonetheless transgress gender boundaries in some way (for example: people with androgynous gender presentation, cross-dressers, etc.) Remember: A person who identifies as transgender can be of any sexual orientation.

TRANSSEXUAL: Anyone whose gender identity (inner sense of being a woman, man, or another gender), gender expression (outward display of one’s gender identity) or behavior is different from what is traditionally associated with their biological sex and is in the process of physically altering their sex to fit their identity. Remember: A person who identifies as transsexual can be of any sexual orientation.

QUEER: A reclaimed term, more individuals than ever are identifying their sexual or gender identities as queer, embracing the fluidity of the term, and the culture and history of academics, arts, and politics that fall into this non-conforming category.

QUESTIONING: Questioning is very common when it comes to issues as complex as sexuality and gender. It is okay not to know what you think or where you fit. Just remember; you are not alone and there are many resources to help you in cluding LGBT Programs & Services. Many organizations and colleges/universities will utilize a variety of symbols that show support for LGBT individuals. Here are a few:

	Pink Triangle This symbol was originally used by Nazi Germany to identify openly or supposed homosexual individuals in concentration camps. In the 1970s the symbol was adopted by the Gay Liberation Movement as a symbol of Pride.
	Rainbow Pride Flag Developed in 1978 by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker, the rainbow flag is now the most common symbol used by the LGBT community. The colors symbolize the diversity of the community and displaying this flag can be a show of support or designate an area as “gay friendly.” Each color has a meaning: red represents life, orange represents healing, yellow represents sunlight, green represents nature, blue represents serenity, and lavender represents spirit.
	Transgender Symbol This symbol is used as a pride symbol for transgender individuals and is also used similarly to the symbols for “male” and “female” from which they originate.
	Bisexual Pride Flag This symbol is one of pride for bisexual individuals featuring interlocking blue and pink colors (to represent males and females) to create purple (demonstrating bisexual individuals’ emotional, romantic, sexual, affectionate, and relational attraction to both men and women).
	Lambda From the Greek letter “L” this symbol was originally used by the Gay Activists Alliance in New York in 1970. The symbol is used today by one of the largest LGBT law firms, Lambda Legal. Lambda commonly represents a “force for positive change.”
	Equality Symbol Utilized by the Human Rights Campaign, the blue and yellow equality symbol is an international symbol of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.