LGBTQ+ Studies Glossary

A sexual orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction to others, or low interest in sexual activity. Asexuality exists on a spectrum and is distinct from celibacy.

A sexual orientation describing attraction to people of one's own gender and other genders. Bisexuality does not require equal attraction to all genders.

A term describing a person whose gender identity corresponds to the sex they were assigned at birth. Coined to provide a non-stigmatizing complement to 'transgender.'

The societal assumption that all people identify with the gender assigned to them at birth, structuring institutions around a binary gender model.

The process of disclosing one's LGBTQ+ identity to others. Often described as an ongoing process rather than a single event.

Adrienne Rich's concept that heterosexuality is enforced as a political institution through social and cultural mechanisms rather than being a purely natural orientation.

Discredited practices aimed at changing an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, condemned by major medical organizations as harmful and ineffective.

The performance of gender, often in exaggerated form, typically for entertainment purposes. Drag has deep roots in LGBTQ+ culture and history.

The classification of gender into two distinct and opposite categories of masculine and feminine, which queer theory and LGBTQ+ Studies critique as overly restrictive.

Clinically significant distress experienced when a person's gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth. Replaced 'Gender Identity Disorder' in the DSM-5.

The external manifestation of gender through clothing, behavior, hairstyle, voice, and other characteristics that may or may not conform to societal expectations.

A person's internal, deeply held sense of their own gender, which may be man, woman, nonbinary, or another identity.

Judith Butler's theory that gender is produced through repeated acts and behaviors rather than being an innate or essential quality.

The assumption that heterosexuality is the standard or default sexual orientation, embedded in social institutions, laws, and cultural norms.

Jasbir Puar's concept critiquing how some nations use LGBTQ+ rights acceptance to justify nationalistic, racist, or imperialist agendas.

An analytical framework examining how intersecting social identities such as race, gender, sexuality, and class create overlapping systems of discrimination or privilege.

A term for individuals born with sex characteristics (chromosomes, hormones, genitalia) that do not fit typical binary definitions of male or female.

The chronic stress experienced by members of stigmatized minority groups due to prejudice, discrimination, and internalized stigma, as theorized by Ilan Meyer.

A gender identity that does not fit exclusively within the categories of man or woman. Nonbinary people may identify as both, neither, or somewhere along the gender spectrum.

A sexual orientation describing attraction to people regardless of their gender identity. Emphasizes attraction to individuals irrespective of gender.

An umbrella term reclaimed from its previous use as a slur, now used to describe non-normative sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as the academic field of queer theory.

An academic framework that challenges essentialist notions of identity and deconstructs categories of sex, gender, and sexuality as socially produced.

A person's enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction to others, understood as existing on a spectrum.

An umbrella term for individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned to them at birth, encompassing binary and nonbinary identities.

A pan-Indigenous North American term for individuals who embody both masculine and feminine qualities or a distinct gender role within their tribal communities.