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Despite changes in legislation and the pursuit of equality, numerous people are still unclear about the various sexual orientations and gender identity classifications.
As this is a confusing topic for us, the older generations, the LGBTQIA Resource Center defines the various ways people identify themselves and their sexual orientations. This is done to raise awareness and educate the public on the changing world.
It is necessary to note that the LGBTQIA Resource Center emphasises that terms and definitions are constantly evolving and changing, and that they often mean different things to different people.
Therefore, is the current list:
Allosexuality: A sexual orientation characterised by sexual attraction or a desire for partnered sexuality.
Androgyne: A person whose gender is both masculine and feminine, or in between masculine and feminine.
Aromantic: A romantic orientation in which there is no romantic attraction or desire for romance. Friendship and other non-romantic relationships can satisfy aromantic people. Many aromantic people identify with a sexual orientation, such as asexual, bisexual, or homosexual.
Asexual: A broad spectrum of sexual orientations generally characterised by feeling varying degrees of sexual attraction or a desire for partnered sexuality. Asexuality differs from celibacy, which is the deliberate avoidance of sexual activity in the face of sexual desire. Some asexual people have sex and have varying degrees of sexual attraction. There are numerous ways to be asexual. A person who does not experience sexual attraction can still experience other types of attraction, such as romantic attraction, because physical and emotional attraction are distinct aspects of a person’s identity. These may or may not be related; for example, some people are both physically and romantically attracted to women. On the other hand, others may be physically attracted to both genders but only emotionally attracted to men.
Bigender: A person who has two genders and exhibits cultural characteristics of masculine and feminine roles.
Bisexual: A person whose primary sexual and affectionate orientation is toward people of the same and different genders, or toward people of any gender. Bisexual and pansexual are terms that some people use interchangeably.
Butch: A gender expression that conforms to societal masculinity definitions. Typically used by lesbians and other queer women and trans people. Some people consider “butch” to be a gender identity in and of itself.
Cisgender: a gender identity or performance in a gender role that society believes corresponds to the person’s assigned sex at birth. The prefix cis- means “on this side of” or “not across.” A term used to emphasise the privilege of non-transgender people.
Cross Dresser (CD): A term used to describe someone who dresses, at least partially, as a member of a gender other than their assigned sex; it has no sexual orientation implications. “Transvestite” has been replaced.
Demisexual: Demisexuality is a sexual orientation in which someone feels sexual attraction only to people with whom they have an emotional bond. When compared to the general population, most demisexuals experience sexual attraction only infrequently, and some have little to no interest in sexual activity. Demisexuals are classified as being on the asexual spectrum.
Drag King: A person (usually a woman) who dresses as a man. In general, when referring to an act or performance. This has no bearing on one’s gender identity.
Drag Queen: A person (often a man) who appears as a woman. In general, when referring to an act or performance. This has no bearing on one’s gender identity.
Gay: A sexual and romantic attraction to people of the same gender.
Gender Expansive: An umbrella term used for individuals who broaden their own culture’s commonly held definitions of gender, including expectations for its expression, identities, roles, and/or other perceived gender norms. Individuals who identify as transgender and anyone else whose gender is seen to be broadening the surrounding society’s notion of gender are considered gender expansive.
Gender Fluid/Genderfluid: Someone whose gender identity and presentation shifts, either within or outside of societal, gender-based expectations. Being able to move between two or more genders.
Gender Outlaw: A person who refuses to be defined by conventional definitions of male and female. Kate Bornstein’s “Gender Outlaw”
Gender Nonconforming (GNC): An adjective used to describe people who do not conform to societal expectations of typical gender expressions or roles. Gender expression (how one behaves, acts, and presents themselves to others) is more commonly used than gender identity (one’s internal sense of self).
Gender Queer: Someone whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the dominant societal norm for their assigned sex, is beyond genders, or is a combination of them.
Gender Variant: A person who exhibits characteristics that differ from those expected of the assigned gender.
Heterosexuality: A sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of a gender other than their own.
Homosexual/Homosexuality: An outmoded term for a sexual orientation in which a person is physically and emotionally drawn to people of the same gender. Historically, the term was used to stigmatise gay and lesbian people.
Intersex: An umbrella term for a variety of natural body variations that do not neatly fit into conventional definitions of male or female. Variations in chromosome compositions, hormone concentrations, and external and internal characteristics are examples of intersex variations. Doctors mutilate many visibly intersex people in infancy and early childhood to conform the individual’s sex characteristics to society’s idea of what normal bodies should look like. Intersex people are relatively common, but society’s denial of their existence has left little room for open discussion of intersex issues. Hermaphrodite is an outdated and inaccurate term that has previously been used to describe intersex people.
Lesbian: A woman whose primary sexual and affectionate orientation is toward other women of her own gender. Some nonbinary people, however, identify as lesbians, often because they have a connection to womanhood and are primarily attracted to women. (See also nonbinary below.)
Masculine of Center (MOC): A term coined by B. Cole of the Brown Boi Project to describe people who lean towards the masculine side of the gender spectrum, including lesbian/queer women and trans people. Butch, stud, aggressive/AG, dom, macha, tomboi, trans-masculine, and other identities fall into this category.
MLM: an abbreviation for men who love men, which includes gay men, men who are attracted to men, and men who are attracted to people of other genders.
Monosexual: Individuals who have romantic, sexual, or affectionate feelings for only one gender. The most well-known forms of monosexuality are heterosexuality and homosexuality.
MSM: an abbreviation for men who have sex with other men; they may or may not be gay.
Multisexual: A catch-all term for attraction to more than one gender. It can include sexual attractions such as bisexuality, polyamory, omnisexuality, and others. Some people use the terms interchangeably, while others value the subtle differences between them.
Neutrois: A non-binary gender identity that falls under the umbrellas of genderqueer or transgender. There is no single definition of Neutrois because each person who self-identifies as such has a unique experience with their gender. Neutral-gender, Null-gender, neither male nor female, Genderless, and/or Agender are the most common. (Neutrois.com)
Nonbinary/Nonbinary/Non-binary: A gender identity and experience that embraces a full universe of expressions and ways of being that resonate for an individual, transcending the male/female gender binary. It could be an active resistance to binary gender expectations, or it could be the deliberate creation of new unbounded ideas of self within the world. Some people who identify as nonbinary may have overlap with other concepts and identities, such as gender-expansive and gender nonconforming.
Omnigender: Having all genders. The term is specifically used to refute the idea that there are only two genders.
Pansexual, Omnisexual: Pansexuality and omnisexuality are terms used to describe people who have romantic, sexual, or affectionate feelings for people of all genders and sexes. Has some similarities to bisexuality and polysexuality (not to be confused with polyamory).
Polyamory: Consensual involvement in/openness to multiple loving relationships at the same time. Some polyamorists (polyamorous people) believe that “polyam” is a relationship orientation. Non-monogamy is sometimes used as a catch-all term for all forms of ethical, consensual, and loving non-monogamy.
Polygender, Pangender: Having characteristics of multiple genders and purposefully challenging the concept of only two genders.
Polysexual: Having romantic, sexual, or affectionate feelings for more than one gender. Polygamy is not to be confused with polygamy (above). Has some similarities to bisexuality and pansexuality.
Transgender: An adjective frequently used as an umbrella term and is commonly abbreviated to “trans.” Transgender, or transgender, means that one’s internal knowledge of gender differs from conventional or cultural expectations based on the sex assigned at birth. While transgender can refer to a woman who was assigned male at birth or a man who was assigned female at birth, transgender is an umbrella term that can also refer to someone who identifies as a gender other than woman or man, such as non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, no gender or multiple genders, or someone with another gender identity.
What are your thoughts on the definitions mentioned above? Share your views in the comment section below.
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