How to Understand Different Sexual Identity Terms
Learn the terms., First, learn about sexual identity., Learn about transgender and intersex people., Learn about nonbinary genders., There's also the Q in the LGBTQIA acronym., Be accepting.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn the terms.
Lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer are the most commonly used ones, but there are more, such as nonbinary and asexual.
Getting some books from the library can help you understand more about these people and how they live. -
Step 2: learn about sexual identity.
Sexual identity defines which gender(s) of people an individual is sexually attracted to.
It says nothing about the way they dress, behave, or present themselves.
Lesbian:
A lesbian is a person who identifies as female that is attracted to another person that identifies as female.
Some fall into the "butch" (masculine) or "femme" (feminine) categories.
However, their gender presentation is usually more nuanced than that, and not every lesbian couple is a mixture of the two.
Gay:
Gay is a term to refer to all homosexual people, male or female, while lesbian is strictly for women.
Gay men can be masculine, feminine or in between.
Straight:
A person of ether gender attracted to the opposite gender.
Also called heterosexual.
Asexual:
A person who experiences little to no sexual attraction.
They may still fall in love, however.
For example, a panromantic asexual is capable of falling in love with someone of any gender, while a homoromantic asexual only falls in love with people of their gender.
There are many sub-categories in this identity, so it all depends on how a person feels about themselves.
Aromantic:
A person that does not feel romantic attraction (but can be sexually attracted to someone if they are not also asexual).
Bisexual:
A person of either gender, that likes people of both their gender and other genders.
In contrast to pansexuals, gender usually plays a role in their attractions.Pansexual:
Sometimes described as 'gender blind'
a pansexual is attracted to men, women and everything in between (agender etc.).
Also known as omnisexual. , Transgender people identify as a different gender than the sex they were assigned at birth.
They usually figure this out in childhood, and then transition to their real gender (if the environment allows).
Their "real name" and "real gender" are the ones that they prefer.
Transman/Transgender man/FTM/AFAB man (Assigned Female At Birth):
A man who was thought to be a girl when he was born.
Transwoman/Transgender woman/MTF/AMAB woman (Assigned Male At Birth):
A woman who was thought to be a boy when she was born.
Transsexual:
A person who has undergone sex change surgery so that their genitals match their gender.
This term is rarely used because some transgender people do not need surgery to feel comfortable with their bodies,and some people consider it offensive.
Most transgender people do not use this word at all because the word has "sexual" in it, which usually points to sexual orientation, and gender has nothing to do with your sexuality.
Intersex:
A person whose genitals did not neatly fit into the "male" or "female" category when they were born.
An intersex person may be of any gender. , Some people do not feel that they are male or female, and believe that a different label best fits them (if a label fits at all).
Genderqueer:
An umbrella term people use to refer to not cisgender.
Nonbinary:
An umbrella term people use to refer to a person who does not identify as male or female, and may use gender neutral pronouns.
Bi-gender:
A person who switches between two genders, usually masculine and feminine gender-type behaviour depending on the situation.
Genderfluid:
A person who flows between two or more gender presentation, sometimes feeling male, sometimes female, sometimes others regardless of their birth gender.
Neutrois/Neuter/Agender:
A person who feels no gender.
Androgyne:
A person who is multiple genders at the same time, or middle gender. , It stands for "queer" or "questioning." Queer:
An umbrella term people use to refer to anything in the LGBTQIA+ acronym.
Questioning:
People that are of any gender or circumstance that feel they may be one of the above sexualities or gender identities. , Show sympathy and compassion for diverse people.
Understand that there is more than one kind of couple and that love comes in many forms.
LGBTQ people are your neighbors, family members, friends, peers, co-workers, and classmates.
They are individuals, not what Hollywood stereotypes them, and are humans with dreams, feelings, and talents, just like you! -
Step 3: Learn about transgender and intersex people.
-
Step 4: Learn about nonbinary genders.
-
Step 5: There's also the Q in the LGBTQIA acronym.
-
Step 6: Be accepting.
Detailed Guide
Lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer are the most commonly used ones, but there are more, such as nonbinary and asexual.
Getting some books from the library can help you understand more about these people and how they live.
Sexual identity defines which gender(s) of people an individual is sexually attracted to.
It says nothing about the way they dress, behave, or present themselves.
Lesbian:
A lesbian is a person who identifies as female that is attracted to another person that identifies as female.
Some fall into the "butch" (masculine) or "femme" (feminine) categories.
However, their gender presentation is usually more nuanced than that, and not every lesbian couple is a mixture of the two.
Gay:
Gay is a term to refer to all homosexual people, male or female, while lesbian is strictly for women.
Gay men can be masculine, feminine or in between.
Straight:
A person of ether gender attracted to the opposite gender.
Also called heterosexual.
Asexual:
A person who experiences little to no sexual attraction.
They may still fall in love, however.
For example, a panromantic asexual is capable of falling in love with someone of any gender, while a homoromantic asexual only falls in love with people of their gender.
There are many sub-categories in this identity, so it all depends on how a person feels about themselves.
Aromantic:
A person that does not feel romantic attraction (but can be sexually attracted to someone if they are not also asexual).
Bisexual:
A person of either gender, that likes people of both their gender and other genders.
In contrast to pansexuals, gender usually plays a role in their attractions.Pansexual:
Sometimes described as 'gender blind'
a pansexual is attracted to men, women and everything in between (agender etc.).
Also known as omnisexual. , Transgender people identify as a different gender than the sex they were assigned at birth.
They usually figure this out in childhood, and then transition to their real gender (if the environment allows).
Their "real name" and "real gender" are the ones that they prefer.
Transman/Transgender man/FTM/AFAB man (Assigned Female At Birth):
A man who was thought to be a girl when he was born.
Transwoman/Transgender woman/MTF/AMAB woman (Assigned Male At Birth):
A woman who was thought to be a boy when she was born.
Transsexual:
A person who has undergone sex change surgery so that their genitals match their gender.
This term is rarely used because some transgender people do not need surgery to feel comfortable with their bodies,and some people consider it offensive.
Most transgender people do not use this word at all because the word has "sexual" in it, which usually points to sexual orientation, and gender has nothing to do with your sexuality.
Intersex:
A person whose genitals did not neatly fit into the "male" or "female" category when they were born.
An intersex person may be of any gender. , Some people do not feel that they are male or female, and believe that a different label best fits them (if a label fits at all).
Genderqueer:
An umbrella term people use to refer to not cisgender.
Nonbinary:
An umbrella term people use to refer to a person who does not identify as male or female, and may use gender neutral pronouns.
Bi-gender:
A person who switches between two genders, usually masculine and feminine gender-type behaviour depending on the situation.
Genderfluid:
A person who flows between two or more gender presentation, sometimes feeling male, sometimes female, sometimes others regardless of their birth gender.
Neutrois/Neuter/Agender:
A person who feels no gender.
Androgyne:
A person who is multiple genders at the same time, or middle gender. , It stands for "queer" or "questioning." Queer:
An umbrella term people use to refer to anything in the LGBTQIA+ acronym.
Questioning:
People that are of any gender or circumstance that feel they may be one of the above sexualities or gender identities. , Show sympathy and compassion for diverse people.
Understand that there is more than one kind of couple and that love comes in many forms.
LGBTQ people are your neighbors, family members, friends, peers, co-workers, and classmates.
They are individuals, not what Hollywood stereotypes them, and are humans with dreams, feelings, and talents, just like you!
About the Author
Aaron West
Brings years of experience writing about DIY projects and related subjects.
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