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Biphobia

negative attitudes and reactions directed toward people who are thought to be bisexual, presumably driven by fear of bisexual sexual orientations. Bi-erasure is an example of biphobia and is when bisexual identities are ignored or denied.

Cisgender

someone whose gender identity corresponds to their biological sex assigned at birth. (see Broussard et al., 2017)

Cissexism

prejudice or discrimination against transgender people.

Conversion Therapy

a widely discredited process that involves practices aimed to change one’s sexuality or gender identity. See https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/apa-reiterates-strong-opposition-to-conversion-therapy and

https://www.apa.org/about/policy/sexual-orientation

Demisexual

someone whom experiences sexual attraction only when an emotional bond is formed with another person.

Gay

an identity that signifies a person who is attracted to people of the same sex.

Gender

genders are sets of characteristics that are grouped together culturally and may be associated with a sexual identity (e.g., Southern Belle femininity) or formed in reaction to prior sets of gender characteristics that hold cultural meaning (e.g., drag genders) (see Levitt, 2019)

Gender Expression

the way someone expresses or shows their gender or the way their gender is expressed, typically by their mannerisms and the way they dress, behave, and speak.

Gender Identity

the way someone identifies or labels their sense of gender, typically using an identity that has meaning within their culture. Examples include man, woman, stud, butch, and femme. (see Levitt, 2019)

Genderqueer

someone who considers their gender as both or neither feminine and or masculine, and rejects the idea that there are only two genders. It is a type of non-binary gender identity.

Heterosexism

the assumption that heterosexuality is the “normal” or “standard” form of attraction, and that other sexualities are “abnormal” or deviate from the norm. Homonegating processes are a similar term that views these assumptions as a result of living in a homonegative society (see Russell & Bohan, 2006)

Homophobia

negative attitudes and reactions directed toward people who are thought to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or pansexual, presumably driven by fear of diverse sexual orientations. Homonegating processes are a similar term that views these attitudes as a result of living in a homonegative society (see Russell & Bohan, 2006)

Heteronormativity

the belief that heterosexuality, predicated on the gender binary, is the norm or default sexual orientation. It assumes that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between people of opposite sex.

Intersectionality

a theory that the way that the effects of prejudices/forms of discrimination intersect and overlap in the lives and experiences of marginalized groups of people so they are more than the isolated effects, i.e., stressors from being black and trans, or from being Asian and gay. (Crenshaw, 1989)

Intersex

a term that refers to someone’s biological or physiological sexual characteristics (e.g., genetics, physiology, hormones) being neither entirely in accordance with what is considered to be male nor female.

Lesbian

an identity that signifies that a person identifies as a woman and is attracted to women.

LGBTQ+

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and other people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

Microaggression

offensive and hurtful behaviors that discriminate and express hostility towards marginalized groups, i.e., “You must be sisters” said to a lesbian couple or “You sound white” said to a person of color. (see Sue et al., 2008)

Minority stress

the stigma and prejudice due to their status as minorities on minority groups in addition to the stressors experienced by everyone. Examples of sexual minority stressors include heterosexism, biphobia, transphobia. Examples of other forms of minority stress include racism, sexism, ablism, classism, etc. (see Meyer, 1995)

Neurodiversity

a concept where neurological differences are to be recognized and respected as any other human variation. These differences can include those labeled with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum, Tourette Syndrome, and others. (From: https://neurodiversitysymposium.wordpress.com/what-is-neurodiversity/)

Non-binary

someone who identifies neither as exclusively male or exclusively female, and rejects the idea that there are only two genders (that gender is binary). (see Hyde et al., 2019)

Pansexual

sexual attraction to people of all genders; sexual attraction regardless of gender.

Queer

an umbrella term used to refer to anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+; a term or indicate a non-heterosexual sexual orientation while not wanting to be categorized as LGB.

Romantic Attraction

an emotional response that results in a desire for a romantic relationship with the recipient.

Romantic Orientation

an individual's pattern of romantic attraction based on a person's gender; this is considered distinct from sexual orientation.

Sex

a term that refers to someone’s biological or physiological sexual characteristics (e.g., genetics, physiology, hormones) and whether they are male, female or intersex.

Sexual Attraction

an emotional response that sexual people experience when they find someone sexually appealing and have the desire for sexual contact with the recipient

Sexual & Gender Minorities

groups whose sexual identity, sexual orientation, gender, or practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society — that is, heterosexual and cisgender people.

Stigma

negative stereotypes associated with specific identities.

Transgender

someone whose gender identity does not correspond to the biological sex they were assigned at birth.

Transphobia

negative attitudes and reactions directed toward people who are thought to be transgender or non binary, presumably driven by fear of diverse gender expressions and identities