I’ve been thinking a lot lately about labels, especially those that define the communities, histories, and individuals I consider LGBTQ.
Lots of people have lots of (strong) opinions and povs about what those of us who color outside heteronormative lines call ourselves. Some are helpful and insightful. Most, in my opinion, are not.
Since there’s no universally agreed-upon umbrella term, let me be clear (and queer): I use LGBTQ to represent the full Technicolor, rainbow spectrum of gender identities, sexual orientations, and romantic types possible.
To some, LGBTQ might feel like too many letters—or maybe too few.
And that’s fine. You do you, boo. I’ll do me. Can’t make everyone happy, right?
As our understandings of gender and sexuality continue to evolve—like it or not—so does our language and lingo. Slowly. In fits and starts. Just like all of human evolution.
So I thought it would be useful to provide a quick reference what some of these labels and letters mean. What follows are lists of all of the labels I’m aware of at this point.
I’m far from an expert, but the intent of these lists (with Wikipedia links) is to help me show more love (and respect) to all the many branches of the “Rainbow Family” Tree:
SEXUAL ORIENTATION LABELS
LESBIAN (L)
A woman who is attracted to other women
GAY (G)
A person, typically a man, who is attracted to the same gender.
BISEXUAL (B)
Someone who is attracted to more than one gender.
PANSEXUAL (PAN)
Someone who is attracted to people regardless of gender.
ASEXUAL (ACE)
A person who experiences little or no sexual attraction.
Attraction to multiple, but not necessarily all, genders.
GENDER IDENTITY LABELS
TRANSGENDER (T)
A person whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
NONBINARY (NB OR ENBY)
A person whose gender identity doesn’t fit strictly within the categories of male or female.
A catch-all term for people who reject traditional gender distinctions.
GENDERFLUID
A person whose gender identity fluctuates over time.
AGENDER
A person who identifies as having no gender.
BIGENDER
Someone who identifies as two genders, either simultaneously or at different times.TWO-SPIRIT (2S)
A term used by some Indigenous North American cultures to describe a person who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits.THIRD GENDER
Refers to cultures that recognize a gender outside of male or female (e.g., hijra in South Asia, fa'afafine in Samoa).
ROMANTIC ATTRACTION LABELS
AROMANTIC
A person who experiences little or no romantic attraction.BIROMANTIC
Someone who experiences romantic attraction to two or more genders.PANROMANTIC
A person who feels a romantic attraction to people regardless of their gender.DEMIROMANTIC
A person who only experiences romantic attraction after forming a close emotional bond.
RELATIONSHIP ORIENTATION LABELS
POLYAMOROUS
A person who is open to having more than one romantic relationship simultaneously, with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved.MONOGAMOUS
A person who prefers having one romantic partner at a time.
HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TERMS
URANIAN
A 19th-century term used to describe men who are attracted to other men.INVERT
A term from the early 20th century used to describe a person whose gender identity or sexual orientation was perceived as "inverted" from the norm.SAPPHIC
A term referring to women who are attracted to women, derived from the poet Sappho.TRANSSEXUAL
An older term, now less commonly used, for transgender people who have undergone medical interventions (e.g., surgery, hormones) to align with their gender identity.ANDROGYNOUS
Describes a person whose gender expression is a mix of masculine and feminine traits.
OTHER IDENTITIES IN THE LGBTQ SPECTRUM
INTERSEX
A person born with physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.QUEER (Q)
An umbrella term for anyone who does not identify as heterosexual or cisgender; historically used as a slur but reclaimed by many.QUESTIONING
A person who is unsure of or exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.ALLIES (A)
Not LGBTQ+ but supportive of LGBTQ+ rights and community.MSM (MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN)
Often used in a medical or epidemiological context.WSW (WOMEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH WOMEN)
Similarly used for women.GSM (GENDER AND SEXUAL MINORITIES)
A broad, inclusive term.SOGIE (SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, AND EXPRESSION)
Another inclusive term, especially used in policy contexts.
Whatever your preferred flag(s) and label(s), a rose is still a rose.
And like a bunches of roses, the branches of the “Rainbow Family” Tree can be colorful…and full of thorns. So please handle with care and proceed with caution. Show much love and respect too. In other words, be kind…or rewind (elsewhere).
Thanks for reading!
Clint
P.S. The lists above are not intended to be exhaustive. But they do cover many of the contemporary and historical labels that fall under the LGBTQ umbrella. Let me know if you'd like more detail on any particular identity.
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Excellent. All languages are live organisms that grow, evolve and die. Why "organisms"? Because they are us. They are constantly changing, as we are. We create and mold the world around us, as we experience it, generation after generation since the inception of humanity on earth. I have this to say to language "purists" who spew their venom at the young who are creating new modes of communication online and who decry our LGBTQ community for defining who we are with our own lingo: Go to hell!