Definitions

1.    Calling someone by their birth name after they have changed their name. This term is often associated with trans people who have changed their name as part of their transition.

2.    A (typically) straight and/or cis person who supports members of the LGBT community.

3.    An umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.

4.    Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-trans is also used by some people.

5.    Refers to a man who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards men. Also a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality - some women define themselves as this rather than lesbian. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.

6.    Used to describe when a person experiences discomfort or distress because there is a mismatch between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity.

7.    A person’s innate sense of their own gender, whether male, female, or something else, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.

8.    This might be considered a more medical term used to describe someone who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards someone of the same gender. The term ‘gay’ is now more generally used.

9.    An umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. These identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.

10. Refers to a woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards women. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.

11. How a person chooses to outwardly express their gender, within the context of societal expectations of gender. A person who does not conform to societal expectations of gender may not, however, identify as trans.

12. Another way of describing a person’s transition. To undergo some sort of medical intervention, but it can also mean changing names, pronouns, dressing differently and living in their self-identified gender.

13. A term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can also be a way of rejecting the perceived norms of the LGBT community (racism, sizeism, ableism etc). Although some LGBT people view the word as a slur, it was reclaimed in the late 80s by some who have embraced it.

14. A term used to describe a person who may have the biological attributes of both sexes or whose biological attributes do not fit with societal assumptions about what constitutes male or female. These individuals may identify as male, female, or non-binary.

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15. When a lesbian, gay, bi or trans person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is disclosed to someone else without their consent.

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16. The process of exploring your own sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

17. An umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth. These people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman, trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois.

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18. The steps a trans person may take to live in the gender with which they identify. Each person’s transition will involve different things. For some this involves medical intervention, such as hormone therapy and surgeries, but not all trans people want or are able to have this. Transitioning also might involve things such as telling friends and family, dressing differently, and changing official documents.