Ace is a term to describe people who identify as asexual. Asexuality is where one does not experience sexual attraction. Find more resources here!
Agender describes individuals who identify as having no gender. As with all folx, it is important to remember they may use any pronouns, so it is always important to ask! For more information, have a look at this article from Teen Vogue.
An ally is a person who supports the LGBTQIA+ community, in whichever ways they can. If you'd like to read more about being an ally or how to be a better one, see this article from Vox.
An abbreviated term for those who identify as aromantic, that is, someone who does not experience romantic attraction. Find more resources here!
Bi is an abbreviation that is typically used to describe bisexuals. Bi is a prefix that is also used for bigender (see below) and biromantic (a person who is romantically attracted to multiple genders). To find out more information on bisexuality check out the Bisexual Rescource Centre and this article from Them.
Bigender typically describes a person whose gender expression encompasses more than one gender. Check out this article from Pride.com about dating as someone bigender.
Butch, historically, has been used to describe a lesbian with masculine traits, originating from Polari. This term has expanded to encompass other queer identities presenting overtly masculine traits. This article about #ButchAppreciationDay gives some more info about being butch.
The term 'Daddy' predates the 1930s when it was first recorded (from what we can find) as a term of endearment in the queer women's community. The term has expanded to include other queer identities and is often used subversively.
Dish is a Polari term meaning a handsome person.
Enby comes from non-binary (or N.B.), which is an umbrella term to describe people out of the gender binary (not male or female). This doesn't fit everyone who falls outside of the gender binary though, so it's always important to check! Find out more here.
Femme appears to have orginated in the lesbian community to describe a woman with feminine traits (as opposed to butch). This has expanded beyond this community and is now used to describe people in many queer groups. Dive into more reading with this article from Bustle.
Gay is the term typically used for homosexual man. It historically has been a slur and the origin is often cited to mean happy or cheerful. We have also found evidence (circa 1930) it was used as a term to describe ‘leading an immoral or a harlots life’. A ‘Gay House’ was also a term to describe a brothel. The term widely is considered to have been reclaimed now- this article from Reach Out describes more about the term gay and points to consider if you think you might be gay.
Genderfulid typically describes someone whose gender may move within the gender spectrum. This many mean they could identify as multiple genders. This video from Angel and Nicole explains what it is like to be genderfluid (from their perspective).
Genderqueer people exist outside of the binary of the two genders, but can be deliberately ambiguous to what that may mean for them personally. This means genderqueer often can overlap into other gender identities. This article from Healthline explains more.
Inter is the abbreviated term for intersex folx. Intersex people are those who's sex characteristics do not fit into the binary of male and female. Around 1.7% of people are intersex, approximately the same as those with red hair, according to Amnesty.
Lesbian is the tradional term for a homosexual woman. It originated from the island of Lesbos where Sappho, a Greek poet, lived. It is widely considered (though debated) that Sappho was a lover of women, due to the fact that they were often the subjects of her poetry.
Similar to agender, neutrois describes an individual who is gender neutral. Neutrois.com has more information and resources for those wanting to read more and information on other non-binary genders.
See 'Enby; above!
Pan is an abbreviation of pansexual. 'Pan' is the prefix from meaning 'all' from ancient Greek. A pansexual person is someone who is attracted to people regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Some famous pansexuals include Deadpool, Cara Delevingne and Janelle Monáe identifies with some aspects of pansexuality.
Polari is a British language that was use by queer folx when being LGBT+ was illegal. The slang language is now in danger of dying out and only having limited documentation.
Polone
Polone is the polari term for woman.
Queer is a reclaimed term that is a 'catch all'. It covers many intersections of the community and means different things to different people, find out more in this article from Them.
An umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same or does not fully match the sex they were assigned at birth. Trans people may use a variety of different terms to describe themselves including others in this glossary.
Two spirit is a term which (in very simple terms) describes someone who has both a masculine and feminine spirit. It is a term used by the Indigenous populations in North America as an umbrella term that has many more within it. Pink News has an article detailing more about two spirit people.
*This is not an exhaustive list and we're always keen to add more, so let us know there's anything missing you'd like added. We try to include any that have been or will be on our garments. For resources on more terms please see Stonewall, Human Rights Campaign and/or GLAAD.
Copyright © All Rights Reserved QueerTM
