An umbrella term that represents the many words used in Indigenous languages to refer to the interrelatedness of gender, sexuality, community, culture and spirituality. Some Indigenous people identify as Two Spirit rather than, or in addition to, identifying as LGBTQ.*

Describes a woman who is emotionally, romantically and/or sexually attracted to other women. Someone who is a lesbian does not look, dress or act a certain way – they have diverse style and interests like any other woman. Also, a lesbian couple does not need to have a ‘masculine’ partner and a ‘feminine’ partner – they are simply two women who are in a romantic relationship.

This term is used in two ways:

• It can describe anyone who is emotionally, romantically, and/or sexually attracted to members of the same gender. Some people know they are gay as soon as they begin having romantic feelings towards others, sometimes around age 9 or 10, or even younger. Other people discover they are gay over time and through experiences in relationships.
• The term ‘gay’ is also specifically used for a man who is emotionally, romantically, and/or sexually attracted to other men. As with lesbians, gay men do not look, dress, or act in any particular way. Gay couples also do not necessarily have a more ‘feminine’ partner and a more ‘masculine’ partner – they are simply two men in a romantic relationship.
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Describes someone who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to members of their own gender and members of one or more other genders. For example, a bisexual man might be attracted to other men as well as to women and non-binary people. Someone who is bisexual might have a long-term monogamous relationship with one person but that does not mean they are not bisexual.

When babies are born, doctors ‘assign’ them a gender based on their external genitalia. Transgender is a term used to describe people whose gender identity, or their innermost concept of self as a man, a woman, or non-binary is different from the gender they were assigned at birth. This can be based on many things, including cultural expectations of gender. Some transgender people choose to take hormones or undergo surgery to align their bodies with their inner sense of self. However, being transgender does not depend on medically transitioning.

Transgender is often shortened to “trans.” A trans man is a man who was assigned ‘female’ at birth (AFAB) and a trans woman is a woman who was assigned ‘male’ at birth (AMAB), and who have claimed their true gender. Non-binary people or people of other genders can also fall under the umbrella term of transgender since they do not identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.

The term queer began as a slur, but has been reclaimed by some in the Rainbow community, and thus is an inherently political identity. The term queer describes a community as well as an identity. It is a broad term and can include anyone who is not straight (heterosexual) and/or cisgender (aligned to the gender they were assigned at birth). Some people continue to find this term offensive, so it is important that people only use this term as a way to describe themselves and not others. 

Questioning refers to anybody who is exploring their sexuality or their gender identity, but hasn’t yet landed on a label.

An umbrella term for differences in sex traits or reproductive anatomy. Some babies are born with sex characteristics that are not clearly male or female, or develop these characteristics during childhood. These characteristics may be external, like genitalia, or internal, involving reproductive organs. There are also many possible differences in hormones or chromosomes, besides those that typically describe males and females. Some intersex traits are noticed at birth. Others don’t show up until puberty or later in life, and sometimes people never discover they are intersex. Intersex people often face shame – or are forced or coerced into changing their bodies, usually at a very young age. Most surgeries to change intersex traits happen in infancy. *** *****

Means different things to different people, but generally refers to someone who experiences little or no sexual attraction towards others. Asexuality is a sexual orientation. It is different from celibacy or abstinence, in that those are choices to refrain from engaging in sexual behaviors for specific reasons, whereas asexuality is something a person is born with. Someone who is asexual may still be interested in romantic relationships. They may also choose to engage in sexual behaviors for various reasons even while not experiencing sexual attraction. Asexuality is not a medical condition. ****

Describes someone whose inner concept of self is neither man nor woman, both man and woman, or a combination of man or woman. It is sometimes used interchangeably with terms like genderqueer, gender creative, gender nonconforming, gender diverse, gender expansive or gender fluid. People who are non-binary may see themselves as falling under the transgender umbrella, and may identify as transgender. Someone who is non-binary may prefer gender neutral terms and pronouns, such as they/them. It is important to ask them which pronouns you should use. Non-binary is sometimes abbreviated as NB or Enby. However, it’s important to note that NB can also stand for “non-Black people of color” so “non-binary” should be used when speaking outside of the full acronym. Additionally, not all non-binary people use the term enby to describe themselves so unless it’s a term an individual person uses to describe themself, “non-binary” should be used. Agender can also fall under non-binary, and describes a person who has no sense of gender.

When it comes to sexual orientation, gender, and relationships, there are many other ways that people describe themselves. Here are a few other terms that may be helpful:

• Pansexual – a term used to describe someone who is attracted to people regardless of gender. Their attraction may be based on aspects other than sexuality, such as being intellectually or spiritually attracted to someone. They sometimes describe themselves as being attracted to what’s on the inside more than what’s on the outside. *****
• Gender Expression – this describes the way a person presents and communicates gender. Gender can be expressed through clothing, speech, body language, hairstyle or voice. It is also expressed by emphasizing or de-emphasizing bodily characteristics or behaviours that are associated with masculinity and femininity. The ways in which gender is expressed are culturally specific and may change over time. *
• Polyamory – there are many ways people can have fulfilling, consensual relationships. Polyamory is a term used to describe the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved. ******
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