Glossary of Gender and Sexual Identities
- LGBTQIA+: Abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual. The plus refers to other identities and expressions that are not included in the LGBTQ acronym and which words may not yet fully describe. An umbrella term that is often used to refer to the community as a whole.
- Man: A person who identifies as a man and may or may not have male genitalia or reproductive organs like a penis or testes. See ‘Gender Identity’ for more.
- Person with Intersex variations: In some cases, due to diversity of chromosomal characteristics, babies are born with genitalia that cannot be easily categorised as female or male. At birth, their parents and doctors may decide to assign them a particular sex and gender, based on what their genitals most look like. As they grow older, some of them may feel that they do not fit that gender. A person with intersex variations may identify as intersex, female, male or neither, and their sexual identity may be straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or asexual or any other.
- Queer: A person who questions the heterosexual framework. This can include homosexual, lesbian, gay, intersex and transgender people. To some, this term is offensive, while other groups and communities have used it as a form of empowerment (like the way people use the terms ‘Black’ or ‘Dalit’ to fight against racism or the caste system) to assert that they are not heterosexual, are non-conformist, against a dominant heterosexual framework, and dissatisfied with the ‘labels’ used on people who do not identify as heterosexual.
- SOGIESC: Abbreviation for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expressions and Sex Characteristics, describes the wider spectrum of sexual and gender identities and expressions, and is increasingly being considered as more inclusive than the term LGBTQIA+ and also avoids highlighting certain identities and expressions within the spectrum.
- Woman: A person who identifies as a woman and who may or may not have female genitalia and reproductive organs like breasts, a vagina, and ovaries. Please see ‘Gender Identity’ for more.
- Agender: An individual who does not identify with any gender. Agender people fall under the non-binary and trans umbrella.
- Assigned Sex at Birth: The sex that is assigned to a baby at birth is usually based upon the external anatomy (genitals) of the baby. Sex assigned at birth is determined by others’ perception of one’s body and it does not take into consideration how one feels inside. Assigned sex at birth is not the same as a person’s gender identity.
- Cisgender: A person who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth. The term is often abbreviated to ‘cis’, for example: cis-man or cis-woman.
- Cross-dresser: A person who dresses using items that are not commonly associated with their gender, for one or many reasons, including relaxation, fun, and sexual gratification. Cross-dressing does not indicate an individual’s sexual identity or gender identity. It has replaced the term ‘transvestite’ which is outdated and sometimes considered offensive.
- Gender Affirmation Surgeries: Procedures that help people transition to their self-identified gender. Gender-affirming options may include facial surgery, top surgery or bottom surgery. Most people who choose gender affirmation surgeries report improved mental health and quality of life. This is inaccurately referred to as ‘sex change surgery’ or ‘sex reassignment surgery’. Gender Affirmation Surgeries is also preferred over the term Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS) because gender cannot be “confirmed” by having surgery.
- Gender Dysphoria: Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have when they do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. This sense of unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life. The emotional distress often comes from the stigma and judgement they may experience from others (and society in general). This used to be called “gender identity disorder.” But how someone identifies their gender is not a “disorder” or mental illness.
- Hijra: Usually assigned the sex male at birth, hijras take on a ‘feminine’ appearance; and dress in women’s clothes. They live in a community with each other and may have a guru who they follow. Hijra is a term specific to the Indian subcontinent, and includes those who aspire to and/or undergo castration, as well as those who may have intersex variations (please see definition below). Although some hijras refer to themselves as feminine, others say they belong to a third gender and are neither men nor women. Hijra is a different category from transgender people as defined in the West.
- Kothi: A feminised male identity, which is adopted by some people in the Indian subcontinent and is marked by gender non- conformity. A kothi may be assigned the sex male but adopts feminine modes of dressing, speech and behaviour and looks for a male partner who has a masculine mode of behaviour, speech and attire. Some believe that this is not an identity but a behaviour.
- Third Gender: A person who locates themselves somewhere outside the binary of male-female, referring to it as the Third Gender. This gender category is used by societies that recognise three or more genders, both contemporary and historic, and is also a conceptual term meaning different things to different people who use it, as a way to move beyond the gender binary. Not all people who do not identify as men or women use this as a gender identity. India recognises a third gender and allows people to register for many forms of government identity cards with ‘Third gender,’ ‘Transgender’, or ‘Other’ as the option for gender.
- Transgender Person: An individual who does not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth, as opposed to a cisgender person who identifies with the gender assigned to them at birth. Transgender persons may or may not consider themselves a ‘third gender’. Being transgender does not imply identification with a certain sexual identity. A transgender person may be straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, etc. For more, see difference between ‘Sexual Identity’ and ‘Gender Identity’.
- Transsexual Person: An outdated term for individuals who want to or go through surgery or other procedures that reflect their gender and not the one assigned to them at birth. Some have surgery, hormonal medication, or other procedures to make these changes. They may or may not identify as homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual. They may be female-to-male transsexuals, male-to-female transsexuals or choose not to be identified as either. It is best to use the term “transsexual person” to refer to someone only if they have clearly mentioned that they prefer to be addressed in that way.
- Asexual: An individual who feels no sexual attraction towards other individuals. There is significant diversity among people who are asexual; each asexual person experiences relationships, attraction, and arousal in a manner unique to them. Asexual people have emotional needs and, like anyone else, how they fulfil these needs varies. Some prefer being on their own, and others are happier when with close friends. Some asexual persons desire more intimate romantic relationships, and are likely to date or seek long-term partnerships
- Bisexual: An individual who is attracted to people of the same gender as them and also to people of a gender other than their own. Sometimes people think that bisexuality requires the person to be with more than one partner at a time. However, just because someone can be attracted to persons of more than one gender, does not mean they are involved with more than one person at any given time. Monogamy is no different for bisexuals than it is for anyone else.
- Gay: A man who is attracted to other men and/or identifies as gay. This term can also be used to describe any person who experiences sexual attraction to people of the same gender.
- Heterosexual: An individual who is attracted to people of a gender other than their own and/or who identifies as being heterosexual; also known as ‘straight’.
- Homosexual: An individual who is attracted to people of the same gender as their own, and/or who identifies as being homosexual. According to the American Psychological Association, despite the persistence of stereotypes that portray lesbian, gay, and bisexual people as mentally ill, several decades of research and clinical experience have led all mainstream medical and mental health organisations, including the Indian Psychiatrist Society to abandon classifications of homosexuality as a mental disorder. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual relationships are normal forms of human bonding.
- Lesbian: A woman who is attracted to other women and/or identifies as a lesbian.
- Heteronormativity: This is the assumption that everyone is heterosexual/straight. It’s the idea that romantic and sexual relationships are always between one woman and one man.
- Heterosexism: The viewpoint that all people should be heterosexual and the assumption that this is the ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ sexual identity people should have. This viewpoint pervades societal norms and institutions and results in a bias against other sexual identities.
- Homonegativity and Homophobia: An intolerance, aversion or irrational fear of homosexual people that can manifest itself in discrimination, prejudice, disgust or contempt of homosexual people.
- Transnegativity and Transphobia: The fear or hatred of transgender people or gender non-conforming behaviour. Transphobia can also exist among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people as well as among heterosexual people.