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T O T O L K I LGBT+ Glossary This glossary provides a working understanding of the terminology used in the Royal Society of Chemistry LGBT+ toolkit. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of terms used within or to describe the LGBT+ community.

The terms and definitions – particularly those referring directly to LGBT+ identities – continue to evolve over time and often mean different things to different groups and individuals. We have included some pointers for generally appropriate usage, but the most important principle is to ask people how they want to be referred to and respect the terms they use to self-identify. We will review the glossary on a regular basis, to ensure it reflects developments in terms and usage over time.

ALLYSHIP , but can involve distinct The action of actively working to support and and assumptions, such as the dismissal advocate for/with a marginalised group that you or invalidation of and the mislabelling are not personally a part of. of bisexual individuals as either straight or / . Bi-erasure is a useful term to name a ASEXUAL/ACE particular kind of biphobia which can arise from An orientation generally characterised by a lack of the harmful that bisexuality is a ‘phase’ sexual attraction for any . There are many and can manifest in the assumption that a person’s diverse ways of being asexual; people on the is defined by the gender of their asexual spectrum who experience some level of significant other at any given time. sexual attraction may identify as demisexual or grey-a/grey-ace. Being asexual is not the same as /CIS being aromantic, an orientation involving a lack of Someone whose is the same as romantic attraction for any gender, although some the they were assigned at birth; someone who people identify as both asexual and aromantic and is not trans. It is good practice to refer to non- may self-describe as ace-aro. trans people as cisgender/cis – rather than with terms like ‘biological man/woman’ – as it helps BIOLOGICAL ESSENTIALISM to normalise transness and avoid ‘othering’ trans The belief or assumption that gender or aspects people. of gender are entirely determined by certain /(IN THE) CLOSET biological characteristics. This assumption is often Keeping secret a part of one’s identity, usually related harmful to trans and people. to one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity. BISEXUAL/BI Refers to a person who is sexually and/or The process of voluntarily sharing one’s sexual romantically attracted to people of multiple orientation and/or gender identity with others. . Coming out is often assumed to be a one-time BIPHOBIA action but, in fact, LGBT+ people often feel they Systems, beliefs, or actions that exclude or have to come out repeatedly, every time they meet oppress bi people. Bi people may also experience or disclose personal information to someone new. BT LG +

T O T O L K I

LGBT+ Glossary

DEADNAMING GENDER-NEUTRAL Calling someone by a previous name after Refers to something that is not designated as they have changed their name. This term is belonging to a particular gender, such as facilities often associated with trans people who have that any individual can use regardless of their changed their name as part of their transition. gender (e.g. gender-neutral bathrooms), or language can be harmful or can even ‘out’ that does not carry male/ or masculine/ trans people to others, so trans people’s previous feminine associations (e.g. they/them pronouns). names should not be referred to, even in the past tense, unless they expressly say otherwise. Attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate GAY the harmful assumption that , Refers to someone who is sexually and/or predicated on the male/female , is romantically attracted to the same gender. Often the default or ‘normal’ mode of sexual orientation. specifically refers to a man who is sexually and/ HETEROSEXUAL/STRAIGHT or romantically attracted to other men, but Refers to someone who is sexually and/or can also apply more generally or be used as an romantically attracted exclusively to the other umbrella term. binary gender, i.e. a man who is only attracted to GENDER women or vice versa. Gender can refer to various concepts, including HOMOPHOBIA an individual’s gender (see gender identity), Systems, beliefs or actions that exclude or and the social construct of gender which has oppress lesbian, gay or bi people. Homophobia traditionally been determined as a male/female may be direct and based on an individual’s gender binary. against someone based on their sexuality, or it may be unintentional (such as How a person expresses their identity through inadvertently perpetuating ) or visible features such as clothing, hairstyle and systemic/structural (such as unequal societal makeup, and behaviours. These elements are treatment based on sexuality). Unintentional or often societally coded in gendered terms as systemic forms of homophobia should not be male/masculine, female/feminine, androgynous, considered any less harmful than direct forms. or otherwise. A person’s gender expression may be an outward presentation of their gender A framework for understanding how multiple identity, but it can also be influenced by many systems of interact in the lives of other factors. It is usually subjectively interpreted those with more than one marginalised identity. according to expected societal norms, so Intersectionality looks at how the overlapping individuals should not assume that they can vulnerabilities created by various forms of accurately determine a person’s gender identity and disempowerment create based on their gender expression. specific challenges, which cannot be fully GENDER IDENTITY addressed by combatting different kinds of A person’s innate sense of their own gender, oppression separately. The term was coined by whether male, female or something else (see law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw to underline the non-binary), which may or may not correspond specific intersection of and to their sex assigned at birth. faced by Black women. BT LG +

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LGBT+ Glossary

INTERSEX MISGENDERING Refers to a person with natural variations in The act of referring to someone as the wrong sex characteristics that don’t fit the typical gender, often by using the wrong pronouns or expectations for ‘male’ or ‘female’ bodies. There gendered language that does not match their are many ways to be intersex, and variations may gender identity. Similar to ‘deadnaming’. present in chromosomes, gonads, hormones, MX genitals, and other physical features. Intersex A gender-neutral title and an alternative to Mr/ people often face non-consensual medical Mrs/Miss. Some non-binary individuals will intervention as children to align them with what prefer to be referred to using this title, while doctors consider a more ‘normal’ physical sex. others may prefer other titles such as ‘Misc’ or Many more people are intersex than is typically ‘Ind’, or no title. assumed. NON-BINARY LGBT+ An umbrella term for people whose gender An acronym used to represent lesbian, gay, bi identity is not, or not fully, described by the and trans, as well as other marginalised , binary identities of ‘man’ and ‘woman’. Non- sexualities and genders. The ‘+’ is intended binary identities are varied and can include to ensure that the community, and related people who identify with some aspects of binary inclusion and work, is inclusive of identities, while others reject them entirely. those with marginalised orientations and Some, but not all, non-binary people identify as identities who may not identify with the specific trans. terms of lesbian, gay, bi or trans. Identities that the ‘+’ speaks to include (but are not limited OUTED/ to) intersex, , questioning, asexual and To ‘out’ someone is to intentionally or pansexual. unintentionally reveal their LGBT+ identity, usually against their will and to someone else LESBIAN who they had not yet come out to themselves. Refers to a woman who is sexually and/or It’s important to treat information about romantically attracted to other women. Some someone’s LGBT+ status sensitively, unless non-binary people may also self-identify as you have explicit permission to share that lesbian. information, in order to avoid outing them. This MICROAGGRESSIONS might include information about their partner(s), Brief and subtle behaviours that communicate pronouns, or deadname. hostile, derogatory or negative messages PANSEXUAL/PAN towards marginalised groups. Microaggressions Refers to a person who experiences sexual and/ are small-scale and often unintentional but or romantic attraction to others regardless of can build up to create a hostile environment gender. for LGBT+ people. Examples might include heteronormative assumptions, erasing or invalidating particular LGBT+ identities, or reinforcing stereotypes or generalisations about LGBT+ people. BT LG +

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LGBT+ Glossary

PASSING QUESTIONING Refers to being perceived as a certain gender – The process of exploring one’s own sexual and sometimes sexual orientation – based on orientation and/or gender identity. Society tends appearance, behaviour, and gender expression. to assume heterosexual and cisgender identities It’s often used to denote when a trans person is to be the ‘default’ way of being. Many people regarded, at a glance, to be a cisgender man or therefore go through processes of questioning cisgender woman. Some trans people may aim their individual relationships with sexuality and to pass as cisgender, but this is not true of all gender, and whether these assumed identities trans people. Whether or not someone passes as actually fit with their experiences. Questioning a certain gender is generally not appropriate to individuals may or may not eventually identify comment on, even as an intended compliment. themselves under the LGBT+ umbrella. PRIVILEGE SEX A set of advantages afforded to particular A medically determined binary assigned to groups, based on systems of unequal societal treatment. For example, non-LGBT+ people individuals at or before birth, usually on the generally experience privilege related to having basis of genitalia. Sex can refer to this birth their sexual orientation and gender identity assignment, or to a collection of gendered treated as the norm by society. physical characteristics, such as chromosomes, gonads, and hormones. Trans people may refer PRONOUNS to their ‘sex assigned at birth’ as distinct from Words used to refer to people in conversation their gender identity, using terms such as AFAB – for example, ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘they’. In many languages, including English, pronouns (assigned female at birth) and AMAB (assigned communicate information about the gender male at birth). of the person being referred to. People should SEXUALITY/SEXUAL ORIENTATION always be referred to with the pronouns they A person’s sexual attraction, or lack thereof, define for themselves as being aligned to their to people of a particular gender or genders. gender identity. It is good practice to ask what ‘Sexuality’ or ‘sexual orientation’ are the correct someone’s pronouns are, and to state your own terms, rather than ‘sexual preference,’ which can pronouns when you introduce yourself, rather carry offensive implications. than making assumptions which might be incorrect and harmful. /TRANS An umbrella term to describe people whose QUEER gender is not the same as, or not fully defined Traditionally a pejorative term, queer has been by, the sex they were assigned at birth. ‘Trans’ reclaimed by some LGBT+ people to describe themselves. It is also sometimes used as an is an adjective, so ‘transgender people’ or umbrella term for the LGBT+ community, ‘trans people’ are appropriate terminology. particularly to denote the rejection of sexual and ‘Transpeople’, ‘transgendered people’, gender labels. However, some individuals still or ‘’ are all incorrect terms. consider the term pejorative and it should not be ‘’ is an older term that should used to describe any given person unless they generally only be used to describe those who explicitly self-identify that way. explicitly self-identify that way. BT LG +

T O T O L K I

LGBT+ Glossary

TRANS HISTORY TRANSMISOGYNY Refers to the experience of a person who was The specific intersection of and assigned a different sex at birth from the gender misogyny faced by trans women and those they identify and live as, and who thinks of this with similar identities. The term was coined by in terms of past experience rather than present to address the fact that much of – for example, by identifying as a ‘woman/ the violence and prejudice generally termed man with a trans history’ rather than as a ‘trans ‘transphobia’ can be more specifically referred to woman/man’. as transmisogyny, as it is exclusively or primarily directed at or refers to trans women. It is worth TRANSGENDER MAN being aware of this dynamic particularly in the A man who is trans and was assigned female present context of heightened transmisogyny in at birth. This may be shortened to . the UK. See also transphobia. Some trans men describe themselves as FTM, an abbreviation for ‘female-to-male’, but this term is TRANSPHOBIA considered outdated by some other trans men. Systems, beliefs or actions that exclude or FTM should not be used more generally or to oppress trans people. Transphobia may be describe any person unless they explicitly self- direct and based on an individual’s prejudice identify that way. against someone based on them being trans, or it may be unintentional (such as inadvertently TRANSGENDER WOMAN perpetuating stereotypes), or systemic/ A woman who is trans and was assigned male structural (such as unequal societal treatment at birth. This may be shortened to . of trans people). Unintentional or systemic Some trans women describe themselves as MTF, forms of transphobia should not be considered an abbreviation for ‘male-to-female’, but this any less harmful than direct forms. See also term is considered outdated by some other trans transmisogyny. women. MTF should not be used more generally or to describe any person unless they explicitly self-identify that way. TRANSITIONING The changes a trans person may make to their gender expression and to their legal and social life, in order to better align these with their gender identity. 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 Inclusive workplaces GBT+ or are able to have this. Transitioning might L benefit everyone. also involve coming out to friends and family, T O T Find our toolkit at O L K I dressing differently and changing official rsc.li/-toolkit documents.