GLBTQ Terminology
For librarians who are unfamiliar with, or those desiring to ensure that they are using the proper GLBTQ terminology when working with teens, the following words have been defined by GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel, an amazing information resource for GLBTQ teens and librarians alike.
Huegel points out that terms are frequently changing, and that while no words are perfect, we do need a way to further the conversation in regard to GLBTQ-related topics. She also remarks that certain words that were once considered extremely offensive to the gay community have been reclaimed/"taken back" and are now uttered by GLBTQ populations to invoke a sense of pride. Concerning librarians serving GLBTQ teens, it is always best to tread lightly and err on the side of respect.
"ally: Someone who supports GLBTQ people. Allies often help and provide visible and vocal support to stop bullying by reporting incidents. Group members in gay-straight alliances are allies."
"androgyne, also gender bender and gender blender: People who are androgynous or who are gender bender/blenders merge what are stereotypically male and female characteristics in many different ways. Some are subtle and some can be considered shocking. Someone who is androgynous may not be obviously male or female at first glance (or even second or third glance). There are also people who blend genders, for example 'riot grrls' might shave their heads and wear combat boots, but also wear makeup and a skirt. Being androgynous or a gender bender is not necessarily a reflection of sexual orientation or gender identity."
"asexual: A lack of sexual feelings toward men or women."
"bisexual: A person who is emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to people of either sex."
"biological sex: The sex that someone is born as. Also referred to as birth sex, anatomical sex, and physical sex."
"butch: A term used to describe both males and females who act and dress in stereotypically masculine ways."
"closeted: A person who does not disclose his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. People may also be partially closeted - only coming out to a select few."
"coming out: Disclosing one's sexual orientation or gender identity to others. Some people never come out, others come out to a few individuals, others are out to everyone, and for some, the coming out process takes place more slowly."
"crossdresser: Crossdressers are people who dress in clothing of the opposite sex. They may do this in private or in public. Crossdressers used to be called transvestites. They can be male or female and can be straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual."
"drag queens and drag kings: Drag queens (men who dress as women) and drag kings (women who dress as men) usually present larger than life representations of men and women. They exaggerate stereotypes of men and women, usually for entertainment. Dressing as a drag queen or king is not necessarily a reflection of sexual orientation or gender identity. Drag queens or kings can be GLBTQ or straight, they may be crossdressers, or they may dress as the opposite sex when they are entertaining."
"ex-gay movement: This movement attempts to convert people who are GLBTQ to being straight. Members encourage queer people to undergo conversion or reparative therapy. The ex-gay movement has been discredited by major medical organizations in the United States who have declared that being queer isn't a choice and cannot be changed."
"femme: A term used to describe both males and females who act and dress in stereotypically feminine ways."
"FTM, also F-T-M and F2M: Stands for female-to-male. Refers to people who were born with female bodies but who have a predominately male gender identity. They might express this with appearance (clothes, hair, etc.) or they may opt for a physical change that can involve the use of hormones and/or surgery."
"gay: This term is often used to describe both homosexual men and homosexual women, though it is more commonly used to refer to homosexual men. As it refers to men, gay describes men who are emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to other men. The word gay didn't come into wide use to describe homosexual people until the 1950's. Before that, it was used as a code word for same-sex sexuality."
"gender: While this word may be used to describe anatomy, it's really about a person's identity as feminine or masculine rather than the physical characteristics that make someone female or male. Gender is made up of many things, including behaviors, cultural characteristics, and psychological traits that are associated with a specific sex."
"gender dysphoria: A term for the pain, anxiety, and confusion that can result when there is a disparity between a person's gender identity and biological sex. Pressure to conform to accepted gender roles and expression, and a general lack of acceptance from society, also contributes to it."
"gender expression: How you express your gender identity. It includes your clothes, hairstyle, body language (how you walk, your posture, your gestures, your mannerisms), and even speech patterns. In society, people often take their cues from someone's gender expression to decide that person's anatomical sex."
"gender identity: Your internal sense of being male or female - it's whether you consider or feel yourself to be male or female. A person's gender identity doesn't necessarily reflect her or his biological sex. It's possible to have a gender identity that is male, female, or something else entirely."
"gender identity disorder (GID): Mental health professionals often diagnose transgender people with GID. A diagnosis of GID lets transgender people get mental and physical treatment, which can be especially helpful for people trying to physically transition their gender. But a diagnosis for GID can also carry the stigma of mental illness."
"genderqueer, also intergender and gender-variant: This term describes people whose gender identities exist outside of the traditional male and female binary. Those who identify as genderqueer may identify as male and female, neither, or just 'other.' These people also express gender in a variety of ways."
"gender transitioning: Gender transitioning is a complex, multi-step process of starting to live in a way that accurately reflects a transgender person's true gender identity. Transitioning primarily involves social behaviors such as changing your name, dressing differently, alerting other aspects of your appearance like hair or makeup, and changing your mannerisms, your voice, and how you move. Transitioning doesn't, by definition, include surgery or other physical changes, though it may depending on the person. A physical transition might include taking hormones or other substances under the supervision of a medical professional. For some, transitioning also involves surgery."
"GLBTQ: An acronym that stands for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning."
"heterosexism: The idea that heterosexual people are the norm and that GLBTQ people are somehow abnormal; the assumption that people are heterosexual. Heterosexism contributes to homophobia.
"heterosexual: People who are emotionally and physically attracted to people of the opposite sex." Also referred to as straight.
"homophobia: Homophobia is when someone feels a negative emotion like fear, anger, or suspicion toward someone for being GLBTQ. Homophobia can also take the form of ignorance about queer people. Homophobia can be very overt, like someone shouting 'dyke!' or 'fag!' in the hall, or it can be subtle, like a teammate quietly trying to avoid being near you in the locker room."
"homosexual: People who are emotionally and physically attracted to people of the same sex."
"intersex: People who are born with a mixture of both male and female genitals or with ambiguous genitalia. In many cases, the doctors or parents 'choose' the child's anatomy and the child has a series of surgeries throughout the infancy and childhood to definitively assign one anatomical sex. The surgery doesn't always result in a physical sex assignment that matches he person's internal gender. As a result, some intersex people grow up having gender identity issues that mirror those experienced by transgender people."
"lesbian: A woman who is emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to other women."
"MTF, also M-T-F and M2F: Stands for male-to-female. Refers to people who were born with male bodies but who have a predominately female gender identity. They might express this with appearance (clothes, hair, etc.) or they may opt for a physical change that can involve the use of hormones and possible surgery."
"out: Living openly as queer person. When GLBTQ people tell other people that they are queer, the process is called 'coming out,' as in 'coming out of the closet.' Being outed is when someone accidentally or purposefully reveals another person's sexual orientation or gender identity, often before that person is ready to do so."
"pansexual, also omnisexual: Pansexual and omnisexual are terms used to identify sexual orientation. Those who identify in this way may be emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to people of either biological sex or gender expression."
"passing: The ability to be accepted in society as someone of a different biological sex. Being able to pass is important for many transgender people, especially those who want to completely transition physically. They have to undergo a Real-Life Experience where they live as their correct gender identity for a period of time, usually one year, before surgery is performed."
"queer: Refers to people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. Sometimes used as a slur, the term has been reclaimed by many GLBTQ people who use it as an expression of pride. Some GLBTQ people prefer to identify as queer rather than gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, because they feel it encompasses more of who they are or gives a greater sense of unity with the entire community."
"questioning: Being uncertain of one's sexual orientation or gender identity."
"sex reassignment surgery (SRS): In sex reassignment surgery, a surgeon modifies the primary sex characteristics (the genitals). Some transsexuals who need a complete physical transformation undergo SRS in conjunction with hormone therapy. It is sometimes accompanied by surgeries on secondary sex characteristics as well (breasts, Adam's apple) or cosmetic surgery."
"sexual behavior: Sexual behavior only describes sexual activity, not sexual identity. For example, a man may identify as gay but still engage in sexual behavior with women. That's still considered heterosexual behavior. Or a woman may not identify as a lesbian but she will take part in sexual activity with a woman. That is homosexual behavior."
"sexual identity: How a person views and identifies himself or herself in terms of his or her sexual orientation or behavior. Some people may identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or straight; other people may refuse to identify with a particular label. Some GLBTQ people choose to identify as queer for this reason. An individual's sexual identity is decided by that person, so a person who participates in straight sexual behavior may still identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and vice versa. A person's sexual identity can change over the course of his or her life."
"sexual orientation: A term used to describe who someone is emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to. Gay, lesbian,bisexual, and straight all describe different forms of sexual orientation. Sexual orientation - and being queer- isn't jsut about who you have sex with. Because of that there have been suggestions for a more accurate phrase such as 'emotional orientation' or 'affectional orientation.' But for now, sexual orientation is a common phrase."
"transgender: When you're transgender, you have a gender identity or gender expression that is different from your biological sex or physical anatomy. Transgender is a broad term that covers many groups. It can include transsexuals (in all stages), drag queens and kings, crossdressers, people who are intersex, and others. People who are trans may identify themselves in a variety of ways. Being transgender isn't reflective of sexual orientation. Transgender people are often straight, but they can also be gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
"transphobia: Transphobia is when someone feels a negative emotion like fear, anger, or suspicion toward someone else for being transgender. Transphobia can also take the form of ignorance about transgender people."
"transsexual: Often used to interchangeably with transgender, though often there has been some controversy over this. Generally it refers to people who don't identify with the sex they were born and who may change their bodies through hormones and possibly surgery to reconcile gender identity and physical sex. All transsexuals are transgender, but not all transgender people are transsexuals."
What GLBTQ is not:
Supporting information services for GLBTQ teens does not mean that your library is enforcing a pro-gay agenda, but rather advocating for and collecting for this population as we would for any other user population in the library!!
Source:
Huegel, Kelly. GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens - 2nd Edition.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Free Spirit Publishing Inc., 2011. Print.
For librarians who are unfamiliar with, or those desiring to ensure that they are using the proper GLBTQ terminology when working with teens, the following words have been defined by GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel, an amazing information resource for GLBTQ teens and librarians alike.
Huegel points out that terms are frequently changing, and that while no words are perfect, we do need a way to further the conversation in regard to GLBTQ-related topics. She also remarks that certain words that were once considered extremely offensive to the gay community have been reclaimed/"taken back" and are now uttered by GLBTQ populations to invoke a sense of pride. Concerning librarians serving GLBTQ teens, it is always best to tread lightly and err on the side of respect.
"ally: Someone who supports GLBTQ people. Allies often help and provide visible and vocal support to stop bullying by reporting incidents. Group members in gay-straight alliances are allies."
"androgyne, also gender bender and gender blender: People who are androgynous or who are gender bender/blenders merge what are stereotypically male and female characteristics in many different ways. Some are subtle and some can be considered shocking. Someone who is androgynous may not be obviously male or female at first glance (or even second or third glance). There are also people who blend genders, for example 'riot grrls' might shave their heads and wear combat boots, but also wear makeup and a skirt. Being androgynous or a gender bender is not necessarily a reflection of sexual orientation or gender identity."
"asexual: A lack of sexual feelings toward men or women."
"bisexual: A person who is emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to people of either sex."
"biological sex: The sex that someone is born as. Also referred to as birth sex, anatomical sex, and physical sex."
"butch: A term used to describe both males and females who act and dress in stereotypically masculine ways."
"closeted: A person who does not disclose his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. People may also be partially closeted - only coming out to a select few."
"coming out: Disclosing one's sexual orientation or gender identity to others. Some people never come out, others come out to a few individuals, others are out to everyone, and for some, the coming out process takes place more slowly."
"crossdresser: Crossdressers are people who dress in clothing of the opposite sex. They may do this in private or in public. Crossdressers used to be called transvestites. They can be male or female and can be straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual."
"drag queens and drag kings: Drag queens (men who dress as women) and drag kings (women who dress as men) usually present larger than life representations of men and women. They exaggerate stereotypes of men and women, usually for entertainment. Dressing as a drag queen or king is not necessarily a reflection of sexual orientation or gender identity. Drag queens or kings can be GLBTQ or straight, they may be crossdressers, or they may dress as the opposite sex when they are entertaining."
"ex-gay movement: This movement attempts to convert people who are GLBTQ to being straight. Members encourage queer people to undergo conversion or reparative therapy. The ex-gay movement has been discredited by major medical organizations in the United States who have declared that being queer isn't a choice and cannot be changed."
"femme: A term used to describe both males and females who act and dress in stereotypically feminine ways."
"FTM, also F-T-M and F2M: Stands for female-to-male. Refers to people who were born with female bodies but who have a predominately male gender identity. They might express this with appearance (clothes, hair, etc.) or they may opt for a physical change that can involve the use of hormones and/or surgery."
"gay: This term is often used to describe both homosexual men and homosexual women, though it is more commonly used to refer to homosexual men. As it refers to men, gay describes men who are emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to other men. The word gay didn't come into wide use to describe homosexual people until the 1950's. Before that, it was used as a code word for same-sex sexuality."
"gender: While this word may be used to describe anatomy, it's really about a person's identity as feminine or masculine rather than the physical characteristics that make someone female or male. Gender is made up of many things, including behaviors, cultural characteristics, and psychological traits that are associated with a specific sex."
"gender dysphoria: A term for the pain, anxiety, and confusion that can result when there is a disparity between a person's gender identity and biological sex. Pressure to conform to accepted gender roles and expression, and a general lack of acceptance from society, also contributes to it."
"gender expression: How you express your gender identity. It includes your clothes, hairstyle, body language (how you walk, your posture, your gestures, your mannerisms), and even speech patterns. In society, people often take their cues from someone's gender expression to decide that person's anatomical sex."
"gender identity: Your internal sense of being male or female - it's whether you consider or feel yourself to be male or female. A person's gender identity doesn't necessarily reflect her or his biological sex. It's possible to have a gender identity that is male, female, or something else entirely."
"gender identity disorder (GID): Mental health professionals often diagnose transgender people with GID. A diagnosis of GID lets transgender people get mental and physical treatment, which can be especially helpful for people trying to physically transition their gender. But a diagnosis for GID can also carry the stigma of mental illness."
"genderqueer, also intergender and gender-variant: This term describes people whose gender identities exist outside of the traditional male and female binary. Those who identify as genderqueer may identify as male and female, neither, or just 'other.' These people also express gender in a variety of ways."
"gender transitioning: Gender transitioning is a complex, multi-step process of starting to live in a way that accurately reflects a transgender person's true gender identity. Transitioning primarily involves social behaviors such as changing your name, dressing differently, alerting other aspects of your appearance like hair or makeup, and changing your mannerisms, your voice, and how you move. Transitioning doesn't, by definition, include surgery or other physical changes, though it may depending on the person. A physical transition might include taking hormones or other substances under the supervision of a medical professional. For some, transitioning also involves surgery."
"GLBTQ: An acronym that stands for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning."
"heterosexism: The idea that heterosexual people are the norm and that GLBTQ people are somehow abnormal; the assumption that people are heterosexual. Heterosexism contributes to homophobia.
"heterosexual: People who are emotionally and physically attracted to people of the opposite sex." Also referred to as straight.
"homophobia: Homophobia is when someone feels a negative emotion like fear, anger, or suspicion toward someone for being GLBTQ. Homophobia can also take the form of ignorance about queer people. Homophobia can be very overt, like someone shouting 'dyke!' or 'fag!' in the hall, or it can be subtle, like a teammate quietly trying to avoid being near you in the locker room."
"homosexual: People who are emotionally and physically attracted to people of the same sex."
"intersex: People who are born with a mixture of both male and female genitals or with ambiguous genitalia. In many cases, the doctors or parents 'choose' the child's anatomy and the child has a series of surgeries throughout the infancy and childhood to definitively assign one anatomical sex. The surgery doesn't always result in a physical sex assignment that matches he person's internal gender. As a result, some intersex people grow up having gender identity issues that mirror those experienced by transgender people."
"lesbian: A woman who is emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to other women."
"MTF, also M-T-F and M2F: Stands for male-to-female. Refers to people who were born with male bodies but who have a predominately female gender identity. They might express this with appearance (clothes, hair, etc.) or they may opt for a physical change that can involve the use of hormones and possible surgery."
"out: Living openly as queer person. When GLBTQ people tell other people that they are queer, the process is called 'coming out,' as in 'coming out of the closet.' Being outed is when someone accidentally or purposefully reveals another person's sexual orientation or gender identity, often before that person is ready to do so."
"pansexual, also omnisexual: Pansexual and omnisexual are terms used to identify sexual orientation. Those who identify in this way may be emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to people of either biological sex or gender expression."
"passing: The ability to be accepted in society as someone of a different biological sex. Being able to pass is important for many transgender people, especially those who want to completely transition physically. They have to undergo a Real-Life Experience where they live as their correct gender identity for a period of time, usually one year, before surgery is performed."
"queer: Refers to people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. Sometimes used as a slur, the term has been reclaimed by many GLBTQ people who use it as an expression of pride. Some GLBTQ people prefer to identify as queer rather than gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, because they feel it encompasses more of who they are or gives a greater sense of unity with the entire community."
"questioning: Being uncertain of one's sexual orientation or gender identity."
"sex reassignment surgery (SRS): In sex reassignment surgery, a surgeon modifies the primary sex characteristics (the genitals). Some transsexuals who need a complete physical transformation undergo SRS in conjunction with hormone therapy. It is sometimes accompanied by surgeries on secondary sex characteristics as well (breasts, Adam's apple) or cosmetic surgery."
"sexual behavior: Sexual behavior only describes sexual activity, not sexual identity. For example, a man may identify as gay but still engage in sexual behavior with women. That's still considered heterosexual behavior. Or a woman may not identify as a lesbian but she will take part in sexual activity with a woman. That is homosexual behavior."
"sexual identity: How a person views and identifies himself or herself in terms of his or her sexual orientation or behavior. Some people may identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or straight; other people may refuse to identify with a particular label. Some GLBTQ people choose to identify as queer for this reason. An individual's sexual identity is decided by that person, so a person who participates in straight sexual behavior may still identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and vice versa. A person's sexual identity can change over the course of his or her life."
"sexual orientation: A term used to describe who someone is emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to. Gay, lesbian,bisexual, and straight all describe different forms of sexual orientation. Sexual orientation - and being queer- isn't jsut about who you have sex with. Because of that there have been suggestions for a more accurate phrase such as 'emotional orientation' or 'affectional orientation.' But for now, sexual orientation is a common phrase."
"transgender: When you're transgender, you have a gender identity or gender expression that is different from your biological sex or physical anatomy. Transgender is a broad term that covers many groups. It can include transsexuals (in all stages), drag queens and kings, crossdressers, people who are intersex, and others. People who are trans may identify themselves in a variety of ways. Being transgender isn't reflective of sexual orientation. Transgender people are often straight, but they can also be gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
"transphobia: Transphobia is when someone feels a negative emotion like fear, anger, or suspicion toward someone else for being transgender. Transphobia can also take the form of ignorance about transgender people."
"transsexual: Often used to interchangeably with transgender, though often there has been some controversy over this. Generally it refers to people who don't identify with the sex they were born and who may change their bodies through hormones and possibly surgery to reconcile gender identity and physical sex. All transsexuals are transgender, but not all transgender people are transsexuals."
What GLBTQ is not:
Supporting information services for GLBTQ teens does not mean that your library is enforcing a pro-gay agenda, but rather advocating for and collecting for this population as we would for any other user population in the library!!
Source:
Huegel, Kelly. GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens - 2nd Edition.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Free Spirit Publishing Inc., 2011. Print.