LGBTQIA+ Glossary of Terms for Teaching in Health Care
The following Glossary of terms was largely extracted from an open-source glossary made
available by the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center (National Center) of the Fenway
Institute with support from the Health Resources Administration of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. The National Center was assisted by various experts in LGBTQIA+ Health
in compiling the Glossary, and also adapted terms from glossaries published by the Safe Zone
Project and the University of California, Los Angeles LGBT Resource Center.
The National Center’s Glossary was initially devised to assist health care providers in
using acceptable terminology when interacting with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
queer, intersex, a-sexual, allies+ (LGBTQIA+) patients. The Curriculum Working Group
of the Yale School of Medicine’s Dean’s Advisory Council for LGBTQI+ Affairs (DAC)
finds that the Glossary is also a useful tool for teaching health professional trainees in
LGBTQIA+ health-related care and treatment. The Working Group has largely adopted
the terminology and definitions from the National Center’s Glossary, however, we have
made minor adaptations and additions of terms that also should be useful for teachers, and
have also created hyperlinks between related terms throughout the document. As such,
DAC and the Curriculum Working Group take responsibility for the contents of the below
version of the Glossary; adaptations do not necessarily represent the views of the National
LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center nor the endorsement by the funders and co-
developers of the National Center’s Glossary. For this latter content, including funding
information, see: https://www.lgbtqiahealtheducation.org/publication/lgbtqia-glossary-of-
terms-for-health-care-teams/ which was initially published on February 3, 2020.
DAC’s Curriculum Working Group will periodically update the below terms and definitions as the
National Center and others update their understanding of acceptable terminology. You may also contact
the
Curriculum Working group of the Dean’s Advisory Council for LGBTQI+ Affairs at
Yale at LGBTQIaffairs@yale.edu for any suggested updates or changes.
DAC and the Working Group encourage educators at Yale to review the Glossary well and adapt
terminology as appropriate for your own teaching. An accompaniment to the Glossary is the
LGBTQIA+ Terminology: A Very Brief Summary
compiled by the Working Group as a “quick start”
guide to teaching LGBTQIA+ content. We encourage you to use these two documents in tandem.
Agender
(adjective) – Describes a person who identifies as having no
gender
, or who does not
experience gender as a primary identity component.
Ally
(noun) – A person who actively supports the rights of a marginalized community even though
that person is not a member of that community; for example, a
heterosexual
person who
campaigns for the rights of
gay
people.
Aromantic
(adjective) – Describes a person who experiences little or no romantic
attraction to
others, and/or lacks interest in forming romantic relationships.
Aromantic people may still have
intimate and/or sexual relationships.
Asexual
(adjective) – Describes a person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to others.
Asexual people may still engage in sexual activity.
Assigned female at birth/Assigned male at birth
(noun) – Refers to the sex that is
assigned to an
infant, most often based on the infant’s anatomical and other biological characteristics. Commonly
abbreviated as AFAB (assigned female at birth) or AMAB (assigned male at birth).
Bigender
(adjective) – Describes a person whose gender identity combines two genders.
Binding
(verb) – The process of tightly wrapping one’s chest in order to minimize the appearance of
having breasts. This is achieved through use of constrictive materials such as cloth strips,
bandages, or specially designed undergarments, called binders.
Biphobia
(noun) – Discrimination towards, fear, marginalization, and hatred of
bisexual
people,
or those who are perceived as bisexual. Individuals, communities, policies, and institutions can be
biphobic. Often people use
homophobia
as an umbrella term, but biphobia can also be distinct
from homophobia.
Bisexual
(adjective) – A
sexual orientation
that describes a person who is emotionally and
physically attracted to women/females and men/males. Some people define bisexuality as attraction
to all genders. See
pansexual
.
Bottom
(noun) – A slang term for genitals and buttocks. Also used to refer to the receptive partner
in anal sex in
gay
relationships or to the more passive partner during sexual intercourse in general.
Bottom surgery
(noun) – Slang term for
gender-affirming genital surgery
.
Cisgender
(adjective) – A person whose gender identity is consistent in a traditional sense with their
sex assigned at birth; for example, a person assigned female sex at birth whose gender identity is
woman/female. The term cisgender comes from the Latin prefix cis, meaning “on the same side
of.”
Coming out
(verb) – The process of identifying and accepting one’s own
sexual
orientation
or
gender identity
(coming out to oneself), and the process of sharing one’s sexual orientation or
gender identity with others (coming out to friends, family, etc.).
Gender-affirming hormone therapy
(noun) – Feminizing and masculinizing h
ormone treatment to
align secondary sex characteristics with
gender identity
.
Differences of Sex Development (DSD)
(noun) – See
intersex
.
Drag
(noun) – The theatrical performance of a
gender
or multiple genders that are not your own.
Performers are called Drag Kings and Drag Queens. Most drag performers are
cisgender
. The
terms Drag King and Drag Queen can also be used as an insult.
Gay
(adjective) – A
sexual orientation
describing people who are primarily emotionally and
physically attracted to people of the same
sex
and/or
gender
as themselves. Commonly used to
describe men who are primarily attracted to men, but can also describe women attracted to women.
Gender
(noun) – The characteristics and roles of women and men according to social
norms. While
sex
is described as female, male, and intersex, gender can be described as feminine, masculine,
androgynous, and much more.
Gender affirmation
(noun) – The process of making social, legal, and/or medical
changes to
recognize, accept, and express one’s
gender identity
. Social changes can include changing one’s
pronouns
, name, clothing, and hairstyle. Legal changes can include changing one’s name, sex
designation, and gender markers on legal documents. Medical changes can include receiving
gender-affirming hormones
and/or
surgeries
. Although this process is sometimes referred to as
transition, the term gender affirmation is recommended.
Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT)/hormone replacement therapy (HRP)
(noun) –
Hormone treatment used to reduce characteristics of
one's
sex assigned at birth
and highlight
characteristics aligned with that person’s
gender identity
. GAHT/HRP can be administered alone or
in combination with gender-affirming surgeries listed below. Types of GAHT/HRP include:
Feminizing hormone therapy: medication to block testosterone production, estrogen to decrease
testosterone production and increase secondary sex characteristics associated with being female.
Masculinizing hormone therapy: testosterone to suppress menstrual cycles and decrease production of
estrogen.
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS)
(noun) – Surgeries to modify a person’s body to be
more aligned
with that person’s
gender identity
. Types of GAS include
chest
and
genital
surgeries, facial
feminization, body sculpting, and hair removal.
Gender-affirming chest surgery
(noun) – Surgeries to remove and/or construct a person’s chest
to be more aligned with that person’s
gender identity
. Also referred to as top surgery. Types of
chest surgeries include:
Feminizing breast surgery: breast augmentation, chest construction, or breast mammoplasty
Masculinizing chest surgery: mastectomy (removal of breast tissue) and chest contouring
Gender-affirming genital surgeries
(noun) – Surgeries that help align a person’s
genitals and/or
internal reproductive organs with that person’s
gender identity
, including:
Clitoroplasty (creation of a clitoris)
Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus; may also include removal of the cervix, ovaries, and fallopian
tubes)
Labiaplasty (creation of inner and outer labia)
Metoidioplasty (creation of a masculine phallus using testosterone-enlarged clitoral tissue)
Oophorectomy (removal of ovaries)
Orchiectomy (removal of testicles)
Penectomy (removal of the penis)
Phalloplasty (creation of a masculine phallus)
Scrotoplasty (creation of a scrotum and often paired with testicular implants)
Urethral lengthening (to allow voiding while standing)
Vaginectomy (removal of the vagina)
Vaginoplasty (creation of a neo-vagina)
Vulvoplasty (creation of a vulva)
Gender binary structure (noun) –
The idea that there are only two
genders
(girl/woman and
boy/man), and that a person must strictly fit into one category or
the other.
Gender-diverse (adjective) –
Describes the community of people who fall outside of
the
gender
binary structure
(e.g.,
non-binary
,
genderqueer
,
gender fluid
people).
Gender dysphoria (noun) –
Distress experienced by some people whose
gender
identity
does not
correspond with their
sex assigned at birth
. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-5) includes gender dysphoria as a diagnosis for people whose distress is clinically
significant and impairs social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. The degree
and severity of gender dysphoria is highly variable among
transgender
and
gender-diverse
people.
Gender euphoria (noun) –
A psychological condition which consists of comfort or even joy when
thinking about one’s true
gender identity
, often accompanied by a strong desire to change one’s
sex
assigned at birth
to better match their identity or to be called the correct gendered language.
Euphoria can be focused upon bodily attributes or treatment from others. It is possible for
nonbinary people to feel gender euphoria too, for much the same reasons as binary transgender
people. More specifically,
Top Euphoria
is a term most often used to describe someone’s comfort
or even joy when thinking about their preferred configuration, such as transmasculine people
feeling top euphoria thinking about lack of breasts and masculine shoulders and arms, or
transfeminine feeling top euphoria thinking about the presence of breasts on more feminine build.
Bottom Euphoria
is a term often used to describe one's comfort or even joy when thinking about
their genitalia matching their gender identity. (Definition courtesy of Gender Wiki at:
https://gender.wikia.org/wiki/).
Gender expression
(noun) – The way a person communicates their
gender
to the world through
mannerisms, clothing, speech, behavior, etc. Gender expression varies depending on culture,
context, and historical period.
Gender fluid
(adjective) – Describes a person whose
gender identity
is not fixed. A person who is
gender fluid may always feel like a mix of more than one
gender
, but may feel more aligned with a
certain gender some of the time, another gender at other times, both genders sometimes, and
sometimes no gender at all.
Gender identity
(noun) – A person’s inner sense of being a girl/woman/female,
boy/man/male,
something else, or having no
gender
.
Gender role
(noun) – A set of societal norms dictating what types of behaviors are considered
acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on their actual
or perceived
gender
. These
roles change with time, culture, context, and interpersonal relationships.
Genderqueer or gender queer
(adjective) – An umbrella term that describes a person whose
gender identity
falls outside the traditional
gender binary
of male and female. Some people use
the term gender expansive.
Heteronormativity
(noun) – The assumption that everyone is
heterosexual
, or that only
heterosexuality is “normal.” Also refers to societal pressure for everyone to look
and act in a
stereotypically heterosexual way. Heteronormativity can manifest as
heterosexism, the biased
belief that heterosexuality is superior to all other sexualities.
Heterosexual
(adjective) – A
sexual orientation
that describes women who are primarily
emotionally and physically attracted to men, and men who are primarily emotionally and
physically attracted to women. Also referred to as
straight
.
Homophobia
(noun) – Discrimination towards, and fear, marginalization, and hatred of
lesbian
and
gay
people, or those who are perceived as lesbian or gay. Individuals, communities, policies,
and institutions can be homophobic.
Intersectionality
(noun) – The idea that comprehensive identities are influenced and shaped by the
interconnection of race, class, ethnicity, sexuality/
sexual orientation
,
gender
/
gender identity
,
physical disability, national origin, religion, age, and other social or physical attributes.
Intersex
(adjective) – Can be used both in a medical sense and as an identity term. From a medical
perspective, it describes a group of congenital conditions in which the reproductive organs,
genitals, and/or other sexual anatomy do not develop according to traditional expectations for
females or males. The medical community sometimes uses the term differences of sex development
(DSD) to describe intersex conditions; however, the term intersex is recommended by several
intersex community members and groups. Intersex can also be used as an identity term for
someone with one of these conditions.
Lesbian
(adjective, noun) – A
sexual orientation
that describes a woman who is primarily
emotionally and physically attracted to other women.
LGBTQIA+
The term stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and
more (+) and is often used to describe the whole LGBTQIA+ community. This acronym exists in
several versions (LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, LGBTQI+), with more letters and the plus at the end
being more inclusive
.
Men who have sex with men/women who have sex with women (MSM/WSW)
(noun)
– Categories
used in public health research and programs to describe people who engage in same-sex sexual
behavior, regardless of how they identify their
sexual orientation
. People rarely use the terms
MSM or WSW to describe themselves.
Minority stress
(noun) – Chronic stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups, such as
sexual and gender minority people. Minority stress is caused by external, objective events and
conditions, expectations of such events, the
internalization of societal attitudes, and/or concealment of one’s
sexual orientation
or
gender
identity
. Minority stress is compounded when a person holds multiple marginalized identities.
Misgender
(verb) – To refer to a person by a
pronoun
or other gendered term (e.g., Ms./Mr.) that
incorrectly indicates that person’s
gender identity
.
Chosen Name/Name Used
(noun) – The name a person goes by and wants others to use in personal
communication, even if it is different from the name on that p
er
son
’
s
i
ns
ura
nc
e
or
id
enti
ficati
on
d
oc
ume
nts
(e.g.,
b
i
rth
cer
ti
ficate,
d
r
i
v
er
’
s
license, and passport). Chosen name is recommended over
preferred name. The terms Chosen name or Name used can be put on patient health care forms
alongside Name on your insurance (if different) and Name on your legal identification documents
(if different). In conversation with patients, health care staff can ask, “What name do you want us to
use when speaking with you?”, or “What is your chosen name?”
Outing
(verb) – Involuntary or unwanted disclosure of another person’s
sexual orientation
or
gender identity
.
Non-binary
(adjective) – Describes a person whose
gender identity
falls outside of the traditional
gender binary structure
of girl/woman and boy/man. Sometimes abbreviated as NB or enby. The
terms non-binary and
genderqueer
are often, but not always, used interchangeably. If you are
uncertain, use the term the person chose for themselves.
Open relationship
(noun) – Describes a relationship between two partners who consensually agree
to non-monogamy (i.e., intimacy outside the primary partnership).
Pangender
(adjective) – Describes a person whose
gender identity
is comprised of many
genders
or falls outside the traditional cultural parameters that define gender.
Pansexual
(adjective) – A
sexual orientation
that describes a person who is emotionally and
physically attracted to people of all
gender identities
, or whose attractions are not related to other
people’s
gender
.
Polyamorous
(noun) – A sexual and/or romantic relationship comprising three or more people.
Polyamorous can also describe a person in a polyamorous relationship.
Sometimes abbreviated as
poly.
Pronouns
(noun) – Pronouns are the words people should use when they are referring to you, but
not using your name. Examples of pronouns are she/her/hers,
he/him/his, and they/them/theirs.
The appropriate phrasing is “What are your pronouns?” when seeking this information.
QPOC
(noun) – An acronym that stands for queer person of color or queer people of color.
Queer
(adjective) – An umbrella term describing people who think of their
sexual orientation
or
gender identity
as outside of societal norms. Some people view the term queer as more fluid and
inclusive than traditional categories for sexual orientation and gender identity. Although queer was
historically used as a slur, it has been reclaimed by many as a term of empowerment. Nonetheless,
some still find the term offensive.
Questioning
(adjective) – Describes a person who is unsure about, or is exploring
their
sexual
orientation
and/or
gender identity
.
Same gender loving (SGL)
(adjective) – An alternative to the terms
gay
and
lesbian
. SGL is more
commonly used by African-American/Black communities.
Same-sex attraction/attracted (SSA)
(noun/adjective) – Describes the experience of a
person who is
emotionally and/or physically attracted to people of the same
sex
or
gender
, but does not
necessarily engage in same-sex sexual behavior. Used most commonly by people who live in
religious communities that are not accepting of LGBTQIA+ identities. People who use SSA as an
identity term may not feel comfortable with the terms
gay
,
lesbian
,
queer
, or
bisexual
.
Sex
(noun) – See
sex assigned at birth
.
Sex assigned at birth
(noun) – The sex (male or female) assigned to an infant, most often based on
the infant’s anatomical and other biological characteristics.
Sometimes referred to as birth sex, natal sex, biological sex, or sex; however, sex assigned at birth is
the recommended term.
Sexual orientation
(noun) – How a person characterizes their emotional and sexual
attraction to
others.
Social stigma
(noun) – Negative stereotypes and lower social status of a person or group based on
perceived characteristics that separate that person or group from
other members of a society
.
Straight
(noun) – See
heterosexual
.
Structural stigma
(noun) – Societal conditions, policies, and institutional practices that restrict the
opportunities, resources, and well-being of certain groups of people.
Top
(noun) – A slang term for the chest. Also refers to the insertive partner in anal sex or more
generally to the more dominant partner during sexual intercourse.
Top surgery
(noun) – Slang term for
gender-affirming chest surgery
.
Transgender
(adjective) – Describes a person whose
gender identity
and
sex assigned at birth
do not correspond based on traditional expectations; for example, a person assigned female sex at
birth who identifies as a man; or a person assigned male sex at birth who identifies as a woman.
Transgender can also include people with gender identities outside the girl/woman and boy/man
gender binary structure
; for example, people who are
gender fluid
or
non-binary
. Sometimes
abbreviated as trans.
Trans man/transgender man
(noun) – A transgender person whose
gender identity
is
boy/man/male may use these terms to describe themselves. Some will use the term man.
Trans woman/transgender woman
(noun) – A transgender person whose
gender
identity
is
girl/woman/female may use these terms to describe themselves. Some will use the term woman.
Trans feminine
(adjective) – Describes a person who was assigned male sex at birth
and identifies
with femininity to a greater extent than with masculinity.
Trans masculine
(adjective) – Describes a person who was assigned female sex at
birth and
identifies with masculinity to a greater extent than with femininity.
Transphobia
(noun) – Discrimination towards, fear, marginalization, and hatred of
transgender
people or those perceived as transgender. Individuals, communities,
policies, and institutions can
be transphobic.
Transsexual
(adjective) – A term used sometimes in the medical literature or by some
transgender
people to describe people who have gone through the process of medical gender
affirmation treatments (i.e.,
gender-affirming hormones
and
surgeries
).
Trauma-informed care
(noun) – An organizational structure and treatment framework that
centers on understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma.
Tucking
(noun) – The process of hiding one’s penis and testes with tape, tight shorts, or specially
designed undergarments.
Two-Spirt
(adjective) – Describes a person who embodies both a masculine and a feminine spirit.
This is a culture-specific term used among some Native American, American Indian, and First
Nations people.
Continued on next page…
Outdated and Insensitive Terms to Replace
Many people consider the following terms outdated and insensitive. We recommend
replacing these words with the suggested terms provided.
Outdated term
Recommended term
Berdache
Two-Spirt
Biological female/male
Assigned female at birth/Assigned
male at birth
Cross-sex hormone therapy; hormone
replacement therapy
Gender-affirming hormone
therapy
Disorders/differences of sex development
Intersex
Female-to-male (FTM) and Male-to-
female (MTF
)
Trans man/transgender man
and
term man.
Trans
woman/transgender woman
Gender nonconforming
Non-binary
Hermaphrodite/Ambiguous genitalia
Intersex
Homosexual
Gay
or
Lesbian
Legal name
Administrative name
or
Name on
legal documents
Preferred name
Chosen Name/Name Used
Preferred pronouns
Pronouns
Sex change/Sex reassignment
surgery/Gender reconstruction surgery
Gender-affirming hormone
therapy (GAHT
)/hormone
replacement therapy (HRP)
(noun) –
Hormone treatment used to reduce
characteristics of
one's
sex assigned at
birth
and highlight characteristics
aligned with that person’s
gender
identity
. GAHT/HRP can be
administered alone or in combination
with gender-affirming surgeries listed
below. Types of GAHT/HRP include:
Feminizing hormone therapy: medication
to block testosterone production, estrogen
to decrease testosterone production and
increase secondary sex characteristics
associated with being female.
Masculinizing hormone therapy:
testosterone to suppress menstrual cycles
and decrease production of estrogen.
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS)
Sexual preference/lifestyle
Sexual orientation
Transgendered
Transgender
Additionally, Queer is largely thought of as positive within the LGBTI
community as a term that has been reclaimed by people in this community.
However, it may be offensive to some and problematic if used by people who
are not LGBTQI themselves.
Consider using LGBTQIA+ in the classroom
instead.
[The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Project’s glossary] project was supported by the Health Resources
and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
) as part of
an award totaling $
449,985.00
with 0 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The
contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an
endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
