Transcript and Definitions: LGBTQ2SIA+ Word Cloud

Agender/Genderless: Someone who is without gender, gender neutral, and/or rejects the concept of gender for themselves (Mardell, 2017).

Aggressive: An identity in Black communities for women who present and behave in masculine ways, and who partner with women; this term should only be used by Black individuals (Wilson, 2009).

Androgyne: A non-binary gender in which a person is “both a man and woman, neither a man nor woman, and/or somewhere in between man and woman” (Mardell, 2017; p. 133).

Aporagender: Someone whose gender is neither that of a woman, man or anything in between but who still feels they have a very strong and specific gendered feeling (Kelly, 2016).

Bigender: “Someone who has/experiences two genders” – these may be experienced at the same time or fluctuate (Mardell, 2017; p. 108).

Butch: “Used as both a noun and an adjective, this refers to a person who identifies as masculine (either physically, mentally or emotionally). The term is occasionally used as a lesbian slur but has been reclaimed by some gay women and turned into an affirmative label” (Kelly, 2016).

Chicanx: A gender-inclusive and/or neutral term for someone who is from Mexico, and lives in the United States (Avila, 2016; Planas, 2012).

Cisgender man: A person who knows themselves to be a man, after having been assigned male at birth.

Cisgender woman: A person who knows themselves to be a woman, after having been assigned female at birth.

Demigender: A person with a partial connection to a certain gender; usually demigirl (partially identifying as a girl) or demiboy (partially identifying as a boy).

Enby: Shortform, slang (and sometimes endearing) term for a non-binary person (derived from the pronunciation of the short form of non-binary, ‘nb’).

Fa’afafine: A third gender in Samoa; these individuals are an important part of Samoan culture.

Femme: “Used by and for anybody who identifies as feminine, but more commonly associated with feminine-identifying gay women” (Kelly, 2016).

Filipinx: Specifically for individuals from the Philippines. An identity term that is inclusive of individuals of all gender identities (FIERCE, n.d.).

Gender Nonconforming/Gender Variant/Gender Diverse/Gender Expansive: A person who does not conform to the concept of gender either in their gender identity and/or in their gender expression. These individuals may or may not also identify as trans and/or non-binary (Because I Am Human, 2017).

Gender Questioning: Someone who is unsure of, or exploring, their gender identity.

Genderfluid: Someone whose gender identity fluctuates between different genders and is not fixed.

Genderflux: “Someone whose experience with gender changes (fluctuates) in intensity” (Mardell, 2017; p. 127).

Genderqueer: “Someone whose gender exists outside of or beyond society’s binary concept of gender, often by not conforming to it” (Mardell, 2017; p. 120).

Gendervague: A gender identity that is highly influenced by being neurodivergent and feels undefinable or partly definable because of one’s neurodivergence.

Graygender: “Someone who has a weak sense of gender and/or is somewhat apathetic about their gender identity/expression” (Mardell, 2017; p. 144-145).

Hijra: A third gender in India legally recognized by the Supreme Court of India. Individuals assigned male at birth who appear as women and take on other traditional roles and power in Indian culture (for example, they are believed to have fertility enhancing powers) (Reddy, 2005).

Intergender: A person who identifies “between or as a mix of the binary genders”; some see this identity as exclusively reserved for Intersex individuals (Mardell, 2017; p. 143).

Khanith: This term is specific to Oman; Khanith is a third sex category in Oman describing men who have sex with other men and behave in a more feminine way (Ilkkaracan, 2016).

Latinx: Specifically for Latin American individuals. An identity term that is inclusive of queer, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals (Rodriguez-Cayro, 2019). Also, an umbrella term used when you do not know the gender identities of a group of people you are talking about (Rodriguez-Cayro, 2019).

Maverique: “Someone who has an autonomous gender which exists entirely independent of the binary genders man and woman” (Mardell, 2017; p. 115).

Neutrois: “Someone whose gender is neutral or null” (Mardell, 2017; p. 140).

Non-binary: Both a specific gender identity and an umbrella term. Non-binary describes individuals who do not exclusively or wholly identify as men or as women (binary genders).

Polygender: Someone who identifies as more than one gender.

RaeRae and Mahu: Both RaeRae and Mahu are terms for individuals in Polynesian culture who are neither men nor women, but someone who is partially a man and partially a woman (Stip, 2015). These individuals were seen as an important part of the Polynesian community however colonization has affected this relationship (Stip, 2015). Someone who is RaeRae may have had hormone therapy or gender affirming surgeries, whereas the term Mahu is more exclusively about the role the individuals have in Polynesian culture (Stip, 2015).

Stud: An identity in Black communities for women who present and behave in masculine ways, and whom partner with women; this term should only be used by Black individuals (Wilson, 2009).

Third Gender: A term used in many non-Western cultures for people who do not identify as either a man or a woman.

Trans man: A person who knows themselves to be a man, after having been assigned male at birth.

Trans person: A person who knows themselves to be trans, after having been assigned male or female at birth.

Trans woman: A person who knows themselves to be a woman, after having been assigned male at birth.

Transfeminine: “A term used to describe someone who was assigned male at birth, and who has a predominantly feminine gender and/or expresses themselves in a way they describe as feminine. While feminine people feel a connection to femininity, they may not identify in part or in whole as female” (Mardell, 2017; p. 105).

Transmasculine: “A term used to describe someone who was assigned female at birth, and who has a predominantly masculine gender and/or expresses themselves in a way they describe as masculine. While transmasculine people feel a connection to masculinity, they may not identify in part or in whole as male” (Mardell, 2017; p. 104).

Trigender: “Someone who has/experiences three genders” (Mardell, 2017; p. 108).

Two-Spirit: An Indigenous term for someone who does is not straight and/or cisgender. This is an umbrella term and has different meanings depending on the Indigenous individual, nation, region and/or territory.

Xenogender: Umbrella term for non-binary genders that are not defined by characteristics related to male or female.

X-jendā: A Japanese word for transgender individuals who identify as neither men nor women; it is a broadly encompassing word open for individual interpretation (Dale, 2012).

References

Avila, J. (2016, April 11). R’Perspective: Why Chicanx is anything, but outdated. Retrieved from https://www.highlandernews.org/23394/rperspective-why-chicanx-is-anything-but-outdated/

Because I Am Human. (2017, February 15). Glossary. Retrieved from https://becauseiamhumanblog.wordpress.com/resources/glossary/.

Dale, S. P. F. (2012). An introduction to X-Jendā: Examining a new gender identity in Japan. Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific. 31. Retrieved from http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue31/dale.htm

FIERCE (n.d.). Why we say ‘Filipinx’. Retrieved from http://kpfierce.weebly.com/blog/why-we-say-filipinx.

Ilkkaracan, P. (2016). Deconstructing Sexuality in the Middle East: Challenges and Discourses. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/

Kelly, G. (2016, May 24). A (nearly) complete glossary of gender identities for your next census. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/a-nearly-complete-glossary-of-gender-identities-for-your-next-ce/.

Mardell, A. (2017, November 9). The GayBC’s of LGBTQ Ebook. Retrieved from https://mango.bz/books/the-gaybcs-of-lgbtq-by-ashley-mardell-365-b.

Planas, R. (2012, October 21). Chicano: What does the word mean and where does it come from? Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/chicano_n_1990226?ri18n=true

Reddy, G. (2005). Geographies of contagion: Hijras, Kothis, and the politics of sexual marginality in Hyderabad. Anthropology & Medicine 12(3). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/13648470500291410.

Rodriguez-Cayro, K. (2017, September 16). Why young people use the word Latinx – and how they explain it to their parents. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/why-young-people-use-the-word-latinx-how-they-explain-it-to-their-parents-18733284

Stip, E. (2015). RaeRae and Mahu: Third Polynesian gender. Sante Mentale au Quebec. 40(3), 193-208.

Wilson, B. D. M. (2009). Black lesbian gender and sexual culture: Celebration and resistance. Culture, Health & Sexuality. 11(3), 297-313. DOI: 10.1080/13691050802676876.