The Queer Community is made up of individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, grey-asexual, pansexual, demisexual, polysexual, polyamorous, gender non-conforming or within the romantic orientations. Lambda Delta Xi Diaternity uses the term queer in an inclusive way so that all members of the community are included and feel welcomed in the efforts of education, advocacy, and activism. It is important for anyone who wish to be an ally or advocate for the queer community to understand terms and definitions and the differences among sexual orientation, gender identity, and romantic orientation.
Gender Identity Terms
Gender Identity: The sense of being "male", "female" gender non-conforming, or transgender.
Gender Expression: Refers to all of the external characteristics and behaviors that are socially defined as either masculine, feminine, or genderqueer.
Cisgender: An individual who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth.
Transgender: An individual who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. It is also important to note that anyone who identifies as transgender is not required to go through the gender reassignment process.
Gender Non-Conforming (Genderqueer): Individuals who do not identify with society's stereotypical views about gender identity. This term usually usually serves as an umbrella for those who identify as one of the following:
Gender Expression: Refers to all of the external characteristics and behaviors that are socially defined as either masculine, feminine, or genderqueer.
Cisgender: An individual who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth.
Transgender: An individual who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. It is also important to note that anyone who identifies as transgender is not required to go through the gender reassignment process.
Gender Non-Conforming (Genderqueer): Individuals who do not identify with society's stereotypical views about gender identity. This term usually usually serves as an umbrella for those who identify as one of the following:
- Agender: An individual who does not identify with any gender.
- Bigender: An individual who identifies as two genders simultaneously.
- Third Gender: A social category in societies that recognize more than two genders.
- Gender Fluid: An individual whose gender identity changes throughout their lifetime.
Sex and Sexual Orientation Terms
Sex: Refers to a person's biological status and is typically categorized as male, female, or intersex.
Intersex: An individual born with ambiguous genitalia and/or x/y chromosomes. Sexual Orientation: The preferred term used when referring to an individual's physical, emotional, and romantic attraction to another person. Straight: An individual who is sexually and romantically attracted to those of the opposite gender. Gay: A male who is sexually and romantically attracted to other males. Lesbian: A female who is sexually and romantically attracted to other females. Bisexual: An individual who is sexually and romantically attracted to individuals of both their own gender and another gender. Asexual: An individual who does not experience sexual attraction, but does experience romantic attraction. Grey-Asexual: An individual who rarely experiences sexual attraction but does not fully fall into the categories of asexual or demisexual. Pansexual: An individual who is sexually and romantically attracted to another person regardless of gender identity. Demisexual: An individual who does not experience sexual attraction until a strong romantic attraction occurs. Not to be confused with those who only have sexual relations in a committed relationship. Polysexual: An individual who is sexually and romantically attracted to multiple genders. |
Romantic Orientation Terms
Romantic Orientation: Refers to an individual's pattern of romantic attraction to another person. This is considered to be distinct from sexual orientation, which refers to an individual's sexual AND romantic attraction. Just like sexual orientation there are also romantic identities.
- Heteroromantic: An individual who is romantically attracted to those of the opposite gender.
- Homoromantic: An individual who is romantically attracted to those of the same gender.
- Biromantic: An individual who is romantically attracted to those of the same gender and another gender.
- Aromantic: An individual who does not experience romantic attraction.
- Panromantic: An individual who is romantically attracted to people regardless of gender identity.
Other Important Terms
Questioning: The process of exploring and discovering one's sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or romantic orientation.
Ally: An individual who supports and advocates for the rights of the queer community. Although the term ally typically refers to "straight allies", Lambda Delta Xi uses the term in an inclusive way. Anyone can be an ally to another group within the queer community. Polyamorous: The state of having multiple sexually or romantically committed relationships at a time, with the consent of all those involved. |