What does LGBTQ stand for? Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (and/or questioning) studies.
Terms and Definitions:
- Lesbian - a woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotion attraction is to other women. Some lesbians may prefer to identify as gay (adj.) or as gay women.
- Gay - the adjective used to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions are to people of the same sex (e.g., gay man, gay people). Sometimes lesbian (n. or adj.) is the preferred term for women.
- Bisexual, Bi - a person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of another gender. People may experience this attraction in differing ways and degrees over their lifetime. Bisexual people need not have had specific sexual experiences to be bisexual; in fact, they need not have had any sexual experience at all to identify as bisexual.
- Transgender - an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differes from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms - including transgender. Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon physical appearance or medical procedures.
- Queer - an adjective used by some people, particularly younger people, whose sexual orientation is not exclusively heterosexual (e.g. queer person, queer woman). Typically, for those who identify as queer, the terms lesbian, gay, and bisexual are perceived to be too limiting and/or fraught with cultural connotations they feel don't apply to them. In addition, "Queer" is a term not limited to sexual orientations. Some use it in reference to non-gender conforming identities or fluid gender identities as well as sexualities.
The above definitions come from the GLAAD Media Reference Guide. There are also many offensive terms used to denigrate LGBTQ people and should not be used.
