See also Language & Tone; Relationships
LGBTIQ+ stands for ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning/queer’ with the ‘+’ signifying that this is an ever-growing and adapting community of different people. The ‘+’ can be omitted if necessary (such as when writing ‘LGBTIQ-friendly’). This is a widely understood and accepted acronym in those communities (with new additions being added from time to time, but generally accepted as being included under the ‘+’). In LP products, specify a person’s sexual orientation only when it is relevant.
Be cautious when describing any LGBTIQ+ issues or locations commonly associated with LGBTIQ+ communities. Avoid clichés and tropes such as ‘the pink dollar’ or stereotypes about gay men, lesbians, trans individuals or drag artists. A lot of one’s identity is self-professed and not necessarily visible or publicly known, so only use terminology that an individual has used about themselves.
The table below contains some commonly used terms and guidance on how (and if) they should be used.
Bisexual (lowercase) is OK to use; do not use ‘bi’.
A cross-dresser is a person who occasionally wears clothes traditionally associated with another gender. It is offensive to refer to a trans or nonbinary person as a cross-dresser, and it is up to individuals to choose to identify with the term, so use with care. Someone who identifies as a cross-dresser is usually not transgender and cross-dressing is not indicative of sexual orientation. Do not use ‘transvestite’ or ‘tranny'.
It is OK to use gay as an adjective (eg ‘gay literature’); do not use it as a noun preceded by an article (ie ‘the gays’, ‘a gay’). Generally ‘gay’ is used to describe men attracted to men, but some lesbians also use the word to describe themselves. In general, do not use ‘homosexual’ except in a clinical context.
In indexes, make sure to include ‘LGBTIQ+ Travellers’ (Travelers US) instead of or in addition to ‘Gay and Lesbian Travel(l)ers’.
Do not refer to someone who is out of the closet as ‘admitted’, ‘acknowledged’, ‘avowed’, ‘practising’ or ‘confessed’ homosexuals. The preferred term is ‘out’ (eg ‘Ricky Martin is an out pop star from Puerto Rico.’), but it is acceptable to use openly gay or openly lesbian.
Do not use ‘gay rights’; use civil rights or equal rights for gay people. ‘Gay rights’ can imply that gay people are seeking special rights when they are just asking for equality.
Take care with using these terms outside an LGBTQI+ context; for example, describing a paedophile as being ‘outed’ potentially creates an irrelevant and unhelpful association with a gay person being out of the closet. Possible alternatives are exposed or revealed.
‘Queer’, like ‘gay’, was originally a pejorative term. There has been a determined effort within the LGBTIQ+ community to reclaim the word and use it positively, but it should not be used in LP products or used only very carefully (eg if it is clearly being said by a LGBTIQ+ person). Use instead LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning/queer) or a more specific term.
It is OK to use same-sex in a couple of ways: to refer to activities and arrangements that involve only one gender (eg ‘same-sex school’) or as a substitute for ‘homosexual’ (eg ‘same-sex couples’).
The preferred term to describe an individual’s enduring physical, romantic, emotional and/or spiritual attraction to another person is sexual orientation. Gender identity is unrelated to sexual orientation – a transgender person might be heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual.
Do not use ‘sexual preference’, which implies that sexual orientation is a choice, as does the term ‘gay lifestyle’. Mention a person’s sexual orientation only when it is relevant and when that relevance is clear to the reader.
OK to use and can be useful to contrast with LGBTIQ.
Many trans people identify simply as ‘men’ or ‘women’ and do not wish to be labelled as being trans.
Transgender (lowercase) is the overall term for people whose current identity differs from their sex at birth; the shortened form, trans, is commonly used also and is sometimes considered to be more inclusive of the wide variety of identities under the trans umbrella.
A trans person may or may not have changed their physical characteristics. Use the name and pronoun (he/him/his, she/her/hers) preferred by the person; if their preference is not known, use the pronouns consistent with the way the subject lives publicly. ‘Transgender’ is an adjective; do not use the term ‘transgendered’ as this term is grammatically incorrect (it is not a verb).
‘Transsexual’ is an older medical and psychological term. Some people prefer to use this term to describe themselves but ‘transsexual’ is not an umbrella term and many transgender people do not identify as transsexual. It is best to use trans or transgender.
Gender confirmation surgery (lower case) is the preferred term for surgical alteration; ‘sex reassignment surgery’ is also OK but starting to fall out of favour; do not use ‘sex-change operation’. Not all transgender people want to or can afford to have gender reassignment surgery and it is only one aspect of gender transitioning. Do not use terms such a ‘pre-op’ or ‘post-op’ or discuss gender identity in terms of where someone is in a transition process.
Do not use.