Glossary

Ableism or Disableism: The systematic oppression of people with (perceived) disabilities. Ableism assumes that there is a physical, intellectual, and emotional standard for human beings and that this standard is the only one accepted as normal. All other variations of the human body are considered abnormal, deviant, and inherently inferior. This norm is institutionalized in architectural structures, school policies, and practices, and legal segregation of persons with disabilities. Some activists prefer the term disableism because it centers the reason for the oppression—one’s disability status.

Aboriginal: People who are indigenous to (native or the original habitants of) a specific continent or geographic region.

Accent: A distinctive manner of expression in reference to the inflection, tone, or emphasis on pronunciation that is distinctly different from the listeners, and is taken to be unique.

Accessibility: Products, services, or environments designed in a way that they are readily approachable and usable by individuals with disabilities.

ADA: Acronym for American Disabilities Act, federal civil rights legislation dealing with discrimination in employment, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications on the basis of disability.

Affirmative Action: A set of procedures designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination among individuals, remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future.

African American, African Canadian, African Heritage, Caribbean, or Black: The range of terms used to indicate someone who identifies and is identified as having origins in the Black populations of Africa. A person of Black or Black African heritage.

Ageism: The pervasive system of prejudice and discrimination that marginalizes people based on their age. This can be perpetuated through stereotypes of youthfulness versus life at an older age and through oppressive policies that subordinate and exclude older folks.

Agnosticism: The belief that the existence of God or of the divine is unknowable. Agnosticism is not a religion.

Alien: In Progress…

Ally: An individual who supports members of a group of which they are not a member. Typically, a member of a majority/dominant/ privileged group and stands up in support of members of minority/marginalized groups. It is important to note that an ally might have a privileged identity due to a social group they belong to, while also holding another marginalized identity (please see Intersectionality). An ally works to create social change to end oppression by working with groups that are oppressed and offering support by being accountable, sharing the power, and using their privilege for building equity in society.

American Indian: Native or indigenous people of the United States. This term is used interchangeably with Native American. In Canada, the preferred term is Aboriginal or Indigenous. Please note: it is best to refer first to the person by their tribal nation, such as Cherokee, Sioux, etc. See also Indigenous peoples.

Androcentrism: The term used to describe a male-centered society and institutions, in which men are positioned as superior to women. Androcentrism is not simply the idea that men are superior to women, but a deeper premise that supports this idea—the definition of males and male experience as the norm or standard for humans, and females and female experience as a deviation from that norm.

Anecdotal Evidence: Evidence that is based on personal stories and single, isolated or nonrepresentative examples—“I know a guy that … and that proves that….”

Antiracism: A framework for ending racism that goes beyond tolerating or celebrating racial diversity and addresses racism as a system of unequal institutional power between Whites and Peoples of Color. It is the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, social, and other areas of life.

Antisemitism: Prejudice against, hostility toward, hatred and discrimination of Jewish people as a group or as individuals.

Asian or Asian Heritage: Refers to people of Asian ancestry. This broad category includes South Asian (including Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Nepalese), East Asian (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean), and Southeast Asian (including Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Burmese, Laotian). The term Asian or Asian Heritage is preferred when speaking of macrolevel dynamics. However, the multitude of groups under the broad category of Asian have very different histories, languages, and experiences. Thus, Asian can be a problematic term because it collapses this wide range of Asian groups into a unified collective.

Atheism: Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.

Binary: An either/or construct. Presenting only two options, which are seen as polar opposites, e.g., male/female, young/old, gay/straight.

Biracial: A person with parentage or grandparentage from two distinct racial groups.

Bisexual: Individuals who are emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.

Capitalism: A profit-driven political and economic system in which a nation’s resources and means of production and profits are privately held (e.g., by corporations and shareholders).

Caucasian: This term originally refers to people from the Caucasus mountain range although today it is primarily used to refer to people of White European ethnic heritage. These people were thought to be the perfect race of humans by early race scientists. Because the term is from outdated race science classifications that included Negroid, Mongoloid, and Caucasoid, it is a problematic term and should be avoided. White is the preferred term.

Cisgender: The term for people whose gender assignment at birth and subsequent socialization are the same as their identity.

Classism: The systematic oppression of poor and working people by those who control resources (including jobs, wages, education, housing, food, services, medicine, and cultural definitions). There are economic, political, and cultural dimensions to class oppression.

Class vernacular: The terms commonly used to identify the various class positions—e.g., working class and middle class.

Colonialism: The name given to European nations’ political and economic exploration, settlement, occupation, and exploitation of large areas of the world beginning in the 15th century (sometimes called the “Age of Discovery”). Colonialism resulted in the spread of White European institution and culture via domination over non-White and Indigenous peoples globally.

Color Blind(ness): The racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity. The term “colorblind” de‐emphasizes or ignores, race and ethnicity, large parts of one’s identity. It describes a disregard of racial characteristics or lack of influence by racial prejudice. Colorblindness is also based on the assumption that differences are problematic and therefore must be ignored. It comes with the lack of appreciation for racial characteristics. “I do not see color.”

Colored or Colored People: This term is connected to legal racial segregation and is considered extremely outdated and derogatory. People or Peoples of Color is the preferred term when broadly referring to people who are not White. Note: we have included these terms in the glossary only as an opportunity to inform those with limited racial awareness that the terms should not be used.

Coming out: The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts, and appreciates their sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with others. This process is unique for each individual.

Commodification: The action of treating a person, place, or culture as an object that can be bought, sold, privately owned, and consumed.

Critical Social Justice: A critical approach to social justice refers to specific theoretical perspectives which recognize that society is stratified (i.e., divided and unequal) in significant and far-reaching ways along social group lines that include race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability. Critical social justice recognizes inequality as deeply embedded in the fabric of society (i.e., as structural), and actively seeks to change this.

Critical Theory: A body of scholarship that examines how society works. This scholarship offers an examination and critique of society engaging with questions of social justice and change.

Culture: The norms, values, practices, patterns of communication, language, laws, customs, and meanings shared by a group of people in a given time and place.

Cultural Humility: Commitment to self-reflection as a cultural being and a willingness to learn and understand others’ identities and cultural backgrounds. It is a process of self-awareness, motivation to learn from others, and mutual respect.

Disability: A general term for an impairment or a functional limitation. Use “person with disability,” instead of “victim of, suffers from, stricken with or afflicted with.” (please see Person-First Language)

Discourse: The academic term for meaning that is communicated through language in all of its forms. Discourses include myths, narratives, explanations, words, concepts, and ideology. Discourses are not universal; they represent a particular cultural worldview and are shared among members of a given culture. Discourse is different from ideology because it refers to all of the ways in which we communicate ideology, including verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication, symbols, and representations.

Discrimination: Inequitable actions based on conscious or unconscious prejudice, which favor one group over others in the provision of goods, services, or opportunities.

Diversity: The wide variety of shared and different individual and group characteristics among all human beings. Differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, health, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, religion, physical size, education level, job and function, personality traits, and other human differences.

Dominant Group: The group at the top of the social hierarchy. In any relationship between groups that define each other (men/women, able-bodied/person with disability), the dominant group is the group that is valued more highly (avoid referring to the minoritized group as “non” dominant group, e.g., “non-White”). Dominant groups set the norms by which the minoritized group is judged. Dominant groups have greater access to the resources of society and benefit from the existence of the inequality. Also see “Majority/Majoritized group”

EEOC: Acronym for Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency which enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status), sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.

Equality: Evenly distributed access to resources and opportunity necessary for a safe and healthy life; “uniform” distribution of access that may or may not result in equitable outcomes.

Equity: The proportional distribution or parity of desirable outcomes across groups. Sometimes confused with equality, equity refers to outcomes, while equality connotes equal treatment. Where individuals or groups are dissimilarly situated, equal treatment may be insufficient for or even detrimental to equitable outcomes. An example is individualized educational accommodations for students with disabilities, which treat some students differently in order to ensure their equitable access to education. Equity strives to ensure that everyone has the resources they need.

Ethnicity: A social construct which divides individuals into smaller social groups based on characteristics such as a shared sense of group membership, values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history and ancestral geographical base. Ethnicity is not a synonym for race.

Ethnocentric Monoculturalism: The belief that the dominant group is superior than the minority groups and the dominant group has the power to impose standards on less powerful groups through oppression.

Feminism: “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (Bell Hooks). It is the advocacy for the social, economic, and political equality of all sexes. Feminism, as a movement, has been criticized for not including other aspects of identity and for focusing on the experience of White women. Feminism now strives to fight against sexist exploitation and oppression without neglecting other forms of oppression (e.g., racism, imperialism, classism, etc.).

First-generation Student: A term referring to those who are the first in their family to attend college.

First Nations: First Nations (or sometimes First Peoples) refers to the various groups of Indigenous peoples first present during the colonization of the North American continent. Examples of First Nation communities include the Blackfoot Nation (primarily in parts of Montana and Alberta), the Cherokee Nation (primarily in the southern United States), and Ojibwe Nation (north and south of the Great Lakes region). The term First Nations refers to these groups collectively.

Framework: A fundamental theory, paradigm, or thought pattern through which we make meaning of a given phenomenon; a particular way of seeing and knowing.

FTM: Acronym for Female to Male (transgender individual’s transition).

Gay: A person who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to members of the same gender.

Gay Marriage: Marriage for same-sex couples. “Same-sex marriage” is also an appropriate term.

Gender: The socially prescribed and enforced roles, behaviors, and expectations that are assigned to us at birth. These roles determine how you are “expected” to feel and act based on your body.

Gender-neutral pronouns: Pronouns that do not designate gender. Singular “they/them” is considered grammatically correct and is appropriate to be used as the default until a person expresses their preferred pronouns.

Gender-neutral terms: Terms that do not designate the gender of an individual, such as “police officer” instead of “policeman,” “salesperson/sales associate” instead of “salesman,” or “partner or spouse” instead of husband/wife.

Gender-nonconforming: A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category.

Gender Identity: The development of one’s self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves. One’s gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.

Genderqueer (or Genderfluid, non-Binary): People who do not identify in binary terms and /or whose gender identity and expression is fluid and dynamic. See also Sex and Gender.

Globalization: The process by which corporations and other large enterprises exert international influence. In exerting this influence, they channel resources away from local communities and usually erode local industry, culture, environment, and identity.

Hegemony: The imposition of dominant group ideology onto everyone in society. Hegemony makes it difficult to escape or to resist believing in this dominant ideology, thus social control is achieved through conditioning rather than physical force or intimidation.

Heterosexism: The values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that support the primacy of male-female intimate relationships. Heterosexism is enforced by institutions and the creation of laws, social policies, and everyday practices that maintain heterosexuality as the innate norm for human intimacy. Heterosexism rests on the assumption that male-female bonding is superior to any other form of intimacy, and anything other than heterosexuality is deviant or nonexistent.

Heterosexual: Individuals who are emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.

Hispanic: There is great diversity and complexity within the category that dominant culture terms Hispanic. For example, according to the U.S. Census, a person who is Hispanic can be of any race, therefore the Census asks for race identification as well as identification as Hispanic or Latino. Generally, this group includes peoples of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central American, and South American heritage, and/or of other Spanish culture. Hispanic is not a preferred term for critical scholars because its roots are colonialist (“of Spain”) and thereby merge diverse communities of people through the language of the colonizers. Latino/a can be problematic because it also merges many diverse countries together. Chicano/a is a self-applied political term for Mexican Americans who want to acknowledge that they live on lands stolen from Mexico by the United States.

Homophobia: The prejudice, fear, contempt, and hatred of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and associations. Homophobia includes misinformation about and prejudice against people who do not perform the expected gender roles assigned to them at birth. Homophobia affects all people in that it is a powerful tool for enforcing gender roles. Homophobia is also rooted in sexism. See also sexism and heterosexism.

Homosexual: Individuals who are emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to members of the same sex.

Ideology: The big, shared ideas of a society that are reinforced throughout all of the institutions and thus are very hard to avoid believing. These ideas include the stories, myths, representations, explanations, definitions, and rationalizations that are used to justify inequality in society. Individualism and Meritocracy are examples of ideology.

Immigrant: An individual, who has moved from one country to another, or is in the process of doing so.

Inclusion: An intentional effort to transform the status quo by creating opportunity for those who have been historically marginalized. An inclusion focus emphasizes outcomes of diversity rather than assuming that increasing the amount of explicit diversity of people automatically creates equity in access/opportunity, or an enhances organizational climate.

Indigenous or Indigenous Peoples: The United Nations defines Indigenous peoples as pre-colonial inhabitants of any settler society, such as Canada and the United States. There are differences in the terms used to refer to them, which are related to the colonial context of Indigenous relations in Canada and the United States. In Canada, it is acceptable to use the terms Indigenous and Aboriginal. Indigenous Peoples are defined under three prominent subgroups: First Nations (various distinct tribal communities), Inuit (the distinct group of the Northern continent), and Métis (referring to Indigenous people of mixed ancestry). In the United States, it is acceptable to use the terms Indigenous and Native American. Indigenous Peoples are defined under the two prominent subgroups: American Indian (various distinct tribal communities) and Alaska Native (various distinct tribal communities in the Northern part of the continent). We use Peoples here in plural to acknowledge that myriad distinct and diverse groups are included under this broad umbrella term.

Native and Native American are terms that are sometimes used in the United States. However, Indigenous serves as the most universal term. While the term “Indian” in the context of “American Indian” is in use in the United States, in Canada “Indian” was used predominantly in the past, and has very important legal connotations. To be a status or nonstatus Indian (as defined by government) gave/denied certain rights. Today, the term Indian should be avoided (especially by outsiders). It is best to refer to Indigenous communities by their specific tribal affiliation. In either country, avoid using the term Eskimo, as it is not what people of the north called themselves and it is considered derogatory.

Institutions: Large-scale organization within a society. Examples of institutions are media, criminal justice, economics, marriage and family, education, medicine, government, and military.

Institutional/ized: Embedded into the policies, practices, norms, traditions, and outcomes of institutions. When a form of social bias is institutionalized, it is reproduced automatically and no longer depends on the intentions or awareness of individuals; it is the default or status quo outcome of that institution’s work (e.g. institutionalized racism).

Internalized Dominance: Internalizing and acting out (often without being aware) the constant messages circulating in the culture that you and your group are superior to whichever group is minoritized in relation to yours and that you are entitled to your higher position.

Internalized Oppression: Believing in and acting out (often without being aware) the constant messages circulating in the culture that you and your group are inferior to whichever group is dominant in relation to yours and that you are deserving of your lower position.

Intersectionality: First introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality originally intended to draw attention to the experiences of women of color. In its contemporary form, intersectionality theory asserts that the intersections of individuals’ various identities (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, class, immigration status, and age) uniquely position each individual in the societal systems of power and oppression. Multiple systems of oppression interact in the lives of those with multiple marginalized identities.

Intersex: An umbrella term to describe a wide range of bodily variations (e.g., having the reproductive organs and many of the secondary sex characteristics of both sexes). These traits may be visible at birth or may not be apparent until puberty. Some chromosomal variations may not be physically apparent at all.

Islamophobia: Prejudice against, hostility toward, hatred and discrimination of Muslim people as a group or as individuals, Islam as a religion, and Islamic traditions and practices.

Latina: An individual of Latin American origin or descent, especially a woman or girl.

Latino: An individual of Latin American origin or descent, especially a man or boy.

Latinx: A non-gender specific or gender-neutral way of referring to people of Latin American descent.

Lesbian: A woman who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to other women.

LGBTQIA+: An umbrella term that is often used to refer to the community of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual individuals. The letters Q and A are at times used for Questioning and Ally.

Mainstream Society: The dominant framework for making sense of society that is circulated across all institutions and that all members of society are exposed to. This framework is circulated via mechanisms such as films, TV shows, advertisements, public school curriculum, holidays, and the stories, myths, representations, explanations, definitions, theories, and historical perspectives that are used to rationalize and hide inequality.

Majority/Majoritized group: A social group or a community of people whose access to institutional and structural power has been structurally guaranteed, regardless of the size of the group. Also see “Dominant group”

Meritocracy: The ideology that everyone succeeds on their own effort or merit. In a meritocracy, each individual earns what they have through their own talent and skills and no one has more advantage than anyone else. Meritocracy as an ideology fails to take systemic influences into consideration.

Métis or Métis Nation: A group of people who are of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry. See also Indigenous peoples.

Microaggressions: Brief daily verbal, non-verbal, or environmental statements, actions, or incidents that intentionally or unintentionally communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages, slights, or insults toward people who are minoritized. Microaggressions are often not noticed by the dominant group and can lead to continued distress, frustration, and confusion in individuals who endure microaggressions. Microaggression examples:

· “You speak English very well.” (When Asian Americans or Latino Americans are assumed to be foreign-born with a different native language. Theme: “Alien in one’s own land.” Message: “You are not a true American.”)

· Continuing to mispronounce the names of students after students have already corrected the person. Not being willing to listen closely and learn the pronunciation of a non-English based name.

· A White man or woman clutches their purse or checks their wallet as a Black or Latinx person approaches or is around. (Assumption of criminality)

· “I am not racist; I have Black friends.” (Denial of Individual racism/sexism/heterosexism)

· To a person of color: “Are you sure you were being followed in the store? I can’t believe it.” (Denying the personal experience of individuals who experience bias and discrimination)

· “America is the land of opportunity. Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough.” (Myth of Meritocracy – Message: “Black, Indigenous, People of Color are lazy and/or incompetent and need to work harder.”)

· Raising voice or speaking slowly while addressing an individual who is blind or visually impaired (Message: “An individual with a disability is lesser in all aspects of physical and/or mental functioning”).

· Being forced to choose Male or Female when completing basic forms (LGBTQIA+ categories are not recognized.)

· Criticizing an individual when they express emotion (e.g., frustration or anger) while talking about diversity related topics such as race, culture, or social justice (Message: “Leave your cultural baggage outside and assimilate to the ways of communication that the dominant culture defines as appropriate.")

Minoritized Group: A social group that is devalued in society. This devaluing encompasses how the group is represented, what degree of access to resources it is granted, and how the unequal access is rationalized. Traditionally, a group in this position has been referred to as the minority group. However, this language has been replaced with the term minoritized in order to capture the active dynamics that create the lower status in society and also to signal that a group’s status is not necessarily related to how many or few of them there are in the population at large. Whenever you can, prefer to use more specific descriptions while referring to groups.

Misgendering: Attributing a gender to someone that is incorrect and does not align with their gender identity.

Misogyny: The contempt for and hatred of women and characteristics that are associated with women or femaleness.

MTF: Acronym for Male to Female (transgender individual’s transition).

Multiracial or Mixed Race: A person of mixed (or multiple) racial heritage. This term refers to people with parentage or grandparentage from two or more racial (rather than ethnic) groups.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: According to the U.S. Census, this term refers to people with origins in any of the original peoples of Guam, Hawaii, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

Non-Binary/Gender Queer: Terms used by individuals whose gender identity falls outside of the binary gender categories (female-male).

Normalized (norm, normative): Taken for granted and seen as normal, natural, unremarkable, and universal.

Objective: The perception that some things are factual and not informed by social or cultural interpretations; a universal truth outside of any particular framework. A person or position that is seen as objective is seen as having the ability to transcend social or cultural frameworks and engage without bias or self-interest.

Oppression: The discrimination of one social group against another, backed by institutional power. Oppression occurs when one group is able to enforce its prejudice throughout society because it controls the institutions. It occurs at the group or macro level, and goes well beyond individuals. Sexism, racism, classism, ableism, and heterosexism are forms of oppression.

Oppression is a system for gaining, abusing, and maintaining structural and institutional power for the benefit of a limited dominant class. It is the lack of access, opportunity, safety, security, and resources that populations who have been minoritized experience.

Oriental: In a general sense this term means “of the East,” with the referent being Europe; that which is east in relation to Europe. It is a term that was used to refer to people of Asian ancestry and of the Asian continent and Near, Middle, or Far East. Please note: the term Oriental is considered derogatory.

Orientalism: The term “Orientalism” is not derogatory, as it refers to the specific study of how racism was institutionalized by Western European colonial powers toward people of “the Orient.” Scholars who study Orientalism study the representations of the history, culture, language, and literature of the Near, Middle, or Far East by Western European nations and how those representations have impacted historical and current relations.

Outing: Inadvertently or intentionally exposing someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity to others without their permission. This act deprives the person of choosing when, how, and with whom they want to share their personal information. Outing someone can have serious repercussions on employment, economic stability, personal safety or religious or family situations.

Pansexual: A term referring to the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. Pansexuality rejects the gender binary.

Patriarchy: The belief in the inherent superiority of men and male norms and the organization of society based on this belief. Structural and ideological system which perpetuates the privileging particular kinds of masculinity and cisgender men and gives them institutional control and dominance.

Peoples of Color (People of Color; Person of Color): The term used to describe people who are racialized (seen by dominant society as having race) based on phenotypic features (such as hair texture, bone structure, and skin color). The term is useful in that it acknowledges the racial binary that organizes society under White supremacy (Whites/Peoples of Color), and the overall shared experiences of racism and internalized racial oppression for people who are racialized. However, the term can also be problematic in that it conflates the wide range of very diverse groups of people into one group and thus obscures their specific histories, experiences, and challenges under White supremacy. As with all racial terms, the interplay between self-identity and identification within the social political context must be considered.

Person-first Language: Person-first language is a way of communicating while referring to an individual or individuals with a certain characteristic. Rather than defining the individual with that characteristic, person-first language highlights the humanity and the individuality of the person. Person-first language is a great linguistic tool to prevent marginalization and dehumanization of people due to a certain characteristic. It allows you to describe an aspect that a person HAS without defining “what/who a person IS.” Examples include:

· people with disabilities (instead of disabled people)

· a person with mental illness (instead of mentally ill)

· a person/child with autism (instead of autistic)

· people with schizophrenia (instead of schizophrenics)

· a person who is blind or is visually impaired (instead of blind people)

Platitude: A trite, simplistic, and meaningless statement, often presented as if it were significant and original, e.g., “People just need to take personal responsibility” or “Anyone can make it if they have a good attitude."

Populism: A political movement based in concern for the common person. Usually centered around an authoritarian and charismatic leader.

Positionality: The recognition that where you stand in relation to others in society shapes what you can see and understand about the world.

Prejudice: Learned prejudgment – preconceived opinion about members of social groups to which we do not belong. Prejudice is based on limited knowledge or experience with the group. Simplistic judgments and assumptions are made and projected onto everyone from that group. An example of prejudice is believing that a group (based on their race of mental health status) is lazy, dangerous, or incompetent.

Privilege exists when one group has something of value (e.g., a right, advantage or immunity granted) that is denied to others simply because of the groups they belong to, rather than because of anything they have done or failed to do. Privilege is the unearned social, political, economic, and psychological benefits of membership in a group that has institutional and structural power. “…the operations of circumstantial privilege, or unearned advantage, through which some people, groups, or conceptualizations are elevated, promoted, given the benefit of the doubt, trusted as responsible or sound, and considered to be extra worthy of the support and respect of the society by virtue of the good qualities associated with or attributed to them, regardless of the actual effects and actions of people or ideas.”

Pronouns: Linguistic tools used to refer to someone in the third person. Some of the examples are they/them/theirs, ze/hir/hirs, she/her/hers, or he/him/his. In English and some other languages, pronouns have been tied to gender and are a common site of misgendering.

Refugee: An individual who has been forced to flee their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, war, violence, or natural disaster.

Queer: An umbrella term that can refer to anyone who transgresses society’s view of gender or sexuality. The definition indeterminacy of the word Queer, its elasticity, is one of its constituent characteristics.

Questioning: A term used to refer to individuals who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Race: Group identity related to local geographic or global human population distinguished as a group by genetic physical characteristics, such as skin color, hair texture, facial features, etc. Today, race is understood as a social construct without biological merit. Ethnicity and race are not synonymous. For example, a black Frenchman might consider his ethnicity French while his race would be Black.

Racial Socialization: The process by which parents transmit both implicit and explicit messages about the meaning of one’s race in a broader societal context. Parents of black children, along with parents of other ethnically underrepresented youth, are tasked with teaching their children how to navigate, and sometimes even survive, a society that may give messages that undermine parents’ efforts. Racial socialization also refers to communication between family about the racial world as a means to better cope with racially discriminatory events.

Racialized: Perceived in racial terms; seen as having race.

Racial Profiling: The systemic targeting, surveillance, policing, and harassment of People of Color that begins with the assumption that People of Color are more likely to be criminals. At the community level, the discriminatory practice of racial profiling has emerged as a national concern. African-Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and Arab-Americans have reported being unfairly targeted by police who use race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and even gender when choosing which individuals should be subjected to stops, searches, seizures, and frisks on the streets, during routine traffic stops, at national borders, and in airports.

Racism: The systematic subordination of people from marginalized racial groups based on their physical appearance, ethnic or ancestral history, or cultural affiliation. Racism is a deeply pervasive, systemic issue perpetuated by members of the privileged racial group holding dominant social power over others. Racism encompasses economic, political, social, and institutional actions and beliefs that perpetuate an unequal distribution of privileges, resources, and power between White people and Peoples of Color. Discrimination, prejudice, or xenophobia may be more accurate terms for describing individual acts of oppression. While these individual acts likely stem from systemic racism, at the individual level the power dynamics that enable racism are not at play in the same way. Racial prejudice + Power = Racism.

Re-fencing: Tendency to view disconfirming behavior as being performed by exceptions to the group. A cognitive process for protecting stereotypes by explaining any evidence/example to the contrary as an isolated exception.

Religion: A personal or institutionalized system of beliefs and practices concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, often grounded in belief in and reverence for some supernatural power or powers; often involves devotional and ritual observances and contains a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Sex: The biological, genetic, or phenotypical markers that distinguish male and female bodies. Sex refers to one’s genitals, body structure, and hormones.

Sexism: The systematic oppression of women by men. Sexism is based on the belief that men are inherently superior to women. It encompasses economic, political, social, and institutional actions and beliefs that perpetuate an unequal distribution of privileges, resources, and power between men and women.

Sexual Orientation: An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to other people. Sexual orientation is not a choice; it is determined by a complex interaction of biological, genetic, and environmental factors.

Sizeism: The pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion of, and prejudice directed against people because of their size, especially weight. People who have bodies that society labels as overweight have been also labeled as unhealthy, undesirable, and lazy (i.e., “Fatphobia”). Individuals of short stature also face sizeism.

Signifier: A sign or symbol that conveys specific cultural meaning. Signifiers connect to larger discourses that work together to construct that meaning.

Social Capital: Social resources other than money that are valuable and grant status.

Socially Constructed: Meaning that is not inherently true, but agreed upon by society. Once society agrees to this meaning, it becomes real in its consequences for people’s lives.

Social Stratification: The concept that social groups are relationally positioned in a hierarchy of unequal value (e.g., people without disabilities are seen as more valuable than people with disabilities). This ranking is used to justify the unequal distribution of resources among social groups.

Spirituality: A broad concept that includes a sense of connection to something bigger than oneself. Some individuals may describe their spirituality being related to their religion; however, spirituality does not necessarily mean a religious connection. Spirituality may mean a personal relationship with God or gods, or a connection to nature or art. Individuals’ definition or meaning of spirituality may change throughout their lives.

SRS: Acronym for Sexual Reassignment Surgery, the surgery some trans people complete to make their bodies and their sex identity match. This surgery is also referred to as Gender Confirmation Surgery.

Structural: Built into the foundation of society; norms, traditions, culture, institutions, ideologies, economics, politics, attitudes, etc.

Subjective: An individual’s personal perspective, feelings, beliefs, interests, or experience, as opposed to those made from a source considered independent, unbiased, universal, and objective. A person or position that is considered subjective is assumed to be biased and/or self-interested, while a person considered to be objective is seen as unbiased and outside of any cultural influences.

Transphobia: The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, transgender people.

Transgender: A person who feels that their gender does not match the sex category given at birth (male or female); they may feel themselves to be neither like a woman or a man, that they are a combination of both genders, or that their gender is opposite to their sex. A transgender person can appear to others to partially, occasionally, or entirely perform their gender in a way that does not conform to traditional gender roles. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation.

Two Spirit: An Indigenous concept that recognizes that someone has both (or multiple variations of) feminine and masculine spirits. While many worldviews acknowledge that everyone has both feminine and masculine qualities, this term is specifically used to indicate someone who does not have a primarily male or female identity. The English term, as a translation, is incomplete in that in using the word “two,” the idea that gender and sexuality are binaries is reinforced. Two spirit is a cultural term, used by some within Indigenous communities. The term should not be used by outsiders to those communities.

Undocumented: In Progress…

White: People whose ancestry is or is perceived to be from Europe. While there are no true biological races, being perceived as White has very real privileges within the system of White supremacy. As with all identity terms, the interplay between self and group identity within the social political context must be considered.

Whiteness: The academic term used to capture the all-encompassing dimensions of White privilege, dominance, and assumed superiority in society. These dimensions include: ideological, institutional, social, cultural, historical, political, and interpersonal. Whiteness grants material and psychological advantages (white privilege) that are often invisible and taken for granted by Whites.

White Fragility: “A state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable [for white people], triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium.” Robin DiAngelo

White Privilege: The unearned privileges associated with identifying as or appearing White in a world that operates on the cultural default of Whiteness. “White privilege is like an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was meant to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks.” Peggy McIntosh

White supremacy: The academic term used to capture the all-encompassing dimensions of White privilege, dominance, and assumed superiority in mainstream society. These dimensions include: ideological, institutional, social, cultural, historical, political, and interpersonal. White supremacy is also described as a historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression of continents, nations and Peoples of Color by White peoples and nations of the European continent; for the purpose of maintaining and defending a system of wealth, power and privilege.

Xenophobia: Fear and/or loathing of people who have social group identities or memberships that are different or perceived to be different from your own (“the other,” foreign).