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Definitions of key terms related to LGBTIQ* communities and festivals
The LGBTQIA Resource Center provides an extensive and comprehensive glossary of terms. The Research Center is part of the UC Davis (University of California) and aims to provide an open, safe, inclusive space and community that is committed to challenging sexism, cissexism/trans oppression/transmisogyny, heterosexism, monosexism, and allosexism. Since the early 2000s, staff members of the Research Center have collectively built up an extensive list of terms that are also useful for festival makers. On their website, the Research Center also mentions that terms are “always evolving, changing and often mean different things to different people”.
We would like to underline that the following terms are meant as a starting point for understanding but do not claim to represent a universal truth or a fixed definition or dogma. The following terms can be subject to change, discussion and further development.
Furthermore, this list is non-exhaustive. It contains terms that came up during meetings of an Alumni working group and will be continuously expanded as our conversations develop.
DIFFERENCE GENDER AND SEX
Gender: “Masculine and feminine roles are not biologically fixed but socially constructed." (Judith Butler: Gender Trouble, 1990). Gender is a social construct used to classify a person as a man, woman, or some other identity. Gender is fundamentally different from the sex one is assigned at birth.
Sex: A medical categorization, often assigned based on the appearance of the genitalia, either in ultrasound or at birth. Sex assigned at birth is different from gender identity, and sex is not always binary, such as for intersex individuals.
CIS-GENDER
Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-trans is also used by some people.
TRANS-GENDER
The word “transgender” – or trans – is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity is different from the sex assigned to them at birth. Although the word “transgender” and our modern definition of it only came into use in the late 20th century, people who would fit under this definition have existed in every culture throughout recorded history.
(https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community)
NON-BINARY
Most people, including most transgender people, are either male or female. But some people don't neatly fit into the categories of "man" or "woman," or “male” or “female.” For example, some people have a gender that blends elements of being a man or a woman, or a gender that is different than either male or female. Some people don't identify with any gender. Some people's gender changes over time. (https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-nonbinary-people-how-to-be-respectful-and-supportive)
GENDERFLUID
is a non-fixed gender identity that shifts over time or depending on the situation. These fluctuations can occur at the level of gender identity or gender expression. A genderfluid person may fluctuate among different gender expressions over their lifetime, or express multiple aspects of various gender markers simultaneously. Genderfluid individuals may identify as non-binary or transgender, or cisgender.(Source: Wikpedia)
GENDERFLUID FLAG
JJ Poole (they/them), an agender pansexual from New York state who advocates for people who do not fit into heteronormative society. They created the flag in 2012. It has five horizontal stripes: pink for femininity, blue for masculinity, purple for both masculinity and femininity, black for the lack of gender, and white for all genders.
LGBTIQA+
Abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersexual, Queer, and Asexual. The additional “+” stands for all of the other identities not encompassed in the short acronym. An umbrella term that is often used to refer to the community as a whole. Sometimes, the list also includes:
2S for Two-Spirit (or 2 Spirit) and used as 2SLGBTIQA+:
Two-Spirit is an important term within some Indigenous cultures and for some Indigenous people, meaning a person with both a feminine and a masculine spirit living in the same body. This is often used to describe sexual orientation, gender identity and / or spiritual identity.
QUEER
An umbrella term used to describe gender/sexual/romantic orientations or identities that fall outside of societal norms.
Historically, queer has been used as an epithet/slur against the LGBTQ+ community. Some people have reclaimed the word queer and self identify in opposition to assimilation. For some, this reclamation is a celebration of not fitting into social norms.
Not all people who identify as LGBTQIA use “queer” to describe themselves. For example, those of earlier generations are typically averse to self-identifying as queer. The term is often considered hateful when used by those who do not identify as LGBTQIA. (https://lgbtqia.ucdavis.edu/educated/glossary#q)
PRONOUNS
Linguistic tools used to refer to someone in the third person. Examples are they/them/theirs, she/her/hers, he/him/his. In English and some other languages, pronouns have been tied to gender and are a common area of misgendering (that means: attributing a gender to someone that is incorrect.)
The use of ‘they’, ‘their’, ‘them’ as third-person singular to refer to a person whose gender is specified as non-binary, queer or other has gained popularity in the communities. This is the subject of heated debates fueled by anti-queer movements and political parties in countries that use a language that contains gender-tied pronouns.
PRIDE
Pride means, among other things, “a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one’s position or character.” By adopting this term, the Queer community is asserting their right to exist freely, without shame. Not all activists agreed with the use of the term Pride. (https://www.dictionary.com/e/lgbtq-terms/)
Thessaurus.com has developed a separate entry for Pride with an initial capital P to better document and dignify the use of the term in the sense of: 1. recognition of LGBTQ identity, affirmation of equal rights, and celebration of visibility, dignity, and diversity in the LGBTQ community (formerly referred to as Gay Pride), 2. events or organizations that celebrate the LGBTQ community and its members (often used attributively)
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