Though we aim to help with this guide, it’s best to never assume anyone identifies by a particular term until they say so themselves. While supporting each other’s need to feel seen is as important as ever, learning to how to be an ally without accidentally saying something offensive or embarrassing can be a challenge.įor that reason, we’ve collaborated with advocacy organization GLAAD to update our glossary of LGBTQ terms used in the United States for 2021 we also consulted resources from NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, and the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC). This need for careful language is as important for heterosexual people to bear in mind as it is for, say, a gay man who may not understand what it’s like to live as a transgender person. The growing group of terms for various sexual orientations and gender identities is a good thing, as it provides opportunities to treat often-marginalized members of society with the respect they deserve. And just as one’s sexual orientation can shift and evolve, the language used to name aspects of gender and sexuality changes over time as well.
Sexuality, gender, and identity are interrelated, but they’re actually three separate parts of a person’s selfhood. There’s no “right” way to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer-and, as the colors of the pride flag reflect, the LGBTQ community contains multitudes beyond those five classifications.
