Gender Identity
AGAB - Assigned Gender At Birth; AFAB for assigned female and AMAB for assigned male
Agender - A lack of gender and/or an entirely neutral gender
CAFAB/CAMAB - Coercively Assigned Female/Male At Birth, a term used exclusively by intersex individuals
Cisgender (Cis) - Identitying as the gender you were assigned at birth, such as being an AFAB woman
Demiboy/male/guy - Partially, but not entirely, identifying as a boy/man
Demigirl/woman/lady - Partially, but not entirely, identifying as a girl/woman
Dyadic - Not born intersex
FTF - Female to female, a trans woman who does not identify as having ever been male as she was always truly a woman
FTM - Female to male, an AFAB/transgender man
Intergender - A gender used primarily by intersex individuals who feel between male and female
Intersex - A third sex for those born with/naturally developing primary or secondary sex characteristics that don’t fall in line with the traditional categories of male and female
Genderfluid - Having a gender identity that shifts over time
Genderflux - Having a gender identity that shifts in between specific/limited identities over time
MTF - Male to female, an AMAB/transgender woman
MTM - Male to male, a trans man who does not identify as having ever been female as he was always truly a man
Muxe - In Zapotec culture, an AMAB person who presents in a feminine manner; often considered a third gender
Neurogender - Gender identities used by neurodivergent people to reflect how their neurodivergence affects their experience of their gender (ie autigender)
Neutrois - A neutral/null gender
Nonbinary (NB or enby) - An umbrella term for any gender identity that doesn't strictly fall into the male/femake binary
Pangender - A gender identity that includes all genders
Transgender (Trans) - Having a gender other than your AGAB
Transsex - A trans person not born intersex, but who through surgery or HRT no longer meets the traditional definition of binary sex
Two-Spirit - A Native umbrella term for Natives who fulfill the role of a third gender and/or identify as blending male & female
Xenogenders - Gender identities falling out of popular notions of what a gender is, such as neurogenders and noungenders
An intersex pride/rights parade, calling for an end to harmful treatments forced on intersex people by family and doctors
The transgender pride flag, with an added trans symbol
A woman holding up the gay pride flag
Orientations
Achillean - A man or enby who is attracted to other men and enbies, but who may or may not be attracted to other genders
Alloromantic - Experiencing romantic attraction
Aroace - Someone who is both aromantic and asexual
Aromantic (Aro) - Feeling little to no romantic attraction or on the aromantic spectrum
Asexual (Ace) - Feeling little to no sexual attraction or on the asexual spectrum
Bi - Attracted to multiple genders (ie bisexual, biromantic)
Diamoric - An enby who is attracted to other enbies, but who may or may not be attracted to other genders, AKA Dionysian
Enbian - A diamoric orientation
Gay - Typically someone attracted to the same gender, though it's often used as an LGBTQ+ umbrella term
Gaybian - Someone who is both gay (MLM) and lesbian (WLW), usually due to having a fluid, varied or mixed gender. They may be considered bi
Hetero (Straight) - Attracted to the opposite binary gender (ie heteroromantic, heterosexual)
Lesbian - A woman or enby who is attracted (usually exclusively) to other women and enbies
Pan - Attracted to all genders (ie pansexual, panromantic)
Sapphic - A woman or enby who is attracted to other women or enbies, but who may or may not be attracted to other genders
Toric - Nonbinary person attracted to men
Trixic - Nonbinary person attracted to women
Queer - An umbrella term that may be claimed by anyone who isnt heterosexual, heteroromantic and/or cisgender
Types of Attraction
Prefixes (ie 'bi-' or 'hetero-') are added to describe who someone does or doesn't experience these types of attraction to, but they may be used on their own to refer to attraction or relationships. For example, a panromantic person experiences romantic attraction towards all genders.
Aesthetic - An appreciation for someone’s outward appearance in a way that isn’t based in romance/sexual appeal
Alterous - Attraction where it’s difficult impossible to distinguish between platonic or romantic attraction
Emotional - Non-physical attraction to someone for their personality, mind, etc.
Platonic - Desiring a platonic relationship with someone, such as being friends or sharing a sibling-type bond
Romantic - Wanting a romantic relationship with someone
Sensual - Desiring physical contact with someone, such as cuddling, hand holding, or hugging, in a way that isn’t solely sexual/romantic
Sexual - Desiring sexual contact or a sexual relationship with someone
Queerplatonic - Desiring a relationship that defies typical ideas of platonic and romantic relationships, a form of attraction that blends or exists out of platonic/romantic attraction
Kissing is a common way to express romantic attraction, but may also demonstrate any kind of affection
College students sharing their pronouns!
Pronouns
This list isn't exhaustive; for guides on other pronouns, try searching on pronouny.xyz. All pronouns link to usage guides.
Standard Pronouns (pronouns conventionally for individuals):
he/him - typically used by masculine individuals
she/her - typically used by feminine individuals
they/them - singular, typically used by nonbinary individuals or people with an unknown gender
Non-Standard Pronouns (non-neopronouns that aren't conventionally used for individuals):
it/its - singular, often used by neurodivergent and nonbinary people (only use with consent or when asked)
one/one's - singular, often used for someone of unknown gender
no pronouns - referring to someone by only their name
Common Neopronouns (literally 'new pronouns'):
e/em - AKA 'Spivak pronouns', created in 1990
fae/faer - one of the most common nounpronouns made in 2013
per/pers - AKA 'person pronouns', coined in 1972
thon/thons - a gender neutral neopronoun made in 1858
xe/xem - gender neutral, coined in 1973
Nominative Pronouns (pronouns with only one form):
a - a centuries old singular pronoun, used in some of Britain
yo - a genderless pronoun from AAVE in Baltimore, MD
Non-English (neopronouns for use in other languages):
elle - Spanish, gender neutral (alternative to el/ella)
hen - Swedish, gender neutral (alternative to hon/han)
Outdated Terms/Phrases/Symbols
‘Trapped in the wrong body’ - A simplification of trans identity, harmful because many trans people believe their body isn’t wrong but needs changes
Black Triangle & Labrys Flag - The inverted black triangle and a flag featuring it. Harmful due to the triangle being predominantly a symbol of Romani genocide; it is inappropriate for non-Roma, including lesbians, to use
Born (AGAB) - Implies transgender people are born as their assigned gender. Instead, they should be referred to as assigned their AGAB or simply trans when needed
Homosexual - An outdated way to refer to gay people
Sex Reassignment Surgery - Outdated way to refer to Gender Reassignment Surgery
Transsexual - Outdated term for transgender people, mainly those who transition medically. The label is arguably transphobic
A photo of the Labrys flag, which is offensive to Romani peoples