LGBTQ+ definitions

We have put together some definitions relating to LGBTQ+ identities and experiences. We realise this may not cover all the ways people define themselves. Scottish Trans and Stonewall Scotland list many more terms.

Asexual/Ace

Someone who does not experience sexual attraction, although they may still be sexually and / or romantically partnered.

Being out

Being openly LGBT+. ‘Outing’ someone is the non-consensual disclosure of someone’s LGBT+ identity.

Bi/bisexual

A person who is attracted to more than one gender.

Chosen family

A group of people who are committed to supporting each other, as society expects families to offer support. This can be a group of friends or partners who live together, or a broader community support network, and is likely to be more informal than traditional family relations.

Cis/cisgender

A person whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth - note that some people do not like this term, and so it may be more appropriate to say “not trans”.

Deadnaming

Referring to a trans person by the name that they used before they transitioned. This may be done either accidentally or intentionally, and can be very upsetting.

Family of origin

The family in which a person was raised.

Gay

A man who is attracted to other men, but also a gender-neutral term for people who are attracted to people of the same gender.

Lesbian

A woman who is attracted to women.

Misgendering

Referring to a person as the wrong gender (accidentally or intentionally) such as by using pronouns that they are not comfortable with.

Non-binary

Identifying as either having a gender which is in-between or beyond the two categories ‘man’ and ‘woman’, as fluctuating between ‘man’ and ‘woman’, or as having no gender, either permanently or some of the time.

Pansexual

Someone who is attracted regardless of gender. Can be synonymous with bisexual.

Polyamory

Where people might have more than one romantic / sexual partner.

Queer

A term that may be used by non-heterosexual and / or non-cisgender people to describe themselves. This is a reclaimed slur and so should not be used by people outside of the LGBTQ+ community or in relation to someone who has not explicitly self-identified as ‘queer’.

Trans

An umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth, such as trans men, trans women, non-binary people.