Missouri S&T DaVinci Society - Resources: Glossary

Glossary

Androgyny: A profound blend of gender which blurs the distinction between masculine and feminine.
Berdache: See two spirited.
Bi-Gender: A person who possesses and expresses a distinctly masculine persona and a distinctly feminine persona. Is comfortable in and enjoys presenting in both gender roles. Also known as Dual-gender.
Bisexuality: A sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of both genders, or in which a person's gender does not play a role in attraction.
Coming Out: This term refers to the process in which a person acknowledges, accepts, and in many cases, appreciates her or his lesbian, gay, or bisexual identity. This often involves the sharing of information with others. The process of coming out to oneself and others occurs for different people in a variety of places, ways, and times. Also known as "coming out of the closet" or "being out."
Cross Living: See transgenderist.
Crossdresser: The preferred term for one who enjoys dressing as their opposite gender; a part-time activity which can involve a degree of exploration into gender identity.
Drag Queen/King: A man or woman dressed as the opposite gender, many times overdone or outrageous and may present a "stereotyped image." Often lesbian or gay.
Dual-Gender: See bi-gender.
F to M (Female to Male): Abbreviation used to describe female to male transgender people.
Female Impersonator: Person who crossdresses as a performing act and/or as a stage personality. They may also consider themselves "drag performers" and may or may not consider themselves to be transgender.
Gay: A common and acceptable term for male homosexuals, but also used when referring to both men and women.
Gender Blending: Dressing in such a way as to question the traditional feminine or masculine qualities assigned to articles of clothing or adornment. Gender bending may be a part of "fashion," or possibly a political statement.
Homophobia: The fear, dislike, and hatred of same-sex relationships or those who love and are sexually attracted to those of the same sex. Homophobia includes prejudice, discrimination, harassment, and acts of violence brought on by fear and hatred. See also internalized homophobia.
Hermaphrodite: See intersex.
Heterosexism: The assumption that all people are or should be heterosexual. Heterosexism excludes the needs, concerns, and life experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexuality people while it gives advantages to heterosexual people. It is often a subtle form of opression and reinforces realities of silence and invisibility for gays and lesbians.
Heterosexuality: A sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of the opposite gender.
Homosexuality: A sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of the same gender.
Internalized Homophobia: The fear and self-hate of one's own homosexuality or bisexuality that occurs in many gay and lesbian individuals who have learned negative ideas about homosexuality throughout childhood. Once gay and lesbian people realize that they belong to a group of people that is often despised and rejected in our society, many internalize and incorporate the stigmatization of homosexuality and fear or hate themselves.
Intersex
: One who is born with ambiguous anatomical features, or features of both male and female. Formerly referred to as "hermaphrodites."
Lesbian: A common and acceptable term for female homosexuals.
LGBT: An abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, usually referring to the community as a whole.
M to F (Male to Female): Abbreviation used to describe male to female transgender people.
Male Impersonator: Person who crossdresses as a performing act and/or as a stage personality. They may also consider themselves "drag performers" and may or may not consider themselves to be transgender.
Metrosexual: An urban male with a strong asthetic sense who spends a great deal of time and money on his appearance and lifestyle. Mark Simpson invented this term in 1994, and it drifted slowly from one media source to another throughout the rest of the 1990's and early 2000's. When Simpson wrote an article about metrosexuals in the online magazine Salon.com, the term took off.
Post-op Transsexual: One who has had gender reassignment surgery and lives full-time, often preferring to drop the label since it refers primarily to their transition.
Pre-op Transsexual: One who feels their anatomy should be altered to correspond with their dominant gender; may live full-time in their dominant gender, but hasn't yet had gender reassignment surgery - or may never be able due to health or finances.
Queer: In the past, this term was a derogatory word for gay men and lesbians. It has been reclaimed by more radical LGBT activists during the 1980's and used in the slogans for ACT UP and Queer Nation ("We're here, we're queer, get used to it!"). Considered a more inclusive term than gay, queer also sometimes refers to a more radical and confrontational type of activism. May be considered offensive.
Sexual Orientation: A person's emotional, physical, and/or sexual attration and the expression of that attraction. Although a subject of debate, sexual orientation is probably one of the many characteristics people are born with. Most people become aware of their sexual orientation during adolescence.
The Third Sex: Generally a term applied to transgender people who express a "gender alternative" to traditional masculine or feminine roles.
Transgender: A broad term used to encompass all manifestations of crossing gender barriers. It includes all who crossdress or otherwise transgress gender norms, and all others who wish to belong. The Minnesota Human Rights Act includes transgender people and defines them as: "having or being percieved as having a self-image or identity not traditionally associated with one's biological maleness or femaleness.
Transgenderist: A term used specifically to describe a person who expresses a gender contrary to the normal expectation of their anatomy - most or all of the time - but feels no need for gender reassignment surgery. Also known as cross living.
Transvestite: The original term for "crossdresser," which has acquired a connotation of fetishism and perversion.
Two Spirited: Term used by most anthropologists for transgender Native American Shamans, whose traditions varied between tribes. Also known as berdache.