A (Relatively) Short LGBTQ Dictionary Part 1
There are many forms of the acronym but the most common one you will come across is "LGBTQ+", as long as their is a combination of letters that vaguely resemble those ones, it is probably another form of the acronym. No one expects you to know every form of every acronym but understanding the identities can be important, this is our (relatively) short guide to LGBTQ terms and identities.
Before we go into the meanings of various sexualities, you need to understand the different types of attraction we'll be referring to.
Romantic attraction is the attraction to a person based on feelings of deep love, admiration of their personality, and feelings of non sexual romance.
Sexual attraction is the attraction to someone based on factors such as physical appearance, and your desire to have sex with them.
Aesthetic attraction is the primarily platonic attraction to a person based on their appearance, style, and your general admiration for them.
Lesbian- A lesbian is the name for a woman that is attracted to another woman. Lesbian emerged as a word so that gay women would not be erased and ignored because of the terms "gay" and "homosexual" that they share with gay men. In the modern day most lesbian women do not mind being called "gay" but it is always best to check with the individual person on how they would like to be addressed
Gay- gay is a word we use to describe someone who is attracted to the same gender as their own. When saying "Gay" most people will be referring to a homosexual man but you can be gay and any gender (or no gender at all).
Bisexual- Bisexual is a term we use to describe someone who is attracted to two or more genders. It is a common misconception that bisexuals are only attracted to two genders or that they are only attracted to men and women when in fact bisexuals can be attracted to any combination (e.g. someone who is attracted to women and demigirls would be considered bisexual).
Transgender- Transgender is a word we use to describe someone who's gender identity is not the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender people often but not always struggle with dysphoria which makes the aspects of their body that contradict their gender very psychologically taxing which is why many elect to have surgeries so that their physical body fits their identity (although not all transgender do undergo these procedures and some elect to get surgeries even if they do not have dysphoria).
Queer- Queer was once a slur, it was an extremely negative word that caused great offense. It has since been reclaimed and is now a general terms for people who are not Cisgender and Heterosexual. Many people still find this word offensive or do not self identify as queer so make sure you ask someone if they are comfortable term before you address them as "queer"
