LGB Glossary

The core terms

Lesbian — a woman whose sexual and romantic attraction is to other women. In continuous use in this sense since the 19th century, from the island of Lesbos, home of the poet Sappho.

Gay — a person attracted to people of the same sex; used by and for men especially, but many women also call themselves gay. Adopted by the community itself in the mid-20th century precisely because it was a self-chosen word rather than a clinical or hostile one.

Bisexual — a person attracted to more than one sex. Not "confused," not "half of each," not a phase: a complete orientation of its own, and the "B" that has been in the acronym from the start.

Sexual orientation — the enduring pattern of who a person is sexually and romantically attracted to: to the same sex, the other sex, or more than one sex. Distinct from gender identity (see below); the two answer different questions.

Same-sex attracted — a plain descriptive phrase for the experience underlying "lesbian," "gay," and part of "bisexual." Useful in research and medicine because it describes attraction without assuming any particular identity label.

The acronyms

LGB — lesbian, gay, bisexual: the three sexual orientations toward the same sex (or more than one sex). This is the grouping this site is for. It is specific on purpose — all three describe orientation.

LGBT / LGBTQ+ / LGBTQIA+ — successively broader coalition acronyms. The "T" (transgender) adds a gender identity — a different axis from orientation. The "Q" usually stands for queer (sometimes "questioning"); the longer forms add intersex, asexual, and others. These are coalition labels for a set of communities, not a description any single person must adopt.

The contested terms

Queer — historically a slur against gay men and lesbians; deliberately reclaimed from 1990 onward by activists and academics as an umbrella identity, often carrying a broader anti-category politics along with it. Embraced by many, still declined by many others — particularly people who lived through its slur years. Respectful usage is simple: call people queer who call themselves queer, and don't apply it to people who don't. We cover the full story in The History of the Word "Queer" and the practical difference in Gay vs. Queer.

Homosexual — the 19th-century clinical term (coined 1868, by the Austro-Hungarian writer Karl-Maria Kertbeny). Accurate but cold: it spent a century attached to criminal codes and psychiatric diagnoses, which is why the community replaced it with "gay" and "lesbian." Fine in scientific contexts; as a label for people, most prefer the words the community chose for itself.

Heteronormative — an academic term for treating heterosexuality as the default way of being. Sometimes aimed as a criticism at gay people who want ordinary things — marriage, kids, a quiet life. Our view: wanting equal access to the same institutions everyone else has was the whole point of the equality movement, and no one owes anyone an unconventional life. (More on this on the home page.)

Related, and often mixed up

Gender identity — a person's internal sense of being a man, a woman, or otherwise. This is a separate question from sexual orientation: knowing someone is gay tells you nothing about their gender identity, and vice versa. Supporting the dignity and rights of transgender people is fully compatible with keeping these two concepts distinct — plenty of us do both.

Transgender — describes a person whose gender identity differs from their sex at birth. A gender-identity term, not a sexual orientation; a transgender person may be straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

Coming out — telling people you are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Still one of the bravest ordinary things a person can do, and it happens one conversation at a time, on your schedule, in your words.

The rule that covers everything here

Call people what they call themselves. That single courtesy settles nearly every dispute on this page.

If a term you're wondering about isn't here, ask us — we'd rather expand this page than leave anyone guessing.