Glossary

Biphobia

The fear, unreasonable anger, intolerance or/and hatred toward bisexuality and bisexual people.


Bisexual

When a person is emotionally and/or sexually attracted to persons of more than one gender.



Coming-out

The process of revealing the identification of a lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or intersex person.



Different-sex relationship

A relationship containing people of two different sexes. This term is preferred instead of opposite-sex, as ‘opposite’ is based on the incorrect assumption that there are only two possible sexes and that they are immutable


Discrimination

Unequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds, such as age, ethnic background, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.



Freedom of expression

The right of all to express their views and opinions freely without any form of censorship.



Gay

A man who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to men. Gay is sometimes also used as a blanket term to cover lesbian women and bisexual people as well as gay men.


Gender

Refers to people’s internal perception and experience of maleness and femaleness, and the social construction that allocates certain behaviours into male and female roles.


Gender expression

Refers to people's manifestation of their gender identity. Typically, people seek to make their gender expression or presentation match their gender identity/identities, irrespective of the sex that they were assigned at birth.


Gender identity

Refers to each person's deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth


Gender reassignment

Refers to each person's deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth


Gender recognition

A process whereby a trans person’s preferred gender is recognised in law, or the achievement of the process.


Gender variant

Can refer to someone whose gender identity differs from normative gender identity and the gender roles/norms assigned at birth.



Heteronormativity

Refers cultural and social practices where men and women are led to believe that heterosexuality is the only conceivable sexuality. It implies that heterosexuality is the only way of being “normal”.


Homophobia

Fear, unreasonable anger, intolerance or/and hatred directed towards homosexuality.


Homosexual

People are classified as homosexual on the basis of their gender and the gender of their sexual partner(s). When the partner’s gender is the same as the individual’s, then the person is categorised as homosexual. It is recommended to use the terms lesbian and gay men instead of homosexual people.



Intersex

A term that relates to a range of physical traits or variations that lie between stereotypical ideals of male and female. Intersex people are born with physical, hormonal or genetic features that are neither wholly female nor wholly male; or a combination of female and male; or neither female nor male. Many forms of intersex exist; it is a spectrum or umbrella term, rather than a single category.



Lesbian

A woman who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to women.


LGBTI

Acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. This is the acronym that ILGA-Europe use to reflect our advocacy priorities; our members may use different formulations to more accurately describe their own work, for example LGBT*, LGBTQ.



Out

Being openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans or intersex.



Queer

Has become an academic term that is inclusive of people who are not heterosexual - includes lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans people. Queer theory is challenging heteronormative social norms concerning gender and sexuality, and claims that gender roles are social constructions. Traditionally the term "queer" was an abusive term and therefore for some still has negative connotations. Many LGBTI persons however have reclaimed the term as a symbol of pride.



Sex

Refers to biological makeup such as primary and secondary sexual characteristics, genes, and hormones. The legal sex is usually assigned at birth and has traditionally been understood as consisting of two mutually exclusive groups, namely men and women.


Sexual orientation

Refers to each person’s capacity for profound affection, emotional and sexual attraction to, and intimate and sexual relations with, individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender.



Transsexual

Refers to people who identify entirely with the gender role opposite to the sex assigned to at birth and seeks to live permanently in the preferred gender role. This often goes along with strong rejection of their physical primary and secondary sex characteristics and wish to align their body with their preferred gender.


Trans person/people/man/woman

Is an inclusive umbrella term referring to those people whose gender identity and/or a gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. It includes, but is not limited to: men and women with transsexual pasts, and people who identify as transsexual, transgender, transvestite/cross-dressing, androgyne, polygender, genderqueer, agender, gender variant or with any other gender identity and/or expression which is not standard male or female and express their gender through their choice of clothes, presentation or body modifications, including undergoing multiple surgical procedures.


Transphobia

Refers to negative cultural and personal beliefs, opinions, attitudes and behaviours based on prejudice, disgust, fear and/or hatred of trans people or against variations of gender identity and gender expression.



Research Group

MEDIS – Metodologia de la Recerca Educativa amb Impacte Social
Facultat de ciències de l’educació i psicologia
Carretera de Valls, s/n, 43007 Tarragona

Contact

Oriol Rios – Project leader
joseoriol.rios@urv.cat
+34 977 29 70 72

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