Lgbt lesbian

Glossary of Terms

Many Americans refrain from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity or utterance because it feels taboo, or because they’re anxious of saying the false thing.

This glossary was written to help give people the words and meanings to help make conversations easier and more pleasant. LGBTQ+ people use a variety of terms to identify themselves, not all of which are included in this glossary. Always listen for and respect a person’s self identified terminology.

Ally | A phrase used to describe someone who is actively supportive of LGBTQ+ people. It encompasses straight and cisgender allies, as well as those within the Queer community who support each other (e.g., a dyke who is an ally to the bisexual community).

Asexual | Often called “ace” for short, asexual refers to a complete or partial lack of sexual attraction or lack of interest in sexual action with others. Asexuality exists on a spectrum, and asexual people may exposure no, little or conditional sexual attraction.

Biphobia | The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with

Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ

Definitions were drafted in collaboration with other U.S.-based LGBTQ group organizations and leaders. See acknowledgements section.

Additional terms and definitions about gender identity and gender expression, transgender people, and nonbinary people are available in the Transgender Glossary.

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*NOTE: Seek people what terms they use to describe their sexual orientation, gender culture and gender statement before assigning them a label. Outside of acronyms, these terms should only be capitalized when used at the beginning of a sentence.

LGBTQ
Acronym for lesbian, lgbtq+, bisexual, transgender, and queer. The Q generally stands for queer when LGBTQ organizations, leaders, and media use the acronym. In settings offering support for youth, it can also stand for questioning. LGBT and LGBTQ+ are also used, with the + added in recognition of all non-straight, non-cisgender identities. (See Transgender Glossary ) Both are acceptable, as are other versions of thi

New stats reveal that sapphic, gay and bisexual people are a growing part of UK society

The Office of National Statistics have revealed new stats about sexual orientation in the UK:

Younger people were more likely to identify as LGB than older people. Among those aged 16 to 24 years, around 1 in 10 (%) identified as LGB, compared with around 1 in (%) of people aged 65 years and over.
An estimated % of the UK population aged 16 years and over identified as lesbian, queer or bisexual (LGB) in , up from % in
The proportion of people aged 16 to 24 years identifying as bisexual more than doubled from % to % between and

Responding to this new data, Stonewall CEO, Simon Blake said:

"The ONS statistics out today are a timely reminder that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people are a growing part of UK culture, with more LGB young people than ever before. The more than one in ten of year olds identifying as LGB will be a crucial part of our workplaces, politics and lives. They will have colleagues, friends and families who help them and

Mental health support if you're lesbian, gay, bi-curious or trans (LGBTQ+)

Mental health problems such as depression or self-harm can affect any of us, but they're more frequent among people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBTQ+).

This may be linked to LGBTQ+ people's experience of discrimination, homophobia or transphobia, bullying, social isolation, or rejection because of their sexuality.

Other things, such as their age, religion, where they reside, and their ethnicity can insert extra complications to an already difficult situation.

How talking therapy can help

It might not be easy, but getting help with issues you're struggling to deal with on your own is one of the most important things you can do.

Talking with a therapist who's trained to perform with LGBTQ+ people may help with issues such as:

difficulty accepting your sexual orientation
coping with other people's reactions to your sexuality
feeling your body does not reflect your true gender (gender dysphoria)
transitioning
low self-esteem
self-harm
suicidal thoughts
depression
coping with bullying