The Ultimate Guide to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Terms
The Ultimate Guide to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Terms
By Vic Gerami
Sexual orientation is about who you are attracted to emotionally, romantically, or sexually. Gender identity is about who you are. These are separate things, and they are often confused.
Being transgender is not the same as being gay, lesbian, or bisexual. A transgender person’s gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. Sexual orientation, on the other hand, describes who someone wants to be with. A transgender person can be straight, gay, bisexual, or any other orientation.
People also often use the words “sex” and “gender” as if they mean the same thing, but they do not.
Gender refers to your personal sense of identity, such as man, woman, nonbinary, or genderqueer. It also reflects social ideas about what it means to be masculine or feminine.
Sex refers to biological traits, including chromosomes, hormones, and reproductive anatomy. While many people are taught there are only two sexes, male and female, some people are intersex or have differences of sexual development.
Sexual orientation is independent of gender identity. Knowing one does not tell you the other.
Why this matters
Language around gender and sexuality can be confusing, especially since many terms overlap or evolve over time. This article aims to clarify those terms in plain language.
Having accurate words helps us better understand the many ways people experience and express their identity. It also helps move beyond the false idea that gender exists only as a strict male or female binary.
List of Gender Identities and Definitions
AFAB
Acronym meaning “assigned female at birth.”
Agender
Someone who doesn’t identify with the idea or experience of having a gender.
Aliagender
A nonbinary gender identity that doesn’t fit into existing gender schemas or constructs.
AMAB
Acronym meaning “assigned male at birth.”
Androgyne
Someone who has a gender presentation or identity that’s gender-neutral, androgynous, or has both masculine and feminine characteristics.
Aporagender
Both an umbrella term and nonbinary gender identity describing the experience of having a specific gender that’s different from man, woman, or any combination of the two.
Bigender
This term describes someone who identifies with two distinct genders.
Bigender indicates the number of gender identities someone has.
It doesn’t indicate which genders someone identifies with or the level of identification they have with a particular gender (such as 50 percent male, 50 percent demigirl).
Binarism
Generally, binarism refers to the gender systems and schemas that are based on the existence of two opposing parts, such as man/woman or masculine/feminine.
More specifically, binarism is a type of sexism that erases ethnic or culture-specific nonbinary gender roles and identities.
Body Dysphoria
Body dysphoria is different from body dysmorphic disorder.
It refers to a specific type of gender dysphoria that manifests as distress or discomfort with aspects of the body.
This may include anatomy, shape, size, chromosomes, secondary sex characteristics, or internal reproductive structures.
Boi
A term, primarily used in LGBTQIA+ Communities of Color, that typically describes someone who has a presentation, sexuality, or gender that’s considered “boyish.”
Butch
Primarily used in LGBTQIA+ communities, this term typically describes someone with a presentation, sexuality, or gender that’s considered masculine.
Butch doesn’t necessarily indicate the other terms that someone might use to describe their presentation, sexuality, or gender.
Cisgender
A term used to describe people who exclusively identify with the sex and gender they were assigned at birth.
Cishet
A term that refers to someone who is both cisgender and heterosexual.
Cisnormativity
The assumption that a person identifies with the sex or gender they were assigned at birth, or that having a cisgender gender identity is the norm.
Cissexism
A form of oppression that discriminates against those who aren’t cisgender.
Demiboy
This nonbinary gender identity describes someone who partially identifies with being a boy, man, or masculine.
The term demiboy tells you about someone’s gender identity but doesn’t convey any information about the sex or gender assigned to someone at birth.
A demiboy can be cisgender or trans.
Demigender
This umbrella term typically includes nonbinary gender identities and uses the prefix “demi-” to indicate the experience of having a partial identification or connection to a particular gender.
This may include:
demigirl
demiboy
demienby
demitrans
Demigirl
This nonbinary gender identity describes someone who partially identifies with being a girl, woman, womxn, or feminine.
The term demigirl tells you about someone’s gender identity but doesn’t convey any information about the sex or gender assigned to someone at birth.
A demigirl can be cisgender or trans.
Dyadic
This describes people who have sex characteristics — such as chromosomes, hormones, internal organs, or anatomy — that can be easily categorized into the binary sex framework of male or female.
Dyadic conveys information about someone’s sex characteristics but doesn’t indicate anything about their gender.
Feminine-Of-Center
This describes people who experience their gender as feminine or femme.
Some feminine-of-center people also identify with the word “woman,” but others don’t.
The term feminine-of-center tells you about someone’s gender identity but doesn’t convey any information about the sex or gender assigned to them at birth.
Feminine-Presenting
This describes people who have a gender expression or presentation that they or others categorize as feminine.
Feminine-presenting is a term that captures the part of someone’s gender that’s shown externally, either through aspects of their style, appearance, physical traits, mannerisms, or body language.
This term doesn’t necessarily indicate anything about the way someone identifies their gender or the gender or sex assigned to them at birth.
Femme
This is a label for a gender identity or expression that describes someone with a gender that is or leans toward feminine.
Some femmes also identify with the term “woman,” while many others don’t.
Femme indicates the way someone experiences or expresses their gender and doesn’t provide any information about the gender or sex assigned to them at birth.
Female-To-Male (FTM)
This term is most commonly used to refer to trans males, trans men, and some transmasculine people who were assigned female at birth.
It’s important to only use this term if someone wants to be referred to this way, as some trans men and transmasculine people use terms that don’t include or indicate the sex they were assigned at birth.
Gender Apathetic
This term describes someone who doesn’t strongly identify with any gender or with any gender labels.
Some gender apathetic people also use terms that indicate their relationship with the sex or gender assigned to them at birth — such as cis apathetic or trans apathetic — while others don’t.
Generally, people who are gender apathetic display an attitude of flexibility, openness, and “not caring” about how gender identity or presentation is perceived and labeled by others.
Gender Binary
Also known as gender binarism, this term refers to gender classification systems — whether cultural, legal, structural, or social — that organize gender or sex into two mutually exclusive categories such man/woman or masculine/feminine.
Gender Dysphoria
This is both a medical diagnosis and an informal term used to communicate challenging feelings or distress people experience in relation to gender.
The medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria refers to a conflict between someone’s assigned sex (as male, female, or intersex) and their gender identity.
When used informally, gender dysphoria describes interactions, assumptions, physical traits, or body parts that don’t feel affirming of someone’s expressed or experienced gender.
Gender Expansive
An umbrella term that’s used to refer to people who subvert or don’t conform to society’s dominant view of gender.
This could include trans people, nonbinary people, people who are gender nonconforming, and more.
Gender Expression
Gender expression is the way someone expresses gender through behavior, mannerisms, interests, physical characteristics, or appearance.
It’s often but not always described using terms such as masculine, feminine, neutral, androgynous, conforming, or nonconforming.
The words used to describe someone’s gender expression are dependent upon social or cultural norms and stereotypes and may change over time.
Gender Identity
This is the way someone experiences gender internally as part of their core sense of self.
Gender identity can’t be assumed based on appearance, anatomy, social norms, or stereotypes.
Gender identity isn’t determined by assigned gender or sex, and often develops or changes over time.
Gender-Neutral Pronouns
These pronouns aren’t stereotypically or culturally categorized as masculine or feminine or for men or women.
Gender-neutral pronouns are used by both cisgender and transgender individuals as a way to affirm and convey important information about who they are and how they want to be referred to.
Examples include:
they/them/theirs
ze/hir/hirs
ze/zir/zirs
xe/xem/xyrs
Gender Nonconforming
This term is used to describe people with a gender expression or presentation that’s different from cultural or social stereotypes associated with the person’s perceived or assigned gender or sex.
Gender nonconforming isn’t a gender identity, though some people do self-identify using this term.
It doesn’t convey any information about the way someone experiences gender internally.
More accurately, gender nonconforming is a term used to describe physical traits in relation to socially and culturally defined gender categories.
People of any gender — cis, trans, or nonbinary — can be gender nonconforming.
Gender Normative
A term used to describe gender traits or identities that are perceived to fall within social norms and expectations.
Gender Presentation
Similar to gender expression, gender presentation refers to the way someone uses behavior, mannerisms, interests, physical characteristics, or appearance to convey or present a particular gender externally.
Gender Questioning
A person who’s questioning one or multiple aspects of their gender, such as their gender identity or expression.
Gender Roles
The interests, behaviors, and mannerisms that a society or culture assigns to a particular gender or to the things expected of a person based on their assigned, perceived, or actual gender.
Gender roles change over time and across cultures.
Gender Variant
Similar to gender nonconforming, gender variant is an umbrella term used to describe people with a gender identity, expression, or presentation that’s different from the perceived social norm or dominant group.
Some people dislike this term because of its potential to perpetuate misinformation and negative stigma about noncisgender gender identities and nonconforming presentation being less “normal” or naturally occurring.
Genderfluid
This label is used to describe gender identity or expression.
It involves the experience of moving between genders or having a gender that changes over a particular period of time. For example, from moment to moment, day to day, month to month, year to year, or decade to decade.
Genderfuck
Similar to the term “gender bender,” this term involves the act of combating or dismantling the gender binary and stereotypes through a gender identity, expression, or presentation that challenges existing norms and expectations in a given cultural context.
Genderqueer
This nonbinary gender identity and term describes someone with a gender that can’t be categorized as exclusively man or woman, or exclusively masculine or feminine.
People who are genderqueer experience and express gender in different ways. This can include neither, both, or a combination of man, woman, or nonbinary genders.
Gendervoid
A term that describes someone without a gender identity. Although it’s similar to agender, gendervoid is usually associated with a feeling of loss or lack.
Graygender
A gender term that describes someone who experiences ambivalence about gender identity or expression, and doesn’t fully identify with a binary gender that’s exclusively man or woman.
Intergender
A nonbinary gender identity that describes the experience of having a gender that falls somewhere in between woman and man or is a mix of both man and woman.
Intersex
An umbrella term that describes people who have sex characteristics — such as chromosomes, internal organs, hormones, or anatomy — that can’t be easily categorized into the binary sex framework of male or female.
Intersex conveys information about a person’s sex characteristics but doesn’t indicate anything about their gender identity.
Masculine-Of-Center
This term describes people who experience their gender as masculine or masc.
Some masculine-of-center people also identify with the word “man,” but many others don’t.
The term masculine-of-center tells you about someone’s gender identity but doesn’t convey any information about the sex or gender assigned to them at birth.
Masculine-Presenting
This term describes people who have a gender expression or presentation that they or others categorize as masculine.
Masculine-presenting captures the part of someone’s gender that’s shown externally, either through aspects of their style, appearance, physical traits, mannerisms, or body language.
This term doesn’t necessarily indicate anything about the way someone identifies their gender or the gender or sex assigned to them.
Maverique
This nonbinary gender identity emphasizes the inner experience of gender.
It describes those who experience gender or have a core gender identity that’s independent of existing categories and definitions of gender, man or woman, masculine or feminine, and androgynous or neutral.
Misgender
The act of referring to someone using a gender pronoun or gendered language that’s incorrect, inaccurate, or not considering the person’s actual gender identity.
Male-To-Female (MTF)
This term is most commonly used to refer to trans women and some transfeminine people who were assigned male at birth.
It’s important to only use this term if someone prefers to be referred to this way, as some trans women and some transfeminine people prefer to use terms that don’t include or overtly indicate the sex they were assigned at birth.
Multi-Gender
This umbrella term is used to describe people who experience more than one gender identity.
Other gender labels that fall under the multi-gender umbrella include:
bigender
trigender
pangender
polygender
In some cases, gender fluid may also fall under this umbrella.
Neutrois
This nonbinary identity and umbrella term is used to describe people who have a gender that isn’t exclusively man or woman.
Neutrois can be a broader term encompassing other gender identities, such as nonbinary, agender, genderfluid, or genderless.
Nonbinary
Also referred to as “enby,” this is a gender identity and umbrella term for gender identities that can’t be exclusively categorized as man or woman.
Individuals who are nonbinary can experience gender a variety of ways, including a combination of man and woman, neither man nor woman, or something else altogether.
Some nonbinary individuals are trans, while many others don’t.
Whether a nonbinary person is also trans typically depends on the extent to which that person identifies, even partially, with the sex and gender assigned to them at birth.
Novigender
People who use this gender identity experience having a gender that can’t be described using existing language due to its complex and unique nature.
Omnigender
A nonbinary gender identity that describes people who experience all or many gender identities on the gender spectrum simultaneously or over time. Similar to pangender.
Pangender
A nonbinary gender identity that describes people who experience all or many gender identities on the gender spectrum simultaneously or over time. Similar to omnigender.
Polygender
This gender identity term describes the experience of having multiple gender identities simultaneously or over time.
This term indicates the number of gender identities someone experiences but doesn’t necessarily indicate which genders are included in the given person’s polygender identity.
Sex
The classification of a person as male, female, or intersex based on the existing system of organizing human bodies and biologies.
This system is based on chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics.
Sex Assigned At Birth
This refers to the act of assigning or designating a particular sex to a person based on their chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics.
This is often done by medical professionals during pregnancy or immediately after childbirth.
The sex a person is assigned at birth doesn’t determine or indicate anything about their authentic gender experience or identity.
Social Dysphoria
A specific type of gender dysphoria that manifests as distress and discomfort that results from the way society or other people perceive, label, refer to, or interact with someone’s gender or body.
Soft Butch
Both a gender identity and term used to describe the nonconforming gender expression of someone who has some masculine or butch traits, but doesn’t fully fit the stereotypes associated with masculine or butch cisgender lesbians.
Stone Butch
Both a gender identity and term used to describe the nonconforming gender expression of someone who embodies traits associated with feminine butchness or stereotypes associated with traditional masculinity.
Third Gender
Originating in non-Western and Indigenous cultures, third gender is a gender category that includes people who have a gender that can’t be exclusively categorized as man or woman, or is different from man or woman.
Transfeminine
A gender identity label that conveys the experience of having a feminine gender identity that’s different from the gender or sex that was assigned at birth.
Transgender Or Trans
Both an umbrella term including many gender identities and a specific gender identity that describes those with a gender identity that’s different from the gender or sex assigned at birth.
Transmasculine
A gender identity label that conveys the experience of having a masculine gender identity that’s different than the gender or sex that was assigned at birth.
Transitioning
The act of making physical, social, medical, surgical, interpersonal, or personal changes that help to affirm gender or address gender dysphoria.
Transsexual
Falling under the transgender umbrella, transsexual is a word that was medically and historically used to indicate a difference between one’s gender identity (i.e., the internal experience of gender) and sex assigned at birth (as male, female, or intersex).
Transsexual is often (though not always) used to communicate that one’s experience of gender involves a medical diagnosis or medical changes — such as hormones or surgery — that help alter anatomy and appearance to feel more congruent with gender identity.
Due to a fraught history, the word transsexual can be contentious and shouldn’t be used unless someone specifically asks to be referred to this way.
Trigender
This gender identity describes the experience of having three gender identities, simultaneously or over time.
This term indicates the number of gender identities someone experiences but doesn’t necessarily indicate which genders are included in a given person’s trigender identity.
Two-Spirit
This umbrella term was created by Native American communities to bring traditional Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality into Western and contemporary native education and literature.
Each First Nation tribe has its own understanding and meaning of what it means to be two-spirit, so this term can have many definitions.
Two-spirit generally refers to a gender role believed to be a common, acknowledged, accepted, and praised gender classification among most First Nation communities, dating back centuries.
The Bottom Line
It’s amazing that gender — something many people thought was a simple concept — is actually so personal, nuanced, and complex. For that reason, it’s totally OK if this list is a lot to digest!
Just remember: Gender is an essential part of health and well-being for everyone.
Becoming familiar with language that helps you to talk about this part of identity and society is a great way to care for yourself and be an ally to others.
List of Sexualities and Definitions
The language around sexuality and gender is constantly changing, with new definitions evolving, and existing words being reclaimed by new generations.
We’ve compiled this list of sexualities and their definitions to act as an ever growing resource for the LGBTQ+ community and our allies, to give you the language to express your own sexuality, as well as the language to accurately represent those around you.
Abrosexual
Abrosexual describes someone whose sexuality is fluid or changeable. For example one day they may identify as asexual, the next as lesbian, and the next as pansexual. Abrosexual people can fluctuate between all sexualities, or just a few. The timing between fluctuations can also vary.
Androphilic / Androsexual
Androphilic, or androsexual, describes someone who is primarily attracted to masculinity, be this sexually, romantically, or aesthetically. These terms are particularly useful for people who identify outside of the gender binary as unlike terms like gay or lesbian, they refer only to the presentation of the person someone is attracted to and not the person themselves.
For example, both heterosexual women and homosexual men can be referred to as androphilic or androsexual.
Aroace
Aroace is short for Aromantic Asexual, which means someone who experiences little or no romantic and sexual attraction.
Aroflux
An aroflux person is someone whose romantic orientation fluctuates but generally stays on the aromantic spectrum. They may feel strongly aromantic one day, and less so on another day.
Aromantic
Aromantic refers to someone who does not experience romantic attraction. They may experience sexual and/or aesthetic attraction, but not romantic attraction.
Asexual
An asexual person is someone who does not experience sexual attraction. They may experience romantic and/or aesthetic attraction, but not sexual attraction.
Bisexual
Bisexuality refers to sexual attraction to more than one gender and is inclusive of ALL genders, therefore bi folk can be attracted to people from right across the gender spectrum.
Demisexual
Demisexual refers to someone who only experiences sexual attraction to someone once they have created a romantic or platonic relationship with them.
Demiromantic
Similarly to Demisexual, Demiromantic refers to someone who does not experience romantic attraction until they have formed a strong connection with a partner.
Finsexual
The exclusive attraction to those who are feminine in nature (FIN). This means finsexual people are attracted to women, feminine aligned and/or feminine presenting non-binary people, and potentially feminine men.
Gay / Homosexual
Someone who is attracted to the same gender as themselves. The rainbow flag is also used to represent the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole.
Gay Male / Vincian
Vincian is a term used to describe gay men or men-aligned people. Often used as the masculine equivalent of lesbian.
Greysexual
Greysexual refers to people who experience limited sexual attraction. They experience sexual attraction very rarely, or with very low intensity. Also known as gray-ace.
Gynephilic / Gynesexual
Someone who is primarily romantically, sexually, or aesthetically attracted to femininity.
Lesbian
Most often refers to women who are solely attracted to other women however some non binary people can also identify as lesbian.
Lithosexual
Lithosexual refers to a person who may experience sexual attraction but does not want it reciprocated. Also known as Akoisexual.
Lithromantic
A lithromantic person is someone who may experience romantic attraction but does not want it reciprocated. Also known as Akoiromantic.
Minsexual
Minsexual refers to the exclusive attraction to those who are masculine in nature (MIN). This can include men, masculine aligned and/or masculine presenting non-binary people, and potentially masculine women.
Multisexual
Multisexual is an umbrella term for any form of attraction to more than one gender. Also known as Plurisexuality.
Neptunic
Neptunic refers to the attraction to women, feminine non-binary people, and neutral non-binary people. It can also be described as attraction to all except men and/or masculine-aligned non-binary people.
Ninsexual
Ninsexual refers to the exclusive attraction to those who are non-binary in nature (NIN). This includes people who are non-binary, neutrois, androgyne, agender, and anyone whose gender or presentation is androgynous.
Omnisexual
Omnisexual refers to a person who is attracted to all genders or any gender, while still having a preference.
Pansexual
Someone who is attracted to all genders, the pre-fix ‘pan’ meaning ‘all’ in Latin. Many Pansexual people also describe themselves as being attracted to others based on their personality, not gender.
Polyamorous
Someone who is, or desires to be in, a consensual relationship with multiple partners. Polyamory is the opposite of monogamy.
Polysexual
Polysexual refers to someone who is attracted to multiple genders, but not all genders.
Queer
An umbrella term for someone whose sexuality and/or gender is not heterosexual, cisgender and/or allosexual.
Queer has been used as a term of abuse against the LGBTQ+ community, but is now often used by members of the LGBTQ+ who have reclaimed it.
Sapphic
Sapphic refers to a woman or woman-aligned person who is attracted to other women or woman-aligned people. Also known as woman loving woman (WLW).
Saturnic
The attraction to androgynous-aligned non-binary people. Mostly used by non-binary people to describe their attraction without relying on the gender binary.
Uranic
Uranic refers to the attraction to men, masculine non-binary people, and neutral non-binary people. Can also be described as attraction to all except women and/or feminine-aligned non-binary people.
Conclusion
Ultimately, a beautiful and inclusive conclusion recognizes that both gender and sexual orientation are distinct, fundamental aspects of human identity that exist along diverse spectra. They are independent of one another, meaning a person of any gender identity can have any sexual orientation.
The importance lies in understanding that these are inherent and valid parts of an individual’s life, and assumptions about one should never be made based on the other. Embracing this diversity and using respectful, inclusive language is crucial for fostering supportive and accepting communities where all individuals can thrive as their authentic selves.