This glossary of terms looks at terminology used within the LGBT+ community

1. A man or woman who is sexually,
emotionally and romantically attracted to
people of the same gender.
Gay
The assumption that being heterosexual is
the typical and ‘normal’ sexual orientation,
with an underlying assumption that it is the
superior sexual orientation.
Heteronormative
Someone who does not feel confined by the
binary division of male and female.
Genderfluid/Genderqueer
Irish legislation which was enacted in
2015 to provide a process enabling
transgender people to achieve full
legal recognition of their preferred
gender and to access a new birth
certificate that reflects this change.
Someone’s identification as male, female, or
any other identity. This may or may not
correspond to the sex they were assigned
at birth.
Gender Identity
Gender Recognition Act
A term which describes individuals who
experience and express their gender identity
in ways which correspond to the biological
sex they were assigned at birth.
Cisgender
Someone who is sexually, emotionally and
romantically attracted to people of more
than one gender.
Bisexual
Someone who is not sexually and
may or may not be emotionally
and romantically attracted to
other people.
Asexual
An individual who experiences a lack of
romantic attraction or a lack of interest in
forming romantic relationships.
Aromantic
An analytic framework that attempts
to identify how interlocking systems
of power and oppression impact
those who are most marginalised
in society.
Someone who is sexually, emotionally and
romantically attracted to a person of the
opposite sex.
Heterosexual
Intersectionality
The insensitivity, exclusion or discrimination
towards other sexual orientations and
gender identities, including those within the
LGBT+ community, that often occurs due
to heteronormativity.
Heterosexism
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LGBT+ Glossary
of Terms

2. Someone who is sexually, emotionally and
romantically attracted to people of any sex
or gender identity.
Pansexual
Pre-exposure prophylaxis. Medication used to
prevent the contraction of HIV.
PrEP
The chronically higher levels of stress faced
by members of stigmatised minority groups
compared to non-stigmatised groups.
Minority Stress
An acronym for ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender’.
LGBT
A woman who is sexually, emotionally and
romantically attracted to other women.
Lesbian
The process through which a person takes
steps to express their gender identity when it
is different to that assigned to them at birth.
Transitioning
An umbrella term referring to people whose
gender identity and/or gender expression differs
from the gender they were assigned at birth.
Transgender/Trans
An enduring pattern of emotional, romantic
or sexual attraction. It includes a wide range
of attractions and terms, the most common
being gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual,
asexual and heterosexual.
Sexual Orientation/Sexual Identity
While historically queer has been used as an
abusive term, some people have reclaimed
the word and self-identify as ‘queer’. For
them, this reclamation is a celebrated of not
fitting into heteronormative norms or a
radical stance that captures multiple aspects
of identities.
Queer
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This glossary of terms and definitions has been
produced with permission by LGBT Ireland. To learn
more about LGBT Ireland, visit www.lgbt.ie