Our culture in the United States has overall become more socially progressive over the years. Now more than ever, we have increased ways of identifying ourselves based on things like gender and sexual orientation. Along with all these new terms comes new definitions and ways of explaining them. Below is a concise list of *some* of the many sexual orientation and gender identity terms in alphabetical order.
Agender – An agender individual does not connect with any gender and does not identify as male or female
Aromantic – A person who does not experience and/or has no interest in romantic attraction or behavior
Asexual – A person who does not experience and/or has no interest in sexual attraction or behavior
Bigender – Someone who changes between identifying as the traditional “man” and “woman”
Bisexual – A bisexual or “bi” person shows emotional, physical and/or sexual attraction to two or more genders
Cisgender – A person whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth are the same
Demiromantic – A sexual or emotional bond must be formed before a romantic attraction can develop
Demisexual – A romantic or emotional bond must be formed before a sexual attraction can develop
Gay – Someone who is emotionally, physically and/or sexually attracted to members of the same sex and/or gender
Gender Non-Conforming – A person who does not identify with the gender binary of male or female
Heterosexual – Someone who is emotionally, physically and/or sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex. Also called “straight.”
Lesbian – A woman who is emotionally, physically and/or sexually attracted to other women
Monosexual – A person who is attracted to one gender
Nonmonosexual – A person who is attracted to more than one gender
Panromantic – An individual who has romantic feelings for others no matter what sex and/or gender they identify with
Pansexual – A pansexual or “pan” person is emotionally, physically and/or sexually attracted to people of any gender identity
Queer – An individual who identifies as non-heterosexual
Questioning – A person who is questioning may be unsure of or is exploring their gender identity and/or sexual orientation
Transgender – A transgender, or “trans” for short, person identifies with a gender that differs from the one they were assigned at birth. Some trans individuals choose to make a gender transition to physically have the body they feel they belong in.
Again, this is not nearly a full list of all gender identity and sexual orientation terms that exist. It is simply an overview of many of the terms within these subjects. It is never a bad idea to educate yourself!