No, It's Not Okay to Say "Homosexual"— Here Are 34 Non-Offensive LGBTQ Terms You Should Know

The Oprah Magazine

Wed, June 5, 2019 at 4:00 AM UTC

No, It's Not Okay to Say "Homosexual"— Here Are 34 Non-Offensive LGBTQ Terms You Should Know — There’s no “right” way to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer—and, as the colors of the Pride Flag reflect, the LGBTQ community contains multitudes beyond those five classifications. Sexuality, gender identity, and sexual preference are interrelated, but they’re actually three separate parts of a person’s selfhood. And just as one’s sexual orientation can shift and evolve, the language used to name aspects of gender and sexuality changes over time as well.
The growing group of terms for various sexual orientations and gender identities is a good thing, as it provides opportunities to treat often-marginalized members of society with the respect they deserve. This need for careful language is as important for heterosexual people to bear in mind as it is for, say, a gay man who may not understand what it’s like to live as a transgender person. While supporting each other’s need to feel seen is as important as ever, learning to how to be an ally without accidentally saying something offensive or embarrassing can be a challenge.
For that reason, we’ve collaborated with advocacy organization GLAAD to update our glossary of LGBTQ terms used in the United States for 2021; we also consulted resources from NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Though we aim to help with this guide, it’s best to never assume anyone identifies by a particular term until they say so themselves.
Understanding each other is an ongoing process, but educating yourself, and brushing up on the history of Pride Month, are solid first steps.
Cassie Skoras

Agender [ay-jen-der] | adjective (agender people) — A word that can describe a person who does not identify as any gender. Agender is not synonymous with genderqueer, genderfluid, or nonbinary.
**In a sentence:** *Hi, my name is Lex and I'm a 31-year-old agender accountant from Ohio.*
Cassie Skoras

Ally [al-eye] | noun (allies) — A straight and/or cisgender person who supports and advocates for LGBTQ people.
**In a sentence:** I am an ally to the LGBTQ community because, despite not being LGBTQ, I believe that every human being should be treated equal—regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. I use my straight privilege to advocate for LGBTQ people.
Cassie Skoras

Androgyne [an-druh-jahyn] | noun (androgynes) — A gender identity in which a person feels their gender is between male and female and feels both masculine and feminine simultaneously. An androgyne person may feel more masculine than feminine, more feminine than masculine, or an equal amount of both at any given time. Presenting androgynously is not a requirement for this gender identity.
**In a sentence:** *I consider myself an androgyne.*
Cassie Skoras

Androgynous [an-droj-uh-nuh s] | adjective (androgynous people) — A person that has both masculine and feminine qualities.
**In a sentence:** *I do identify as a woman, but prefer to specify 'androgynous woman' as my gender expression.*
Cassie Skoras

Asexual [ey-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (asexual people) — An adjective used to describe people who do not experience sexual attraction (e. g., asexual person).
**In a sentence:** *Riley identifies as asexual.*
Cassie Skoras

Bicurious [bai-kyoo r-ee-uh s] | adjective (bicurious people) — Similar to "questioning," bicurious people are exploring whether or not they’re attracted to people of the same gender as well as people of different genders.
**In a sentence:** *Michael is still exploring his sexuality and considers himself bicurious.*
Cassie Skoras

Bigender [bai-jen-der] | adjective (bigender people) — Someone who identifies with two distinct genders, such as man/woman or woman/androgyne. Bigender people don’t necessarily identify with each gender 50 percent of the time, and unlike gender fluid people, they don’t exist on a spectrum, either.
**In a sentence:** *Carter identifies as bigender, they identify both as a man and a woman.*
Cassie Skoras

Biphobia [bai-foh-bee-uh] | noun (adjective: biphobic) — Prejudice or hatred toward bisexual people, expressed in speech or actions. Biphobia may be expressed in comments that reflect doubts about the legitimacy of bisexuality as an orientation—that it’s not real, “just a phase,” or a cover for someone not ready to come out as gay.
**In a sentence:** *When John told us he’s bisexual, Cindy made a biphobic joke that insinuated he’s actually gay.*
Cassie Skoras

Bisexual [bahy-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (bisexual people) — Sometimes shortened to "bi." A person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or those of another gender. People may experience this attraction in differing ways and degrees over their lifetime. Bisexual people need not have had specific sexual experiences to be bisexual; in fact, they need not have had any sexual experience at all to identify as bisexual.
**In a sentence:** *Halsey is a proud bisexual pop singer.*
Cassie Skoras

Cisgender [sis-jen-der] / Cis | adjective (cisgender people (not cisgenders) — A term used by some to describe people who are not transgender; also known as "cis" for short. "Cis-" is a Latin prefix meaning "on the same side as," and is therefore an antonym of "trans-." A more widely understood way to describe people who are not transgender is simply to say non-transgender people.
**In a sentence:** *Hannah identifies as cis woman.*
Cassie Skoras

Coming Out [kuhm-ing-out] | verb — A lifelong process of self-acceptance. People forge their LGBTQ identity first to themselves, and then they may reveal it to others. Publicly sharing one's identity may or may not be part of coming out.
**In a sentence:** *Upon coming out as a lesbian, I was met with plenty of support from my friends and family.*
Cassie Skoras

Crossdresser [kross-dreh-sr] | noun [crossdressers] — A person who enjoys the gender expression of wearing clothing and accessories commonly associated with the opposite sex. People of all sexual orientations may crossdress. Further, while they do so as a part of their identity, many crossdressers do not want to live completely within that gender expression.
For example, a cis male-identified person who also has a female gender expression, and sometimes wears clothes typically reserved for women, may not want to do so permanently or consistently. **Avoid using the outdated term “transvestite.”**
**In a sentence:** *Ben’s girlfriend knows he’s a crossdresser—she bought him a pale blue chemise for his birthday.*
Cassie Skoras

Drag King [drag ki?] | noun (drag kings) — A person who performs as a man for an audience.
Drag kings and queens are performers and dress for entertainment; this differs from cross-dressing, which is typically not a form of performance of entertainment.
**In a sentence:** *Stormé Delarverie was an iconic drag king and an infamous figure in the 1969 Stonewall uprising.*
Cassie Skoras

Drag Queen [drag kween] | noun (drag queens) — A person who performs as a woman for an audience.
**In a sentence:** *Gottmik was the first transgender male drag queen to compete on* RuPaul's Drag Race.
Cassie Skoras

Gay [gey] | adjective (gay people) — The adjective used to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions are to people of the same gender (e.g., gay man, gay people). Sometimes lesbian (n. or adj.) is the preferred term for women. **Avoid identifying gay people as "homosexuals,"** an outdated term considered derogatory and offensive to many lesbian and gay people.
**In a sentence:** *Adam Rippon was the first gay man to represent the U.S National Team at the Olympic Games.*
Cassie Skoras

Gender dysphoria [jen-der di-sfaw-ree-uh] | noun [adjective: gender dysphoric] — Refers to psychological distress that can result from an incongruence between one's sex assigned at birth and one's gender identity. Not all transgender people experience dysphoria, and those who do may experience it at varying levels of intensity.
Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Some argue the diagnosis inappropriately pathologizes gender incongruence, while others contend that a diagnosis makes it easier for transgender people to access necessary medical treatment.
**In a sentence:** *When Dani reported feeling heavy anxiety around anything related to their gender, their therapist said they may be experiencing gender dysphoria.*
Cassie Skoras

Genderfluid [jen-der floo-id] | adjective (genderfluid people) — One who identifies as genderfluid doesn’t have a fixed gender identity—meaning, they may identify as male, female, or nonbinary on a shifting basis. Genderfluid people choose not to abide by the socially-enforced binaries of male or female.
**In a sentence:** Younger cast member Nico Tortorella identifies as gender-fluid, and said in an interview that they prefer gender-neutral pronouns.
Cassie Skoras

Gender identity [jen-der ahy-den-ti-tee] | noun (gender identities) — A person's internal, deeply held sense of their gender. For transgender people, their own internal gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Most people have a gender identity of man or woman (or boy or girl). For some people, their gender identity does not fit neatly into one of those two choices (see nonbinary and/or genderqueer). Unlike gender expression, gender identity is not visible to others.
In a sentence: *Our workplace prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.*
Cassie Skoras

Gender non-conforming [jen-der nohn-kuh n-fawrm-ing] | adjective (gender non-conforming people) — A term used to describe some people whose gender expression is different from conventional expectations of masculinity and femininity. Please note that not all gender non-conforming people identify as transgender, nor are all transgender people gender non-conforming. Many people have gender expressions that are not entirely conventional—that fact alone does not make them transgender. Many transgender men and women have gender expressions that are conventionally masculine or feminine. Simply being transgender does not make someone gender non-conforming. The term is not a synonym for transgender or transsexual and should only be used if someone self-identifies as gender non-conforming.
**In a sentence:** *I identify as nonbinary and gender non-conforming.*
Cassie Skoras

Homosexual [hoh-muh-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (homosexual people) — An outdated clinical term referring to queer people that is considered derogatory and offensive.
**In a sentence:** *You shouldn’t call someone a "homosexual"; choose "gay" instead.*
Cassie Skoras

Intersex [in-ter-seks] | noun (intersex people) — An umbrella term describing people born with reproductive or sexual anatomy and/or a chromosome pattern that can't be classified as typically male or female. Those variations are also sometimes referred to as Differences of Sex Development (DSD). Avoid the outdated and derogatory term "hermaphrodite." While some people can have an intersex condition and also identify as transgender, the two are separate and should not be conflated.
**In a sentence:** *In the early 2000s, intersex individuals in Australia sought and received replacement birth certificates that left gender unspecified.*
Cassie Skoras

Latinx [la-teen-ex] | adjective — A gender-neutral term used to replace the gender-specific Latino or Latina. It can be used to refer to a group of people or to a single person of Latin-American descent.
**In a sentence:** *I am a Latinx woman from New York.*
**Related: What Does 'Latinx' Mean, Exactly?**
Cassie Skoras

LGBTQ [el-jee-bee-tee-kyoo] | acronym (LGBTQ people) — Acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. Sometimes, when the Q is seen at the end of LGBT, it can also mean questioning. LGBT and/or GLBT are also often used. The term "gay community" should be avoided, as it does not accurately reflect the diversity of the community. Rather, LGBTQ community is preferred.
**In a sentence:** *GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance report found that 20 percent of millennials identify as LGBTQ.*
Cassie Skoras

Lesbian [lez-bee-uh n] | adjective (lesbian women/lesbians) — A woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women. Some lesbians may prefer to identify as gay (adj.) or as gay women. Avoid identifying lesbians as "homosexuals," a derogatory term.
**In a sentence:** Ellen became one of the first major shows with an openly lesbian main character.
Cassie Skoras

Metrosexual [me-troh-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (metrosexuals) — Usually used to describe a straight man—although some queer men may also use the term—who spends more time on his appearance than is considered, according societal expectations, "normal" for men.
**In a sentence:** *Michael is a metrosexual man. He has an incredible sense of style.*
Cassie Skoras

Nonbinary and/or Genderqueer [non-bahy-nuh-ree] [jen-der-kweer] | adjective (Nonbinary people/Genderqueer people) — Terms used by some people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the categories of man and woman. They may define their gender as falling somewhere in between man and woman, or they may define it as wholly different from these terms. The term is not a synonym for transgender or transsexual and should only be used if someone self-identifies as nonbinary and/or genderqueer. Nonbinary is sometimes shortened to enby or NB.
**In a sentence:** *My sister identifies as nonbinary.*
Cassie Skoras

Out [out] | adverb — Refers to a person who self-identifies as LGBTQ in their personal, public, and/or professional lives. The term is preferred to "openly gay."
**In a sentence:** *Ricky Martin is an out pop star from Puerto Rico.*
Cassie Skoras

Pansexual [pan-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (pansexual people) — A person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions to any person, regardless of gender identity.
**In a sentence:** *Janelle Monáe identifies as pansexual.*
Cassie Skoras

Queer [kweer] | adjective (queer people) — An adjective used by some people, particularly younger people, whose sexual orientation is not exclusively heterosexual (e.g. queer person, queer woman). Typically, for those who only identify as queer, the terms lesbian, gay, and bisexual are perceived to be too limiting and/or fraught with cultural connotations they feel don't apply to them. But many people identify as both queer and another sexual orientation (e.g. queer and a lesbian). Once considered a pejorative term, queer has been reclaimed by some LGBT people to describe themselves; however, it is not a universally accepted term, even within the LGBT community. When Q is seen at the end of LGBT, it typically means queer and, less often, questioning.
**In a sentence:** *Destiny identifies as queer.*
Cassie Skoras

Sex / Sex Assigned at Birth | noun (sexes) — The classification of a person as male or female. At birth, infants are assigned a sex, usually based on the appearance of their external anatomy. (This is what is written on the birth certificate.) A person's sex, however, is actually a combination of bodily characteristics including: chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics.
**In a sentence:** *My biological sex assigned at birth was male.*
Cassie Skoras

Sexual orientation/Sexuality [sek-shoo-uh l - awr-ee-uh n-tey-shuh n] [sek-shoo-al-i-tee] | noun (sexual orientations, sexualities) — The scientifically accurate term for an individual's enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction to members of the same and/or opposite sex, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual (straight) orientations. Avoid the offensive term "sexual preference," which is used to suggest that being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is voluntary and therefore "curable." People need not have had specific sexual experiences to know their own sexual orientation; in fact, they need not have had any sexual experience at all. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer. For example, a person who transitions from male to female and is attracted solely to men would typically identify as a straight woman.
**In a sentence:** *He spoke about his sexual orientation, mentioning that he has been attracted to men from a young age.*
Cassie Skoras

They/their [th ey] [th air] | pronoun (they/their) — The singular can be used to describe someone who identifies as neither male nor female. It is increasingly common for people who have a nonbinary gender identity to use they/them as their pronoun.
**In a sentence:** *Jacob writes eloquently about their nonbinary identity. They have also appeared frequently in the media to talk about their family's reaction to their gender expression.*
Cassie Skoras

Transgender [trans-jen-der] | adjective (transgender people (do not use transgenders) — An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms—including transgender. Some of those terms are defined in this glossary.
**Use the descriptive term preferred by the individual person.** Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon physical appearance or medical procedures.
**In a sentence:** *Lily is a transgender woman.*
Cassie Skoras

Transition [tran-zish-uh n] | noun (transitions) — Altering one's birth sex is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a long period of time. Transition can include some or all of the following personal, medical, and legal steps: telling one's family, friends, and co-workers; using a different name and new pronouns; dressing differently; changing one's name and/or sex on legal documents; hormone therapy; and possibly (though not always) one or more types of surgery. The exact steps involved in transition vary from person to person. Avoid the phrase "sex change."
**In a sentence:** *John started his transition three years ago.*
Cassie Skoras

No, It's Not Okay to Say "Homosexual"— Here Are 34 Non-Offensive LGBTQ Terms You Should Know

1 of 35

There’s no “right” way to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer—and, as the colors of the Pride Flag reflect, the LGBTQ community contains multitudes beyond those five classifications. Sexuality, gender identity, and sexual preference are interrelated, but they’re actually three separate parts of a person’s selfhood. And just as one’s sexual orientation can shift and evolve, the language used to name aspects of gender and sexuality changes over time as well.

The growing group of terms for various sexual orientations and gender identities is a good thing, as it provides opportunities to treat often-marginalized members of society with the respect they deserve. This need for careful language is as important for heterosexual people to bear in mind as it is for, say, a gay man who may not understand what it’s like to live as a transgender person. While supporting each other’s need to feel seen is as important as ever, learning to how to be an ally without accidentally saying something offensive or embarrassing can be a challenge.

For that reason, we’ve collaborated with advocacy organization GLAAD to update our glossary of LGBTQ terms used in the United States for 2021; we also consulted resources from NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Though we aim to help with this guide, it’s best to never assume anyone identifies by a particular term until they say so themselves.

Understanding each other is an ongoing process, but educating yourself, and brushing up on the history of Pride Month, are solid first steps.

Cassie Skoras

Because language matters.

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No, It's Not Okay to Say "Homosexual"— Here Are 34 Non-Offensive LGBTQ Terms You Should Know

No, It's Not Okay to Say "Homosexual"— Here Are 34 Non-Offensive LGBTQ Terms You Should Know

No, It's Not Okay to Say "Homosexual"— Here Are 34 Non-Offensive LGBTQ Terms You Should Know

Agender [ay-jen-der] | adjective (agender people)

Ally [al-eye] | noun (allies)

Androgyne [an-druh-jahyn] | noun (androgynes)

Androgynous [an-droj-uh-nuh s] | adjective (androgynous people)

Asexual [ey-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (asexual people)

Bicurious [bai-kyoo r-ee-uh s] | adjective (bicurious people)

Bigender [bai-jen-der] | adjective (bigender people)

Biphobia [bai-foh-bee-uh] | noun (adjective: biphobic)

Bisexual [bahy-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (bisexual people)

Cisgender [sis-jen-der] / Cis | adjective (cisgender people (not cisgenders)

Coming Out [kuhm-ing-out] | verb

Crossdresser [kross-dreh-sr] | noun [crossdressers]

Drag King [drag ki?] | noun (drag kings)

Drag Queen [drag kween] | noun (drag queens)

Gay [gey] | adjective (gay people)

Gender dysphoria [jen-der di-sfaw-ree-uh] | noun [adjective: gender dysphoric]

Genderfluid [jen-der floo-id] | adjective (genderfluid people)

Gender identity [jen-der ahy-den-ti-tee] | noun (gender identities)

Gender non-conforming [jen-der nohn-kuh n-fawrm-ing] | adjective (gender non-conforming people)

Homosexual [hoh-muh-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (homosexual people)

Intersex [in-ter-seks] | noun (intersex people)

Latinx [la-teen-ex] | adjective

LGBTQ [el-jee-bee-tee-kyoo] | acronym (LGBTQ people)

Lesbian [lez-bee-uh n] | adjective (lesbian women/lesbians)

Metrosexual [me-troh-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (metrosexuals)

Nonbinary and/or Genderqueer [non-bahy-nuh-ree] [jen-der-kweer] | adjective (Nonbinary people/Genderqueer people)

Out [out] | adverb

Pansexual [pan-sek-shoo-uh l] | adjective (pansexual people)

Queer [kweer] | adjective (queer people)

Sex / Sex Assigned at Birth | noun (sexes)

Sexual orientation/Sexuality [sek-shoo-uh l - awr-ee-uh n-tey-shuh n] [sek-shoo-al-i-tee] | noun (sexual orientations, sexualities)

They/their [th ey] [th air] | pronoun (they/their)

Transgender [trans-jen-der] | adjective (transgender people (do not use transgenders)

Transition [tran-zish-uh n] | noun (transitions)

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