Affectional-Orientation: The correct term describing physical or romantic attraction to particular type of person. It can lead to sexual behavior, but it does not imply any intimacy. See sexual orientation.

Against-Family (a Myth):. They are against the family and family values This slogan got started in the early 1970's when a few radical activists from various backgrounds attacked the nuclear family. Its persistence today, two decades after these attacks, is not easy to explain. Perhaps it is mainly a misguided attempt to explain why GLBT people are different from straight peoples. If you think of anyone choosing an alternate orientation, then there must be a reason, so perhaps this reason is because they are against heterosexual family life. In reality, though, if GLBT persons try to change themselves and pass as the unwanted orientation, this usually ends in disaster. On the other hand, having the proper relationships and identity provide peace and stability which makes families more secure.

AIDS: A disease, not a moral issue: The most severe manifestation of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The period between infection with HIV and the onset of AIDS averages 10 years in the United States. People with AIDS often suffer infections of the lungs, brain, eyes and other organs, and frequently suffer debilitating weight loss, diarrhea and a type of cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma. Even with treatment, most people with AIDS die within two years of developing infections or cancers that take advantage of their weakened immune systems.

AIDS-blame (a Myth): "They are responsible for AIDS." AIDS was a new but well established epidemic in heterosexual populations in a few parts of the world well before any gay man ever contracted it. A similar but much more slowly progressing disease caused by the HIV-2 virus had probably been around in heterosexual populations for much longer. The main reason for the drama of its emergence in the gay community is that gays were the first members of the wealthy developed world to get the disease. Worldwide, heterosexual transmission of AIDS greatly exceeds homosexual transmission today . Being heterosexual offers no protection against this disease. AIDS would be a profoundly important worldwide epidemic even if there was no such thing as a gay person.

Androgenous/Androgeny: One who is / the quality of simultaneously exhibiting masculine and feminine characteristics, which . may be exhibited by appearance and dress.

Androgyne: A person psychologically intermediate between male and female; or a person who rejects a specifically male or female gender role.

Bi - To be bisexual.

Bigendered: One who switches between masculine and feminine gender roles from time to time. The gender roles tend to be partially blended. Since gender tends to be integrated into the lives of bigendered persons, they often do not identity as a crossdresser or a transsexual. See dual-gendered.

Biphobia: The oppression or mistreatment of Bisexuals, especially by lesbians and gay men. (See homophobia.)

Bisexual: One who has significant sexual and romantic attractions to members of both the same and the other sex, or who identify as members of the bisexual community. Derogatory terms include the same terms as are applied to lesbians and gay men.. Bisexuals do not habitually leave a partner of one sex to pursue one of the other sex, nor do they flip-flop.

Butch: Masculine or macho dress and behavior, regardless of sex or gender identity. A sub-identity of lesbian or gay, based on masculine or macho dress and behavior. Also a lesbian stereotype.

Causality-for-GLBT: No one knows for sure why GLBT people are orientated the way they are, just as no one knows exactly what causes any sexual orientation or gender orientation. It must have a basis in genetics, but occurrences of GLBT persons cannot be accounted for through any application of the standard rules of inheritance. Alternate gene sequences are a good candidate, along with errors in or problems with fetal development. Lastly, there is three to nine months of intensive data uploading, where every child’s brain is programmed to start the life ahead. Of course, in the end, it is all in the head. All orientation, all decisions, all responses to hormones must be processed by the brain.

CD: crossdresser, crossdressing.

Choice: The idea of choice is constantly thrust upon GLBT persons. There is confusion about what can and cannot be changed. One’s sexual orientation and gender orientation are innate and cannot radically change. The only agents for such change are aging, injury, disease, and drugs. No one can will or pray for a change in their inner nature.
Behavior can be changed, behavior being whatever conscious action someone decides to take based upon their inner nature. To whom one is physically attracted is not a choice, but what one decides to do about that attraction is a choice. One’s gender identity is not a choice, but how one wants to present and express that identity is a choice.

Chromosomes: Chromosomes carry genes, the components of heredity. Genes always occur in pairs. One of the pairs determines a person’s sex. An X-Y pair is found in males, and an X-X pair in females. There are other configurations. Also, not all X-chromosomes are exactly alike, nor are all Y-chromosomes exactly alike.
The laws of inheritance, especially concerning dominant/recessive genes, apply to human beings. However, this alone is not enough to explain complex behaviors and mental illnesses, which involve a multitude of genes.
The human genetic code as 3.15 billion markers, but 99% are the same for all human beings. The genetic code is somewhat like a blueprint, but not exactly the same, because not all the genetic information present is used, and there are alternate genetic sequences in the development of any organism. The creation of any organism follows ontogenic rules, based on the genetic code. However, even given the same original genetic code (such as in identical twins), no two organisms can develop to be exactly the same.

Closet-Closeted: hiding one's sexual or gender orientation from others or the public. This can lead to extreme emotional conflict.

Come-out: To tell others about one's hidden sexual or gender orientation. May involve only closest friends, or family members and employer.

Commitment-Ceremony: The gay/lesbian version of a marriage ceremony. Since same-sex marriages are illegal in the United States. Many homosexual couples decide to show their love and commitment to one another through a commitment ceremony. The ceremony can be just like a regular wedding, with a minister/pastor, family/friends, exchanging of vows/rings, etc.

Convert-to-Homosexual (a Myth): "They want to influence children and other people to become homosexual." No one can change their inner nature, yet many persons opposed to the lesbian/gay community do not understand the ingrained nature of sexual orientation. Most people, if they reflect about their own situation, realize that they have little or no influence on the nature of their own sexual orientation. They cannot have a successful life-long loving relationship with just anyone. There are two sources of confusion on this issue. One is that some people are bisexual and can choose between elements of their ingrained sexual orientation. The other is that under special circumstances, such as prison, some people can develop a secondary interest in sexual acts that are fundamentally out of character for them. These acts are usually exploitative or predatory in nature. New gays and lesbians appear to arise through genetics, perhaps in combination with some very early childhood experiences which are not connected with parental role modeling. Homosexual orientation, like left-handedness, is a normal part of human biology, and does not relate to cultural knowledge or social trends. Also like left-handedness, it is a less common feature which is not increasing in relative number.

Crossdresser: (CD) This is a person who enjoys dressing in clothes appropriate to the opposite sex (defined by the prevailing social norms), driven by inner impulse. Crossdressers may be male or female, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or asexual. Crossdressers are usually different from a transsexual who has not completed transition. Crossdressers usually have little or no interest GRS. Most people who self-identify as crossdressers are comfortable with this part-time status; however, many transsexuals started their journey as only a crossdresser until they progressed to being a transsexual. Estimates about the number of crossdressers vary wildly. Two percent of the population is probably a good midpoint, but estimates can range as high as ten percent. Many more people have experimented with crossdressing, but that is not the same as being a crossdresser. The keys are repetition and incorporating crossdressing into one's identity, publicly or privately.

Decadent-Society (a Myth): "They are a feature of a decadent society" Many traditional societies have suppressed same-sex orientation and transgendered behavior as a kind of deviance, along with other disliked behaviors such as premarital sex, out-of-wedlock pregnancy and divorce. GLBT people are routinely referred to as perverted and child molesters. Rather than looking at other social behaviors coming out of permissive times, people who want to evaluate sexual and gender orientation should look at those orientations themselves. When GLBT people are pressured into faking orientation, it is a recipe for tragedy. When alternate orientations are examined in their own right, it is clear that they are the best social arrangement for the people involved. This arrangement supports families and supports society. It is constructive, not decadent.

Discrimination: Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered persons are the last minority for which discrimination can be legal in most parts of the United States. Along with outright vilification come hate crimes, harassment, shunning, loss of housing, loss of employment, and sometimes even jail. Alcoholism. Drugs, suicide, and depression often result from discrimination.

Disgusting-Behavior (a Myth): "What they do is disgusting; I hate what they do.." This accusation is made toward GLBT people, regardless of what they may or may not do in public. It is even made if people have no relationships whatsoever and lead a totally celibate life. Orientation is not about expressing sexuality! Sexuality is still not publicly discussed in our society, so there is not much knowledge about what people actually do. There are only so many ways to have sex, yet gays and lesbians are imagined to carry on in improper ways totally different from heterosexual persons and violate the laws of nature. This is not true. Transgendered persons are also accused of transgressing the laws of nature and of genital mutilation. Of course, such surgery was not called mutilation when inflicted upon intersexed infants without their consent.

Diversity: GLBT civil rights is about diversity. Diversity is the fastest growing portion of the world culture, and humans seem to have the inborn ability to diversify. Everyone belongs to more than one subculture (called the 10% rule) that may be based on nationality, education, race, religion, politics, personality, special interest, sexual orientation, gender orientation, and so forth.

Divisive-society: Many Western societies are more polarized than the United States, yet the people do not cry out with pernicious hatred over GLBT issues, even if they disagree. There are small but vocal ultra-conservative and ultra-religious factions that continually battle GLBT civil rights and most other forms of diversity.

Drag: Originally, an acronym for dressed-as-a-girl. Ostentatious crossdressing, especially in public or in a performance, purposely to get a reaction. Wearing extreme clothing inappropriate for either sex in a given situation.

Drag-King: A female (often a lesbian) who dresses as a man, usually for theatrical reasons, and who may also impersonate specific individuals. There is also a community of gay drag queens. Drag-queens are less likely to be transgendered.

Drag-Queen: A male (often gay) transvestite who employs exaggerated clothes, makeup, and mannerisms, often for other people's appreciation. Drag queens are less likely to be transgendered.

Dressing: The act of wearing the clothes, makeup, accessories, etc., of one's gender of choice, being crossdressed. MtF transgendered people also refer to this as being en femme.
Presentation: the totality of one's appearance when dressing, including voice, behavior, appropriateness of clothing for the situation, etc.

Dual-gendered: One who switches between masculine and feminine gender roles from time to time. The gender roles are usually separate and not blended. Since gender tends to be integrated into the lives of dual-gendered persons, they often do not identity as a crossdresser or a transsexual. See bigendered.

Dyke: Reclaimed derogatory slang. Refers to Lesbians, or to Lesbians and Bisexual women.

Electrolysis: Process of killing hair follicles, especially of facial and neck hair, usually with an electric needle.

FAB: See female at birth.

Fag: See faggot.

Faggot (Fag) - A male homosexual. Like dyke, this term was originally used as an epithet, but has been adopted by many of the people to whom it refers. There is no general agreement about the origin of the term, but the word itself refers to a small piece of wood used to start fires.

Family-Fundamental (a Myth): "The family is the fundamental building block of society.". Taken at face value, it is absolutely correct. Most people have families, and that's where the next generation comes from. Where the phrase is misused, however, is in the attempt to negate the value of people whose lives don't fit that exact pattern. Not everyone marries. Not every couple can have children. To cast away the unmarried and the childless as useless to the building of society is absurd and heartless. One of the fundamental building blocks of society is the individual. Regardless of his or her marital condition, he or she can make a contribution. Another fundamental building block is the loving relationship. Peoples' happiness and stability improves everything around them.

Female: One who usually has a vagina and X-X chromosomes. However, there are exceptions.

Female-at Birth (FAB): a term applied to spouses of transgendered males.

Female-impersonator: A male realistically portraying a woman in a public performance. May be transgendered or borderline transgendered and may have any sexual orientation.

Feminine: a highly subjective concept of the essential qualities of a woman.

Feminism: Feminism is an integral part of GLBT civil rights. There is a myth that feminism is a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy, capitalism, and become lesbians. This is nonsense; feminism is just the simple notion that women are people too. It seeks the social, economic, and political equality of both sexes in a safer, more gentle world . It is the recovery and celebration of women’s culture.

Femme: Feminine or effeminate dress and behavior, regardless of sex or gender identity. A sub-identity of lesbian or gay, based on masculine or macho dress and behavior.

Fetishistic-transvestite: This is an obsolete term that referred to a transvestite who consistently eroticized crossdressing and even fantasies of gender/sex change.

FtM: Female to male. This is typically seen only in reference to transsexuals, as most other transgendered behavior is socially tolerated in genetic females. More correctly transman.

Full-time: This describes a person who is cross-living full-time in an adopted gender role, professionally, socially, and privately. These usually do not change all at once; typically, private and social living in the new role provides a practice period for the more critical (and risky) change in professional role. If this is done to satisfy a pre-requisite for surgery, it is called the real-life test (RLT).

Gay (man/male) (community): One who has significant sexual and romantic attractions primarily to members of the same sex (as oneself), or who identifies as a member of the gay community. Sometimes refers only to gay males, sometimes only to gay males and lesbians. Although some people use the term gay (community) to refer to all sexual minorities (or the sexual minority community), Lesbians and Bisexuals often do not feel included by it. Derogatory slang includes: queer or faggot. The word Gay was developed as a secret code-word in the 1930s and 40s. In the 1960s, when the gay revolution picked up steam, the previously hidden term gay burst out into the open and thus became a symbol not of oppression, but pride.

Gender: Gender is about identity, presentation, and expression. Gender is a complex social construct based upon biological sex, but it is not the same as sex, especially in transgender circles. Gender facilitates sexual interaction and reproduction. Gender is intertwined with relationships, child-rearing, societal role and structure, pairing, games, and eroticism. Gender is especially important for human beings, because we are a sexually dimorphic species, where physical appearance is the number one marker. Gender becomes fixed in infancy, but it is always fluid in response to life situations.
Gender is misused as a major reason for discrimination. Gender is often assigned the status of natural law, but it is not absolute, and its concepts vary over time and between cultures. The current social power structure rigorously enforces a set of arbitrary gender rules. This enforcement in some way damages everyone, but it is extremely bad for males, and it is literally devastating to those who cannot or will not follow the rules or play the right games.

Gender Identity Disorder (GID): The preferred diagnosis for persons who are found to be gender-variant. See gender dysphoria.

Gender-dysphoria : This is a clinical term for transgenderism which means gender confusion. Within the community, it is sometimes stated as gender euphoria or gender-gifted. It is not viewed as confusion, but simply having more options. Gender Identity Disorder (GID) is the currently favored diagnostic terminology.

Gender-Identity: This is the psychological state of viewing oneself as a girl or boy and later as a man or woman. Transsexuals have a gender identity that is different from their biological sex.

Gender-Orientation: Whether one views oneself as a man, a woman, a transwoman, a transman, bigendered, dual-gendered, or some other gender designation.

Gender-Reassignment Surgery (GRS): Surgery to change, within the limits of surgical possibility, a person's genitals to those of the other sex (and retain the possibility of sexual stimulation). In male-to-female conversion, the penis is converted to a vagina. In female-to-male conversion, the challenge has been to create a version of a penis. It is sometimes referred to as corrective surgery, reconciliation surgery, or simply the surgery.

Gender-Role: Gender roles are the set of social norms that dictate what is socially regarded as appropriate female or male behavior. These are arbitrary rules, assigned by society, that define what clothing, behaviors, thoughts, feelings, relationships, etc. are considered appropriate and inappropriate for members of each sex.

Gender-Role Ideology: Refers to the socially prescribed role relationships between women and men in any given society.

Gender-Variant: A term for one who does not fit the established gender standards. Often used in place of transgender or transgendered.

Genetic-Boy (GB): Colloquial term for Genetic Male.

Genetic-Female/Woman (GF/GW): One who was born female, regardless of one's present sex or gender identity.

Genetic-Girl: (GG): Colloquial term for Genetic Female.

Genetic-Male/Man (GM): One who was considered male from birth, regardless of one's present sex or gender identity.

Genetics: How genes determine the form of an organism. See chromosomes.

Getting-Read: Being detected as a person who is crossdressed. Transgendered persons usually dislike being read, but the reality is that passing requires extensive practice, and sometimes training, hormone therapy, electrolysis, and cosmetic surgery. Much of this practice must be done in public, where the transgendered person will get read when he or she makes mistakes. A person who is prepared to accept this fact will be much more comfortable in public.

GLBT: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender.

GRS: See gender reassignment surgery.

Harry-Benjamin Guidelines: This is a set of guidelines for seriously transgendered persons. It covers rules for behavior, transition, hormones, and surgery for therapists and health care professionals.

Hate-Crimes: Hate crimes against GLBT persons are those in which victims are chosen solely or primarily because of their actual or presumed sexual/affectional orientation or preference, gender identity and/or status. Hate crimes are also committed based on race, religion, disability, ethnicity and national origin. Hate crimes may include property crimes or physical violence resulting in injury. Hate crimes are unique because they send messages to entire groups — as well as to their families and other supporters — that they are unwelcome and unsafe in particular communities. Most hate crimes against GLBT persons are committed by otherwise law-abiding young people who see little wrong with their actions, and who sometimes believe that they have societal permission to engage in such violence. Because hate crimes against GLBT persons are attacks on identity, they may have more serious psychological effects on victims than do other crimes. Depression, stress and anger are more prevalent in hate crime survivors than in survivors of comparable non-bias-motivated crimes. These feelings can last up to five years for a GLBT victim of hate crimes, while lasting up to two years for victims of non-bias-related crimes.

Health: While AIDS is a GLBT health problem, it is not the major problem. Suicide is probably the number one problem. Loss of medical coverage is another problem, whether for being fired for identity reasons, or (for youth) being kicked out of their homes to a life on the streets. Discouragement from forming stable relationships lead to unsafe sexual practices and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s). Depression and despair lead to alcoholism and drug use.

Hermaphrodite: Obsolete term: a person biologically between female and male, sometimes with genital and /or reproductive body parts of both sexes. See intersexed.

Heterosexism: The assumption that identifying as heterosexual and having sexual and romantic attractions only to members of the other sex (than oneself) is good and acceptable, and that other sexual identities and attractions are bad and unacceptable. The assumption that anyone is straight whose sexual orientation is not known, usually coupled with a "blindness" to the existence and concerns of LesBiGays.

Heterosexual: a person whose sexual and romantic feelings are mostly for the opposite gender: men who are attracted to women, and women who are attracted to men

Homophile (community): Obsolete term for gay male (community.)

Homophobe: One who is afraid of or oppresses people because one (perceives them to) have sexual and romantic attractions to members of the same sex.

Homophobia: Originally, an irrational fear of sexual attraction to the same sex. Developed into a term for the oppression of Lesbians and Gay men, and later into a term for all aspects of the oppression of Lesbians, Gay men, and Bisexuals (sometimes does not include bisexuals.) This oppression ranges from not including LesBiGays in one's circle of friends and media reports on and representations of society, through the cold shoulder, snide comments, verbal harassment, assault, rape, and murder based on the target person's (perceived) sexual identity.

Homosexual: Formal or clinical term for gay, usually meaning gay male, sometimes meaning LesGay, and occasionally meaning LesBiGay. Homosexual and homosexuality are often associated with the proposition that same gender attractions are a mental disorder (homophilia), and are therefore distasteful to some people.

Hormone-therapy: Used to change secondary sex characteristics, including breast size, weight distribution, and facial hair growth.

Hormones:: Estrogen and progesterone (female sex hormones) for the MtF transsexual, and testosterone (male sex hormone) for the FtM transsexual. This is a major topic on its own, but as a quick reference, there are a few points to mention. First, these are powerful drugs, and should only be used with medical supervision. Major effects of hormones (breasts for MtF; lower voice, and facial and body hair for FtM) are not reversible. Significant side effects of long-term usage include sterility and impotence for genetic males. Hormone therapy is necessary for transition, but starting hormones is a decision that must not be made lightly.

Intersexed: a person biologically between female and male, sometimes with genital and/or reproductive body parts of both sexes. Replaces hermaphrodite. At one time meant homosexual. There are as many as nineteen variations of intersexed persons, including X-Y women and X-X men. Intersexed people are not rare, since they comprise 5% to 7% of the population. Intersexed infants are often subjected to corrective surgery before they have a chance to grow up and decide who they want to be.

Kinsey Scale: Alfred Kinsey was the one of the greatest sex and gender researchers of the twentieth century. During his 1940's study of homosexuality, he devised his 7-step scale to describe degrees of homosexuality and heterosexuality.

0 - exclusively heterosexual
1 - predominantly heterosexual, incidentally homosexual
2 - predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual
3 - equally heterosexual and homosexual
4 - predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual
5 - predominantly homosexual, incidentally heterosexual
6 - exclusively homosexual

He used as measurement the factors of mental inclination (fantasies, dreams, and thoughts) and practice (frequency of sexual activities and emotional feelings). While Kinsey's findings seemed very applicable at the time, today it is viewed as flawed, since there are too many fluctuations that it cannot account for.. There are simply not enough parameters.

Klein-scale: The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid uses 7 classifications (the same number as Kinsey) and uses less emotionally "loaded" reference point descriptions.
Klein examines the element of time in more detail than Kinsey. He asks about sexual behavior during the present (the most recent 12 months,) the past (up to 12 months ago,) and the ideal (which is as close as one can get to intention and prediction of future behavior.)
The biggest change from previous work is Klein's inclusion of many aspects of sexual orientation in addition to sexual behavior. These include sexual attraction, sexual fantasies, emotional preference, social preference, lifestyle preference, sexual identity, and (now) political identity.
The aspects of sexual orientation can be represented as a stack of cards, where each card represents a particular aspect of sexual orientation (sexual attraction, social preference, etc.) Each card has three time scales (past, present, ideal.) Taken together, a deck of cards gives a view of several aspects of a person's sexual orientation over time, and can be used as a basis for discussing sexual orientation and identifying commonalities and differences.

Lesbian: A woman who has significant sexual and romantic attractions to members of the same sex, or who identifies as a member of the lesbian community. Bisexual women often do not feel included by this term. Derogatory slang: dyke, lesbo.

LesBiGay (community): Contraction of "lesbian, bisexual, and gay." Colloquial term for the sexual minority community or its members. Often spelled with capital "B" and "G" to prevent misinterpretation as "lesbian and gay."

LGBT: A variant of GLBT. It means the same thing.

Lipstick-Lesbian: Slang word used to describe a very feminine lesbian (one who tends to always wear make-up and feminine clothing).

Macho: describing extreme masculinity which may involve the subordination of women.

Male: One who has a penis and X-Y chromosomes. However, there are exceptions.

Male-Impersonator: A female who, on specific occasions, crossdresses and employs stereotypical masculine dialog, voice, and mannerisms for the entertainment of other people.

Marriage: Pairing off into committed relationships is a nearly universal desire. The legal form is called marriage. Marriage has existed throughout recorded history, but marriage, as we know it, is a product of the industrial revolution. In the United States, the only lawful kind of a marriage is between a man and a woman. Two lesbians cannot marry each other, nor can two gay men. However, there are cases where illegal marriages have been performed because a male passed himself off as a woman or a female passed herself off as a man. Transgendered persons have fared better because they can often legally change their gender and even their sex, which leads to legal same-gender marriages and same-sex marriages.

Masculine: A highly subjective concept of the essential qualities of a man.

Moral-Fiber (a Myth):. "They're destroying the moral fiber of our country.": Almost every stereotype about a minority group makes that group out to be a source of dangerous weakness in society. Some infamous epithets from past racial and ethnic stereotypes are degenerate, lazy and dishonest, drunken, volatile and impassioned. These all mean no socially beneficial self control. If weak people gain influence, clearly all of society will be weakened: it will lose its fiber of toughness. Such ideas don't reflect a balanced view of reality, but rather reflect the nature of the stereotype-making process, which is based on fear of differences which are not understood.

MtF: male to female, as in crossdressing, transsexual, or transwoman..

Neuter: One who has neither a penis nor a vagina. Occasionally used to mean androgenous.

Not-Natural: Not found in nature. This is a term laid on GLBT persons denying any corollary for their identity or behavior in the animal kingdom. This is not true, since scientific journals are full of accounts of equivalent gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered behavior in the animal kingdom. Getting this information to textbooks is a real problem, since such accounts are nearly always eliminated by editors.

Out-someone: To disclose a second person's sexual orientation or gender orientation to a third person, especially without the second person's permission.

Passing: Presenting and looking genuine enough to be seen as a member of the opposite sex. The ability to be accepted as a member of one's gender of choice. Yes, choice can be a loaded word; none of us chose to be who we are, but we do choose how we deal with it. In that sense, it is appropriate for a transgendered person to choose whether to go out as male, female, or in between. Transgendered persons often have strong preferences about which gender they would rather be, and which gender presentation they are more comfortable with. Depending on the situation, these may or may not be the same.

PFLAG: Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. PFLAG is a national non-profit organization with a membership of over 56,000 households and over 390 affiliates worldwide. PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian and bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:

support, to cope with an adverse society;
education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and
advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights.

Pink-triangle: Variations of a pink triangle are now a symbol for the GLBT civil rights movement. It has its origin in the horrors of Nazi concentration camps. Each prisoner in the concentration camps wore a colored inverted triangle to designate their reason for incarceration, and hence the designation also served to form a sort of social hierarchy among the prisoners. A green triangle marked its wearer as a regular criminal; a red triangle denoted a political prisoner. Two yellow triangles overlapping to form a Star of David designated a Jewish prisoner. The pink triangle was for homosexuals. A yellow Star of David under a superimposed pink triangle marked the lowest of all prisoners -- a homosexual Jew.

Pre-operative transsexual: (Pre-op TS): One who is actively planning to switch physical gender, mostly to relieve gender identity disorder. Probably, but not necessarily, crossdresses, takes hormone therapy, and gets electrolysis (if male). (See transsexual.).

Queer: Often used in GLBT activism or as a reference to a homosexual within the community.

Recruitment (a Myth): "They need to recruit in order to increase their number." The stereotype of the weak but dangerous minority group usually includes the idea that the group is trying to grow. Predominantly heterosexual groups which are being stereotyped are often accused of producing excessive numbers of children. In the case of gays and lesbians, this accusation is often impossible, so the idea that the group is trying to grow (by recruitment) is added onto people's confusion about where new gays and lesbians come from. Also, many gay and lesbian people do have children, yet their children are no more likely to be gay or lesbian than those in the general population. No one can change their own inner nature, and certainly not the inner nature of someone else.

Religion: Religion is about personal opinion, not about scientific fact. Religion is the source of the greatest support for and the greatest condemnation of GLBT persons. Gays and lesbians often enroll in religious colleges in the hope of finding a cure ; however, instead of a cure, they are more likely to find a partner.
Ultra-religious people often deny any separation of church and state, claim exclusive moral authority, and try to force their personal belief system on everyone. Biblical passages are used (often out of context) to offer a condemnation of homosexuality. Scholars actually say the passages actually refer to pedophiles, temple prostitution, hospitality, or have even been mis-translated. The old testament also did not condemn currently illegal activities such as prostitution, polygamy, slavery, and the mistreatment of women.
Since the concept of homosexuality was derived in the nineteenth century, any biblical interpretation should be viewed with skepticism. GLBT person have existed throughout history, but their private lives were largely ignored so long as their public image seemed correct.

Reparative-Therapy: The idea that anyone can willfully change their sexual orientation or gender orientation. Always avoiding the obvious conclusion that orientation is inborn, tries to blame it on bad parenting, environmental factors, and even purposeful disobedience. Has roots stem back to the work of a British theologian and self proclaimed psychologist, Elizabeth Moberly, who wrote a couple of books in the early 1980's espousing a questionably theory (with no test subjects whatsoever) that was adopted by the "ex-gay" movement.
Sometimes uses drugs, electroshock therapy, and even incarceration, which can stretch the bounds of legality.
Has no success story at all, except for a few bisexuals who switched partners, but did not change orientation. Notorious for the antics of poster men and women, who publicly become straight, but quickly revert and secretly carry on as before.

Restroom-Problems: Transgendered people and some butch lesbians have continual problems with restroom usage. Some communities have even passed specific laws specifying just who is supposed to use a specific restroom, regardless of how difficult it would be to prove correctness. In the United States, there are usually no laws, just assumed social conventions that males will use the men’s room and females will use the women’s room. Companies usually enforce conventional restroom usage, regardless of the recommended guidelines for transgendered persons. Many other countries have unisex restrooms and therefore do not have this problem.

Sex: Sex is biological; it has to do with our reproductive mechanisms. It is chromosomal; we tend to be divided into male (X-Y) and female (X-X), but such differentiation is not absolute, because a significant number of persons are born with other configurations. Correct chromosomes are not necessarily essential for individual survival. Biological sex is fixed at birth and does not change with time.

Sexual Identity: Refers to a number of factors including one’s biological sex, gender identity, gender role and sexual orientation. One’s sexual orientation includes one’s thoughts, feelings, sexual behavior and self-identification.

Sexual-Flaunting (a Myth):. "They want to shove their sex lives in our faces." Anyone who thinks about it for a few minutes will realize that relationships, unlike sex acts, are difficult to conceal. In our society, sex lives may be private, but relationships are public. This means that if any lesbian or gay couple wishes to conceal the nature of their relationship, they find they must constantly lie. Any moral person would find such lying extremely problematical. This trend generates not only minor social inconveniences, such as being expected to spend holidays with families but not with each other, but also, in moments of crisis, heartrending difficulties, such as not being able to see one's beloved when he or she has been hospitalized. Such a situation is intolerable, unthinkable, mocking the nature of love. Only a condition of terror would induce people to accept it. Anyone concealing such a relationship both creates and facilitates falsehood, and thereby opens the door to social hatred. Any person of conscience would find a way to safely become honest with society. It's amazing how many people who teach their children not to lie are insistent that lesbians and gay men should lie.

Sexual-identity: How one thinks of oneself, in terms of being significantly attracted to members of the same or the other sex. Based on one's internal experience, as opposed to which gender one's actual sexual partners belong to. (See sexual orientation)

Sexual-orientation/preference: How one thinks of her/himself, in terms of being significantly attracted to members the same or the other sex. Sexual orientation emphasizes that some people feel that one has no control or influence over the development of one's sexual and romantic attractions or one's sexual orientation. Sexual preference emphasizes that some people feel that one does or should have some control or influence over the development of one's sexual and romantic attractions or sexual one's orientation.
Sexual orientation for transgendered persons can be more complex, because it can be based on birth sex or, subjectively, on presentation mode (man or woman), legal status (male or female), and even marital status (married before or after GRS).  For partners, it can be by inference, but wives of transwomen do not like being referred to as lesbians.

Sexual-Reassignment Surgery: (SRS): A surgical procedure which changes one's primary sexual organs from one sex to another. No one has ever actually changed sex. See gender reassignment surgery.

Sexuality: is intimate interaction, driven by hormones, for the exchange of genetic information. It is also a pleasure mechanism, especially when combined with our erotic fantasies. Sexuality is necessary for the survival of the species. While sexuality is neither moral nor immoral, cultural interpretation often unfairly condemns it. While the mechanism does not change, hormones and desire do change with time.

Special-Rights (a Myth). "They want special rights." GLBT people are all stereotyped in order to make them seem more dangerous, include the notion that the morally weak people are trying to take over or get far more than what's fair. Worldwide conspiracy, noisy special interest group, and special rights, are examples. This is referred to as the cancer metaphor of stereotypes: the bad group is a source of weakness, but it's trying to grow dangerously stronger. GLBT people only ask for exactly the same categories of basic human rights that were already included in human rights codes for other groups. Imagine their surprise to be told that in their case these were special rights. The accusers do not see themselves as responding to ordinary humans, but rather to special, evil forces. The accusers often feign victim status.

SRS: sex reassignment surgery.

Stonewall: June 28^th is important for two events in gay history. The first occurred in 1934, when the Nazis began the persecution, murder, and incarceration of homosexuals. It was the riot on June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village that sparked the gay rights movement, though the incident scarcely got any press at the time. Police harassment had long been incessant, but a particular raid on the night of June 27^th was finally too much for patrons.  Past midnight on June 28^th, they angrily stormed out into the streets and started a riot.  The rioters included gays and straights dressed in normal attire and drag queens. Daylight brought a temporary lull, until the call went out in the afternoon. Barricading the streets in the evening finally caught everyone’s attention. There was an attempt for a follow up action on June 29^th, but not much actually happened.

Straight: Colloquial for heterosexual. Because straight has connotations of unadulterated, pure and honest, members of the GLBT community object to the implication that one who is not straight is bent, adulterated, impure, or dishonest. Straight has connotations of narrow, straight-laced or conservative, and many heterosexual-identified people object find it distasteful.

Suicide: GLBT people have one of the highest suicide rates of any group. Guilt, depression, despair, harassment, vilification, victimization, and shunning all fuel this behavior. There is even speculation that many perplexing suicides are due to undisclosed GLBT tendencies.

TG: Transgender.

To-be Out: To be open about one's sexual identity with someone or in a situation.

Transgender (TG or T*): A blanket term to describe all gender-variant persons. It formerly only referred to someone living as the opposite gender without the benefit of surgery. Transgender variations are likely to appear in any society adhering to the following exclusive binary logic:

man + woman ==> marriage ==> child
male child ==> boy ==> man ==> marries woman
female child ==> girl ==> woman ==> marries man

Transgender variations lead to alternate versions of current genders and even new genders. In societies where gender is not binary, there may not be any transgender variation.
Transgenderism is not about clothing and surgery; it is about core identity, presentation, and expression. Statistics are hard to gather, but transgenderism may in some way affect one person in ten, but just over ten percent of these transgendered persons will actually seek to actively affirm their inner feelings. Of the actively transgendered persons, about ten percent will have strong transsexual inclinations and will seek to transition permanently, but only a bit more than ten percent of those transitioning will go on to have the final gender reassignment surgery (GRS). Some children proclaim to be the opposite gender practically as soon as they can talk, but they are extremely rare. Rare too are adolescents who protest being in the wrong body. Most transgendered persons live in a state of denial and secrecy, until internal pressure finally forces them to resist societal pressures such as shame and guilt in order to decide who they are. The unwanted rewards for being transgendered include deep depression, suicidal tendencies, and a sense of loss and not belonging.

Transgender-murders: Transgendered persons suffer most of the same types of discrimination as other members of the GLBT community, but they are also the victims of hate crimes perpetrated with unimaginable violence.

Transgendered-People: Long ago, there was an attempt to reduce it all to a new binary system: transvestites and transsexuals. Now there is a continuum of variation, including crossdressers, intersexuals, some female impersonators, some drag queens, some drag kings, transsexuals (including pre-op, post-op, and non-op), and some for which no category yet exists. Many terms are used, such male-to-female (MtF), female-to-male (FtM), transman (FtM), transsexual woman (MtF), genetic woman (female), and genetic man (male). Intersexuals are usually considered to be transgendered.

Transition : This is the process of changing gender role, and also the time period in which the change occurs. The time period starts, more or less, with the decision to change gender, and ends with surgery. The term is also used in the sense of an event, usually when a person begins working in the new gender role.

Transman: Female to male, as in crossdressing or a transsexual

Transphobia: Unreasonable fear of transgendered and gender-variant people.

Transsexual (TS): A person who establishes a permanent core identity with the opposite gender, as opposed to the one usually associated with his or her birth sex. The stereotypical explanation is of a man trapped in a woman's body or vice versa, but many transsexuals reject this formulation. A transsexual often desires to make a transition from their birth sex to that of the opposite sex, with some type of medical alteration to their body.
Whether hormonally induced changes, without surgical changes, are sufficient to qualify for the label transsexual, or whether a certain set of procedures to be fulfilled to be labelled transsexual is currently a debated topic, both among the transsexual and transgender community and health care providers. However, it is generally accepted (and is also evident in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) that if an individual expresses desire to be of the opposite sex, or to assert that one is of the opposite sex to which they were born, then that person is a transsexual.
Transsexuals can be divided into pre-operative (pre-op), post-operative (post-op), or non-operative. Estimates vary on the frequency of occurrence for transsexuals, but one in 10,000 is as good an estimate as any. Not all transsexuals desire surgery. Many take hormones to make their bodies look more masculine or feminine.

Transvestite (TV) This is basically the same as a crossdresser. Historically, it carries the connotation that the person crossdresses for sexual stimulation. This is an emotionally loaded term which most transgendered persons dislike.

Transwoman: Male to female, as in crossdressing or a transsexual.

TS: See transsexual.

TV: See transvestite.

Unfaithfulness (a Myth): "None of them (gays or lesbians) really has a faithful relationship." This is simply not true. There are many such faithful relationships, and the couples involved may come to churches such as Metropolitan Community Church to celebrate their commitment with a ceremony of holy union. It's true that examples of other kinds of relationships can also be found, as is also true in the heterosexual community. Merely citing examples of such relationships or lifestyles does not show that gays are unfaithful in their relationships. Lesbians and gay men form committed relationships for reasons that transcend social politics: love, caring, and mutual support. Their relationships succeed for all the reasons that other relationships do -- and should they fail, they fail for all the usual reasons as well.

Woodwork: The place where transsexuals disappear into, after surgery. After transition and surgery, most transsexuals want to get on with their lives, and they leave the gender community. This is not necessarily a trip back into the closet, as a post-operative transsexual no longer has a mismatch between physiological and mental gender. However, some MtF post-ops choose not to disclose their past. SRS for MtF transsexuals has been perfected to the point that most people, with the possible exception of gynecologists, cannot tell the difference between a post-op and a genetic female. In the modern, computerized world, the lack of privacy is quickly making the woodwork an impossible place to be.

Workplace-issues: As a group, GLBT employees face many common workplace problems. They face being fired for just existing or for coming out, especially coming out in the military or public school system. They face harassment, stereotyping, problems with medical insurance, and opposition from extremely religious coworkers. Transgendered employees have additional problems with restroom usage and dress codes.

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Thursday, April 01, 2004