9781422271186

The words to describe various sexual orientations have changed over time.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

Ally: A person who is not a member of a marginalized group but who gives support to that group. Binary: Having two parts (e.g., male and female). Inaccurate when discussing sexuality in most contexts. Discrete: Separate. (Not to be confused with “discreet,” which means unobtrusive or unnoticeable.) Heterosexual: Attracted exclusively to people of the opposite gender. From the Greek heteros , which means “the other of two things.” Homosexual: Attracted exclusively to people of the same gender. From the Greek homos , which means “same.” LGBTQIA: An acronym that stands for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning), intersex, asexual.” Spectrum: Something that is classified as being on a scale between two extremes. Transmasculine: A person assigned female at birth (AFAB) who identifies with masculinity.

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