Queer Dictionary

Asexual (adj)

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:00:05 +0000

Definition

One who feels no sexual attraction or desire towards any gender identity; free from or unaffected by sexuality.

Usage

Asexual is an adjective describing one’s sexuality.

Jordan: I’m asexual! There are a decent amount of ace (short for asexual) blogs on Tumblr.

See also

Ace, grey-a, demisexual, sexual orientation,

Transgender (adj.)

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:41:54 +0000

Definition

One whose gender identity is different from the gender assigned at birth. Not all folks of transgender experience identify as transgender. Some folks of transgender experience see themselves as disabled in some ways. Especially in stealth places, you’ll see some folks describing their transitions as correcting a “birth defect” (scare quotes not for the feeling but for the potentially ableist notions of the term).

Transgender is an umbrella term that includes non-binary transgender folks. In some spaces, you’ll see transgender and genderqueer placed separately, and genderqueer is assumed to be its own umbrella term. Genderqueer is not always a non-binary identity (some folks perform their gender queerly), but when it is, it’s part of the trans* community as are other non-binary gender identities.

Usage

Transgender is an adjective describing a state of being. Some folks say transgendered, but that implies that it’s a verb and, say, you could transgender someone or be transgendered yourself if you don’t watch out. Some folks use it as a noun and say “my friend is a transgender.” Some folks take offense to that wording.

Jack: “HI, my name is Jack, and I am transgender.”

Sally: “What pronouns do you prefer? Are you out to everyone or would you prefer that I not use your preferred pronouns in certain spaces?”

See also

Cisgender, trans*, LGBT, GSM, QUILTBAG

edited by queerdictionary

Does it count as cisplaining if a cis person is explaining something about trans* people to another cis person?

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:00:06 +0000

No, absolutely not. What makes cissplaining problematic is that someone who does not experience cissexism and is explaining what it is like to to someone who does. Cisgender folks don’t experience cissexism and, therefore, cannot cissplain one another.

Bigender (adj.)

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:30:48 +0000

Definition

Bigender is a gender identity that falls under the non-binary umbrella. To identify as bigender generally means you identify as two genders. You could identify as both at the same time. You can go back and forth between two genders. Perhaps you have one stagnant gender identity and one that shifts while still only identifying as two genders. However you experience it, it has to do something with the number two. It does not necessarily mean you identify as a man and a woman. There are more genders than that.

Usage

Bigender is used as an adjective generally.

I’m bigender.
Oh my goodness, I just met the cutest person the other day. They’re bigender and like neutral pronouns. They’re into knitting and folk-punk. What a dreamboat.

See also

non-binary, gender, genderfluid

GSM

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Definition

GSM is an acronym for “Gender and/or Sexuality Minority.” This is the basic catch-all for people who are not cisgender and/or heterosexual. It is more encompassing than the traditional LGBT and other such acronyms while still including those who don’t identify as queer or who are offended by the term.

Considering that GSM is more inclusive, not all LGBT spaces are truly GSM spaces as many of them function on excluding those who are not cisgender, gay, white, rich men. Using the term GSM is not meant to excuse exclusivity but to inspire inclusivity.

Usage

GSM is used in a sentence in the same way you’d use LGBT, QUILTBAG, and other acronyms.

Examples:

The space is GSM friendly which is why I go.
Did you go to the most recent GSM community support meeting?
I am a part of the GSM community!

See also

LGBT, LGBTQ, QUILTBAG, queer

submitted by veggieburgerwithbacon and edited by queerdictionary.

embodyglamour: iragray: Trans* 101: Gender This is video...

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:05:06 +0000

embodyglamour:

iragray:

Trans* 101: Gender

This is video three. Here are links to one and two.

Hey, everyone, my name is Ira. This is the third video in a series about being trans* I guess. This is a trans* 101 from a politicized perspective, and today - erm right now I guess - we’re going to be talking about gender. What is gender? What does gender look like? What does gender mean?

To begin, in the last couple of videos, we talked about sex. This conversation is going to start very similarly. In our culture, we learn that sex and gender are the same thing. You know, that we have “Male,” we have “Female.” We have “Man,” and we have “Woman.” “Female” means having a normative vulva or vagina - well vagina is part not all. Whatever yours looks like, mine doesn’t really look like that. And that being “male” means having a penis according to a normative, medical definition. Not everybody identifies a body part that may look like this as a penis. Not everybody identifies a part that may look like this as male.

So we learn that these two (sex and gender) are the same thing. You don’t have any choice in them, and you can’t move anywhere. It’s just something that happens to you. You don’t have any agency over your own body.

Then, in a Women’s Studies course, you learn that “Male” and “Female” do not always mean “Man” and “Woman.” Sometimes (I’m just going to abbreviate M for Male, F for Female, M for Man, W for Woman) these switch so that you can be a female man or you can be a male woman. Gender is a line and, somehow for whatever reason, all transgender people exist in the middle of this dichotomy. It’s interesting because one of the things you’ll learn about in a Women’s Studies course is how we view men and women, males and females, as opposites - the interplanetary view of gender. Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. We’re from completely two different worlds. It’s interesting that it’s framed - it’s interesting, because they talk about that in how it’s problematic. It creates this relationship between men and women that we are at opposing sides. It creates a war-like relationship where we are against each other as opposed to with each other, coexisting, next to each other, near each other, and such and so forth. But when they talk about transgender people, they put men and women at opposite sides of the playing field and trans* people in the middle despite the identity of the trans* person, which creates this thought of “Well, you’re the best of both worlds.” If you’re not trans*, and you’re talking to someone who is trans*, and you’re trying to pay them a compliment, and you say things like “Well that’s awesome that you’re a trans* guy/girl, cause like you’re the best of both worlds,” that’s not a compliment. Shut up. Don’t ever say that again. That can be a compliment if that’s how you identify, but if it’s not how you identify, that’s incredibly, incredibly insulting.

The problem with this view of gender is that it doesn’t allow for any place above, below, beyond, in front, behind, and such and so forth. It’s very 2D. Another thing that you’ll find in a Women’s Studies class, they conflate gender identities with gender roles. So, you’ll see these lines. This one represents your sexuality. This one represents your gender. This one represents something else. Here’s Male again, and here’s Female again. Then you place yourself. (Well, I guess in this case with sexuality, here’s gay and straight, as if those are the only two options) I see myself here when I really see myself over here. Does that make sense? It’s constantly on a line, on a flat plane that is 2D. It doesn’t allow for any complexity that naturally occurs within cultures, that naturally occurs within ourselves, in our own personalities.

If I don’t think of gender as a line, then what do I think of gender as? I like to see gender as a universe. It allows for a lot more complexity. If you were to ask me what it means to be a man, I would probably have a different answer than someone else. If you were to go back in time, in whatever location you’re at, you would get a different answer than what someone now would give. If you were to go to a different place and ask what it means to be a man/woman/whatever gender you are, you would get a different answer. Gender changes. Gender is fluid. Culture is fluid, and language is fluid. Human beings are fluid. In that sense - (straight) lines aren’t very fluid! By definition.

So, I like to think of gender as a universe, like I said. Here is a gender, this amoeba thing or whatever. This gender is “Woman.” I like that it’s an amoeba thing, because it allows for the complexity of Woman as a single identity. You can be a woman over here; you can be a woman over here. Then, there’s like these little lines, because gender changes in time and space. This amoeba thing can move all over the board. (I don’t know how much you can see) Here’s another gender up in the corner. We’ll call this gender “Man.” Again, you can go anywhere between Man; Man itself moves and shifts. There’s another gender down here. This one is going to be “Gender-Queer” which is usually one word (Genderqueer). Then, there’s another one up here, and another one over here. There’s an infinite amount of them, because I don’t know all of the genders that exist. I don’t pretend to know. I would like to know all of them, but that’s probably not possible.

Let’s say you identify as a woman, and you identify as a woman over here. You can move; there’s nothing saying you have to stay there. So you move, and then you identify as a man. Does that mean you’re the best of both worlds? No. Or you can identify here, which means you don’t identify with any gender. Or you can put your hypothetical feet in more than one gender and identify as both of these things. Or three genders. Because stars have feet, and this star has three feet. Shoe laces, because stars are consumers and like to buy shoes.

Does that make sense? There is space. There is freedom. There is agency when we view gender as a universe as opposed to a line where there are finite ends, where there is the ability to be viewed as an opposing side with another gender. When you view gender as a universe, there is no opposite, because everything is constantly moving. There are no dichotomies, because there’s a bunch of choices. There is freedom, because nothing is stagnant. On that note, I want to say that just because the concept of gender is not stagnant does mean that our identities cannot be stagnant ones. Even if we identify as a single gender our entire lives, it doesn’t mean that that gender in and of itself doesn’t change a little bit. You know what I’m saying? What it means to be a boy or a young man, the way that you express that, the way you feel about that will probably change with time. Not to say that all young people feel the same way or that all older people feel that same way, that’s ageism. Time allows for growth in general or allows for digression (I don’t know if digression is a word but we can pretend it is for now). I hope that makes sense. I recognize that this looks super convoluted now, but having seen the process, I hope that it makes more sense.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. My blog is www.iradaltongray.com. You can email me at ira.d.gray@gmail.com. You can comment below. You can send me a message. You can talk to me on Facebook. Talk to me however you want to talk, as long as we start a conversation. You don’t necessarily have to agree with me. I don’t expect everyone to, but I do hope to inspire people to think and to question paradigms.

I will see you all later whenever I think of what the next video is going to be. K, bye!

Reblogging for anarchistcatnip! :D

Is a FAAB a person who was born with all female genitalia? Like does it have to be a hermaphrodite then parents chose for them to be female? I guess I don't understand, even through the definition.

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:03:50 +0000

No. There is currently a debate about whether or not the term only applies to intersex persons in that they are assigned a sex and forced to fit the medical standards of what said sex is “supposed” to look like in terms of genitalia.

There is no such thing as a single set of “female genitalia” the terms female and male are terms that describe the bodies of those who are female and male. Therefore, anyone who identifies their body as either of these things, regardless of body parts, has female or male bodies.

Being gendered or assigned at birth has nothing to do with one’s body but has everything to do with the judgments made by those who work within the medical industry.

Basically, it boils down to what was originally written on your birth certificate: F, M, or U (unassigned).

Can you identify as genderqueer while also identifying as transgendered? Because I identify as male though I still acknowledge some female characteristics. I feel gender-fluid yet male, if that makes sense?

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:11:02 +0100

Absolutely! Not that it particularly makes a difference in whether or not you can, but a lot of folks identify similarly.

Apologies for the lack of new terms

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:01:21 +0100

Is there anything specific people would like to see posted here?

Skoliosexual (adj.)

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 23:35:04 +0100

Definition

Skoliosexual describes a potential sexual attraction to non-binary identified individuals. This does not generally describe an attraction to specific genitalia or birth assignments but rather is an inclusive term.

Usage

“I identify as skoliosexual.”
“I’m not really into binary men or women. I’m skoliosexual.”

See Also

Multisexual, polysexual

Hey! A while ago, I saw a list of terms going around on tumblr that included a word for being primarily attracted to trans*/gender-nonconforming people (and it definitely wasn't "chaser"), but now I don't remember what it is. Is there anywhere you can point me?

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:14:34 +0100

I am actually not sure, since I haven’t personally seen it. However, I’m sure at least one of the followers who sees this may have an idea.

Help a person out, folks!

Hetero-assimilationism (noun)

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:32:22 +0100

Sounds like

het-er-o-uh-sim-ih-lay-shun-iz-um

Definition

Assimilationism is the act of encouraging minority groups to become similar to elite groups. In the context of heternormativity/heterosexism, it is the act of encouraging gay, bisexual, pansexual, and otherwise not-straight folks to be more like dominant straight culture in various ways. Examples of hetero-assimilationist concepts and movements are the push for gay marriage, the push for the repeal of DADT, the butch/femme dichotomy, and the top/bottom dichotomy (though there are many more). Someone who supports hetero-assimilationism and/or actively seeks to be more like the dominant straight narrative is a hetero-assimiliationist. Examples of hetero-assimilationist organizations are the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), GLAAD, GLSEN, and most other mainstream LGBT organizations. Examples of anti-assimilationism and/or anti-assimilationists are BASH BACK and That’s Revolting! edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore. The major defining quality between LGBT/LGBTQ movements and radical queer movements is the desire to assimilate.

Usage

“Hetero-assimilationists are looking to be accepted by the elite by conforming to their moral standards of right and wrong.”
“I don’t (or do) support hetero-assimilationism.”

See also

Heteronormative, Heterosexism

Cisgender (adj.)

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:22:59 +0100

Sounds like

Sis-gender

Definition

A cisgender person is someone who identifies as they gender/sex they were assigned at birth. For example, your birth certificate says female, and you identify as a female woman.

The colloquial use of cisgender suggests that it is the opposite of transgender. If you’re not trans*, then you’re cis (abbreviated form of cisgender). This is not entirely true, because there are people who transition (eg. take hormones, identify as a different gender than what they were assigned with at birth, surgeries, etc.) who do not identify as trans* or transgender.

Usage

Cisgender is an adjective and is sometimes used as “cisgendered.”

Examples:

Cisgender folks will never know what it’s like to be trans*.
Hi, my name is Mary, and I am cisgender. I prefer she/her/hers as pronouns.

See Also

Non-transgender, Cissexual

Non-Binary (adj.)

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:02:00 +0100

Definition

Queers love umbrella terms, because they are flexible and can overlap. Non-binary is another umbrella term and is considered to be under the transgender umbrella. When discussing trans* issues and you want to be clear that you’re including non-binary folk, it’s typed out as “trans*” (note the asterisk).

“Binary” refers to the western binary gender system of man/woman. People who are non-binary identify, at some point in time, as neither a man nor a woman. It’s possible to identify as a woman, for example, and as genderqueer at the same time. It’s possible to identify as a woman sometimes and as androgyne other times. Identifying as both binary genders is generally referred to as bigender or genderfluid, depending on that individual’s identity. These are both considered non-binary identities.

Some other non-binary identities are genderqueer, genderfluid, bigender, neutrois, androgyne, two-spirit (this is an identity reserved for the indigenous and goes beyond the western understanding of sex and gender, so it’s best to ask before making assumptions, as always), etc.

Usage

Non-binary is an adjective but is unlike other identity-related terms in that it’s not ever really used an a noun.

Examples:

“I’m not sure if there is a term for my gender, but I know it’s non-binary.”
“This is a space for non-binary folks only, please.”

See Also

Genderqueer, Genderfluid, Genderpivot, Androgyne, Neutrois, Agender, Bigender, Two-spirit, Queer, etc.

I clarified the genderqueer definition a bit

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:42:43 +0100

in that it’s incorrectly used as an umbrella term instead of non-binary. I think it’s important to take note of colloquialisms and misuses of words, but I should have been more clear.

If you would like to see a word defined or if you want to propose an edit to any definition, leave me a message in the ask box please.

Genderqueer (adj.)

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:23:00 +0100

Definition

Genderqueer is a gender identity that generally refers to not identifying as male/female and/or as a man or woman. It’s possible for someone to identify as multiple genders, so identifying as genderqueer does not mean you do not or cannot identify as something else. It is a specific identity but is sometimes also incorrectly used as an umbrella term for non-binary (read: people who are not just men or women) gender identities. Some people prefer to just use the word genderqueer to describe their identity, some non-binary people don’t care for the term genderqueer to describe them (even in an umbrella sense) for a variety of reasons (use of the word “queer” which may implicate subversion when no identity is actually intrinsically subversive, potential political connotations, etc.).

Someone does not have to look androgynous in order to identify as genderqueer.

People often mistake genderqueer to mean that someone identifies as a point “in between” male/female and/or man/woman; it is often used as though it were synonymous with androgynous. Someone who identifies as genderqueer may identify as these things, but androgynous and genderqueer are not the same thing.

Usage

Genderqueer is technically an adjective but is also sometimes colloquially used as a noun.

Examples:

“Oh yeah, my genderqueer friend was telling me about a non-binary festival coming up!”
“Not all genderqueers prefer to be referred to as ‘they’.”

See also

Non-binary

Note: You may be wondering why I'm posting political things in the queer dictionary

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 17:40:00 +0100

Oftentimes, queer is considered an anti-oppression political identity as well as a sort of “fuck you” sexual orientation and/or gender identity. For many people, queer as a political often takes root in feminist thought. A good discussion of can be found here.

Retro Sexism (noun) Definition Modern attitudes or behaviors...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 17:38:05 +0100

Retro Sexism (noun)

Definition

Modern attitudes or behaviors that mimic or glorify sexist aspects of the past (of the western world), often in an ironic way.

See Also

Ironic Sexism

Con-nouns (noun)

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:01:05 +0100

livinandsurvivin:

Negative connotative pronouns. It is when an average pronoun. ‘he, she, sir, ma’am, Mr. Mrs. Ms. Ect…) is used in an improper way to describe the gender of the person they are referring to.

E.g. Using ‘She’ to describe an FtM. Using ‘He’ for an MtF. Using either for someone who is androgynous/genderqueer.

Essentially, what every person I have ever told continues to use. (Pronouns sounded to positive)

Note: Not all FTMs prefer “he,” not all MTFs prefer “she,” and some non-binary folks prefer binary pronouns.

See Also

Misgender, Pronouns

Posts describing identities

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:25:54 +0100

(e.g. gender, sexual orientation, etc.) are not definitive. This dictionary should not be used to tell someone how they should identify.