LGBT Terms

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Index of LGBT Terms

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A

Acault
An acault is a Burmese term for a male who exhibits transgender behavior. This cultural identification is associated with animistic beliefs.

B

BGM
BGM is a slang acronym that stands for black gay men.
Banjee
Banjee or banjee boy is a term from the 1980s or earlier that describes a certain type of young Latino or Black man who has sex with men and who dresses in urban fashion for reasons which may include expressing masculinity, hiding his sexual orientation and attracting male partners. The term is mostly associated with New York City and may be Nuyorican in origin
Bareback
Bareback is a term that originated in gay slang to describe acts of unprotected sex, especially anal sex. The term's usage however, has crossed-over to more mainstream slang to describe any type of penetrative sexual act without the use of a condom.
Batty boy
Bati boy (batty bwoy),bati man, pariss, chi chi man, chiefe, booty boy and gay boy are pejorative sexual slurs used in Jamaica, Belize, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Anglophone Caribbean to describe homosexual men. The term is a Jamaican abbreviation of the word bottom into batty; "batty boy" is a cognate of the American English "butt boy
Beefcake magazines
Beefcake magazines were magazines published in North America in the 1930s to 1960s that featured photographs of attractive, muscular young men in athletic poses. While their primary market was gay men, until the 1960s, they were typically presented as being magazines dedicated to encouraging fitness and health: the models were often shown demonstrating exercises. Because of the conservative and homophobic social culture of the era, and because of censorship laws, gay pornography could not be sold openly. Gay men turned to beefcake magazines, which could be sold in newspaper stands, book stores and pharmacies. Beefcake magazines were often the only connection that closeted gay men had to their sexuality.
Bisexual erasure
Bisexual erasure is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or reexplain evidence of bisexuality in the historical record, academic materials, the news media, and other primary sources.
When bisexual erasure is found in intellectually dishonest works, it is a manifestation of biphobia.
Homosexuals who erase bisexuality often claim that bisexuals are simply closeted homosexuals who want to appear heterosexual.[1]
Boi
"Boi" is a term used within the gay community to refer to a young-appearing (and in reality relatively young) bisexual or homosexual male, especially one who is somewhat effeminate, or who merely wishes to distinguish himself with a different term from heterosexual boys. The term is also commonly used by those who are female to male transgendered
Boston marriage
Boston marriage was a term used in the 19th century for households where two women lived together, independent of any male support. Whether these were lesbian relationships-in the sexual sense-is debated. The likelihood is that some were and some were not. Today, the term is sometimes used when referring to two women living together who are not in a sexual relationship. Such a relationship may have intimacy and commitment, without sexuality.
Bugchasing and giftgiving
Bugchasing (or bug chasing) is a slang term for a subculture of gay men who desire, and actively pursue HIV infection. Bugchasers "chase the bug" by seeking sexual partners who are HIV positive for the purpose of having unprotected sex and sero-converting; giftgivers are HIV+ men who attempt to infect bugchasers with HIV.
Bugchasing is viewed with disdain by many in the gay community who consider it a dangerous and self-destructive activity, and some may be concerned that the behaviors of bugchasers may contribute to a public perception that the practice is common or encouraged by all gay people.
Butch and femme
Butch and femme (French term for woman) are terms often used in the lesbian and gay subcultures to describe the queering of traditional masculine and feminine gender roles. Femme is also frequently used in the transgender community, see En femme.

C

Camp
Camp is an aesthetic in which something has appeal because of its bad taste or ironic value.
Chicken
Chicken can be used, usually by gay men referring to other gay men, to mean a young gay man or young appearing gay man. Stereotypically describing a gay man barely out of adolescence who does not show much of any body hair or well-defined muscle-development. Most would consider a young man of barely-legal age or appearing to be very young and having an innocent nature.
Chickenhawk
A chickenhawk or chicken hawk is slang used in American and British gay culture to denote older males who prefer younger males for partners, who may less often be called "chickens", i.e. the prey of the chickenhawk. Other variations include chicken queer and chicken plucker.
Coming out
"Coming out of the closet" (often shortened to "coming out" ) describes the voluntary public announcement of one's (primarily homosexual or bisexual) sexual orientation or gender identity.
Being "out" means not concealing one's sexual orientation. Being "outed" refers to having one's sexual orientation made public typically against one's wishes or without one's consent. "Outing" is the process of deliberately disclosing the sexuality of another who, presumably, wants to keep this information private.
Cruising for sex
Cruising for sex, or more commonly, cruising, denotes the act of walking or driving about a locality in search or pursuit of a suitable partner for sex, usually of the anonymous, casual, one-time variety.

D

DL Thug
a term used in the gay pornography community that refers to a homosexual, often African American, nude model. Most DL Thugs dress as straight "thugs" but are in fact homosexual. This appeals to many in-the-closet African American males who are afraid to reveal their true feelings in fear of losing their hardcore reputation.
This term is vastly different than the widely used term for black gay men who are comfortable and not as covert with their sexuality,
Down-low
Down-low or on the down low is a slang phrase. It is often used to refer to something that is secret or hidden.
Dyke
a slang term for a lesbian. Originally it was a derogatory label for a masculine or butch woman, and this usage still exists. However, it has also been reappropriated as a positive term implying assertiveness and toughness, or simply as a neutral synonym for lesbian

E

En femme
The term en femme is used in the transgender community, usually by male crossdressers, to describe wearing feminine clothing or expressing a feminine personality. The term is derived from the French, meaning literally "as a woman". Most crossdressers also use a femme (female) name whilst en femme.
Ergi
Ergi (noun) and argr (adjective) are two Old Norse terms of insult, denoting effeminacy or other unmanly behavior.

F

Fag hag
Fag hag is a slang term for a woman who associates mostly or exclusively with gay men. It originated in gay male culture in the United States and was historically an insult. Some women who associate with gay men object to being called fag hags, while others embrace the term.


faggot


Faggot
Faggot or fag, in modern North American and Australian English usage, is a generally pejorative term for a homosexual or effeminate man. Its use has spread to varying extents elsewhere in the English-speaking world.
Feminist Sex Wars
The Feminist Sex Wars - Similar article on WikiPedia

, Lesbian Sex Wars, or simply the Sex Wars or Porn Wars, refers to the acrimonious debates within the feminist movement and lesbian community in the late 1970s through the 1980s around the issues of feminist strategies regarding sexuality, sexual representation, pornography, sadomasochism, the role of transwomen in the lesbian community, and other sexual issues. The debate pitted anti-pornography feminism against sex-positive feminism, and the feminist movement ended up deeply divided as a result.

The Feminist Sex Wars are often viewed as the event that signaled the end of the Second-wave feminist era.
Frot
Frot is male-male non-penetrative sex, where male partners engage in the rubbing of erect penis on erect penis, typically while in full-frontal embrace. Various other sexual positions for frot are of course possible. Frot can be pleasurable because it mutually stimulates each partner's penis, especially the frenulum nerve bundle under the glans.
Fruit
"Fruit" or "Fruit cake" is a slang phrase that has often been used as a slang term for gays. Usually as a negative term against gay men but increasingly as an insider's term of endearment within the LGBT community
Fruit machine
The fruit machine is a jocular term for a device developed in Canada that was supposed to be able to identify homosexuals. The subjects were made to view pornography, and the device measured the pupils of the eyes, perspiration, and pulse for a supposed erotic response

G

Gay
In contemporary usage, the adjective gay usually describes a person's sexual orientation, being the standard term for homosexual. Gay sometimes also refers to commonalities shared by homosexual people, as in "gay history".
Gay Mafia
The Gay Mafia or Velvet Mafia is a term to describe the amalgamation of gay lobby and rights groups in politics and the media. The "Gay Mafia" and "Velvet Mafia" are typically associated with the upper echelons of the fashion and entertainment industries, and the terms are also used humorously by gay people themselves,
Gay bashing
Gay bashing is an expression used to designate verbal confrontation with, denigration of, or physical violence against people thought to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) because of their apparent sexual orientation or gender identity.
Gay friendly
Gay friendly refers to policies, people or institutions that actively seek to create an environment friendly towards LGBT people.
Gay slang @ SM201 / Gay slang @ WP
Gay slang or LGBT slang in linguistics refers to a form of English slang used predominantly among LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people.
Gay-for-pay
Gay-for-pay is the slang term accorded to male (and sometimes, but less frequently, female) actors, pornographic stars or prostitutes who identify as heterosexual but perform homosexual acts professionally.
Gaydar
Gaydar (a portmanteau of gay and radar) is the intuitive ability to determine whether another person is gay or not. Whether anyone actually has such an ability is a debated question, especially in Western culture. The idea of "gaydar" relies on indirect senses and intuitions rather than direct questions ("Are you gay?") or fact-finding (like researching the identity of previous romantic partners). It also relies on sensitivity to certain mannerisms: anything from flamboyant or overt rejection of traditional gender roles (including occupation, grooming habits, and so on) to more subtle clues, like one's style preferences or other personal tastes or habits.
Gaymer
Gaymer is an umbrella term used to refer to the group of people who identify themselves as gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgendered and have an active interest in the video game community (gamers).
Gender bender
Gender bender is an informal term used to refer to a person who actively transgresses, or "bends," expected gender roles. Boy George was called a "gender bender" because of him wearing make-up and feminine clothes. Gender bending is a form of social activism in response to assumptions or over-generalisations about genders.
Gynephilia and androphilia
Gynephilia (or gynophilia) is the romantic and/or sexual attraction to adult females, and its counterpart androphilia is attraction to adult males.
There are two main reasons why these terms have been used: to describe either the age or the sex/gender of the object of an individual's sexual orientation.


H

Harlequin
Harlequin is the color that is halfway between the web color Chartreuse and the color green on the color wheel. It is a color that is 75% green and 25% yellow.
Homintern
Homintern is a portmanteau of Homosexual International.
Homocon
Homocon, an abbreviation of the (often pejorative) term "homoconservative" was coined in reference to LGBT people who adopt politics considered right-wing by traditionally leftist advocates of gay rights such as Queer Nation and the Gay Liberation Front. The rising popularity of Log Cabin Republicans illustrates a radical shift from the days when gay Republicans such as Roy Cohn and J. Edgar Hoover hid same-sex attractions deep in their closets. Homocons are men and women who assert conservative politics while acknowledging homosexual subjectivities.
Homophile
The word homophile is an alternative to the word homosexual, preferred by some because it emphasizes love over sex. The term was in common use in the 1950s and 1960s by homosexual organisations and publications; the groups of this period are now known collectively as the homophile movement.
The term "homophile" began to disappear with the emergence of the Gay Liberation movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, replaced by a new set of terminology such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, although some of the homophile groups survived until the 1980s, 90s and even the present day.

I

Intersexuality
Intersexuality is a term used to describe a person whose sex chromosomes, genitalia and/or secondary sex characteristics are determined to be neither exclusively male nor female. A person with intersex may have biological characteristics of both the male and female sexes.

L

LGBT
The initialism LGBT also LGBT is in use (since the 1990s) to refer collectively to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. The acronym is an adaptation of the initial LGB. In modern use, the acronym relates the diversity of the Gay culture.
Many variants exist. The most commonly used involve adding a Q for queer or questioning (some variants, in fact, use two Qs to represent both of these groups), an A for asexual or allies (and sometimes 'S' for straight ally), a T for two spirit, an I for intersex, or a P for pansexual or polyamorous. Some even add an O for omnisexual or other.
Lavender
Lavender is a pale shade of violet. It applies particularly to the color of the flower of the same name (this color is displayed at right); the color lavender might be described as a medium violet or a light pinkish purple. The complementary color of lavender is olive.
Lavender marriage @ WP
Lavender marriage is a term coined to describe a marriage between a man and a woman in which one, or both, parties are homosexual. Usually, but not always, both parties are assumed to be complicit in a public deception to hide their homosexuality.
Lesbian until graduation
The slang terms lesbian until graduation (LUG), bisexual until graduation or more recently myspace bisexual are terms used to describe women of high-school or college age, who are assumed to be experimenting with or with adopting a temporary lesbian or bisexual identity. The term suggests that the woman to whom it is applied will ultimately adopt a strictly heterosexual identity.
Lesbian-identified
A lesbian-identified is a person who identifies in whole or in part as a lesbian. Because of the diversity of experiences of individuals who self-identify as lesbian, the term encompasses a wide range of individual life histories, as well as genders. Primarily, the term embraces those with strong ties and history within the lesbian community but can apply to individuals who are male-bodied that identify as women and are attracted exclusively to women.
Lipstick lesbian
A lipstick lesbian is a slang term for a stereotypically feminine lesbian who is attracted to other feminine women, rather than a lesbian who is attracted to more masculine women, such as in a "butch and femme"-type relationship. It is also used to describe a homosexual (or bisexual) woman who exhibits feminine gender attributes, such as wearing make-up (thus, lipstick), wearing dresses or skirts, having a love of shopping, and perhaps having other characteristics associated with feminine women.

M

MOTSS
MOTSS is an initialism used as a term to refer to "Member(s) of the Same Sex" or describe gay or bisexual encounters or relationships. It is possibly derived from the 1970 U.S. Census forms Member Of The Same Sex esp. one considered as a possible sexual partner, a potential or (less often) actual sex partner. For example, the term/phrase "on the down-low" or "on the DL" refers to men who have MOTSS experiences or occasionally sexually prefer MOTSS. Gay men or women prefer MOTSS exclusively. The inverse MOTOS refers to "Member(s) of the Opposite Sex" The acronym is gender and sexual orientation inclusive in sentences like, "Flirting with MOTSS in public can draw unwanted attention," or "There is a strong bias favoring MOTOS relationships." A similar, less-often used term is MOTAS "Member of the Appropriate Sex" to be inclusive of both heterosexual and homosexual relationships. For example, "What would you do with a MOTAS?"

P

Pink
The use of the word pink as a color first occurred in the 17th century to describe the light red flowers of pinks, flowering plants in the genus Dianthus. The color pink itself is a combination of red and white. .
Political lesbianism
Political lesbianism is a phenomenon within feminism, primarily Second wave feminism; it includes, but is not limited to, lesbian separatism. Political lesbianism embraces the theory that sexual orientation is a choice, and advocates lesbianism as a positive alternative to heterosexuality for women

Q

Queer
The word queer has traditionally meant "strange" or "unusual," but currently it is also often used in reference to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and asexual communities. Its usage is controversial and underwent substantial changes over the course of the 20th century. The term is still considered by some to be offensive and derisive, and by others as a re-appropriated term used to describe a sexual orientation and/or gender identity or gender expression that does not conform to heteronormative society.
Questioning
Questioning is a term that can refer to a person who is questioning their gender, sexual identity or sexual orientation. The letter Q is sometimes added to the end of the acronym LGBT; the Q can refer to either queer or questioning. Some LGBT university student groups include the term "questioning" in their literature.

S

Same gender loving
Same gender loving, or SGL, (a term coined by noted "social architect" Cleo Manago [www.cleomanago.com]) is a description for homosexuals, particularly in the African-American community. It emerged in the early 1990s and is often used by those who prefer to distance themselves from terms that they see as associated with white-dominated lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities. The term includes both down-low and out homosexuals within the black communities. It is also considered by some to be more descriptive of emotional links between gay men than the identity "gay".
Sissy
Implies interests seen as strikingly un-masculine. This pejorative may be given to anyone as an insult. Several variations, such as "sissy boy" or "sissy baby", exist and any term can become pejorative or insulting if preceded by "sissy" and applied to a boy or a man. Sissy is the male converse of tomboy, but has none of the latter's positive connotations. Even amongst gay men, behavior thought of as sissy or camp produces mixed reactions. Some men reclaim the term for themselves
Slut Night
Slut Night is a butch-femme social gathering (mainly for self-proclaimed dykes and lesbians) to celebrate gender expression and the butch and femme gender roles which have a long tradition in lesbian culture. Slut night had its origins at a small bar in Oakland, California, and has spread across the United States and to Montreal, Canada thanks to online networking which has brought on the "the golden age for Butch-Femme culture." On "slut night" at a bar or other social meeting place, femmes dress in erotic and often hyper-feminine clothing like bustiers, corsets, and feather boas, while the butches dress in masculine suits and ties usually made for a man but customized or fitted for them including the use of binding to flatten their breasts and packing to fill out the crotch. For some participants it's a regular night out while others may revel in the chance to explore gender roles within the butch-femme continuum like being a soft butch or a stone femme or even playing into the androgynous genderqueer spectrum where gender ambiguity can be seen as a goal.
Soft butch
Slut Night is a butch-femme social gathering (mainly for self-proclaimed dykes and lesbians) to celebrate gender expression and the butch and femme gender roles which have a long tradition in lesbian culture. Slut night had its origins at a small bar in Oakland, California, and has spread across the United States and to Montreal, Canada thanks to online networking which has brought on the "the golden age for Butch-Femme culture." On "slut night" at a bar or other social meeting place, femmes dress in erotic and often hyper-feminine clothing like bustiers, corsets, and feather boas, while the butches dress in masculine suits and ties usually made for a man but customized or fitted for them including the use of binding to flatten their breasts and packing to fill out the crotch. For some participants it's a regular night out while others may revel in the chance to explore gender roles within the butch-femme continuum like being a soft butch or a stone femme or even playing into the androgynous genderqueer spectrum where gender ambiguity can be seen as a goal.
Stone femme
Stone femme has been used to describe several different kinds of femme (feminine) identities, sometimes within a broader dyke identity or culture. People who identify as Stone femme have patterned the name for their identity after the more widely known term stone butch. A stone butch is a female-bodied person who is strongly masculine in character and dress, who is the "giver" in sexual interactions, and who does not wish to be touched genitally. Stone femme is used to describe a femme who is sexually receptive or who wishes not to touch the genitals of her partner.
Some people have used the term stone femme to describe their identity as an individual's personal sexual and gender identity and boundaries regarding their expression of both. It is not dependent on the identity of their partner.
Stone femmes rarely, if ever, identify as "lesbians" due to the disconnect between both the political and sexual connotations of the word and the reality of their experiences.
Straight acting
Straight acting (also known as "straight-acting") is a slang term used to describe a person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype. Although the label is used by and reserved almost exclusively for gay and bisexual men, it may also be used to describe a lesbian with stereotypical feminine appearance and mannerisms.
Straight ally
Straight ally is a colloquial term that describes a heterosexual person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, and LGBT social movements. Usually, a straight ally is inclusive of various diversity, and may have many gay and lesbian friends.
Some organizations, such as gay-straight alliances often consist predominantly of straight ally members.
Swish
Swish is effeminate behavior and interests (camp), emphasized and sanctioned in pre-Stonewall gay male communities. This behavior is also described as nelly. Wentworth and Flexner define swish as a noun meaning "a male homosexual, esp. one with obviously feminine traits".
Being swish includes sashaying and the use of limp wrists, falsetto voices, feminine pronouns, and superlatives (Sonenschein 1969; Tripp 197?, both cited in Levine 1998)-basically, everything up to the other side of camp, or drag.


T

Terminology of homosexuality @ SM201 / Terminology of homosexuality @ WP
Terms for gay in different languages @ WP
Tom
Within contemporary Thai culture, a more masculine or "butch" acting lesbian, as contrasted with "dee", equivalent to the western "femme".
Tomboy
A tomboy is typically described as a girl who behaves according to the gender role of a boy, though the term is also applied to adult women. This social phenomenon typically manifests itself through these characteristics:
Top and bottom in sex and BDSM
In the context of human sexual behavior, a top is an insertive or dominant partner, or a person who prefers the insertive or dominant role, and a bottom is a receptive partner (that is, a partner who is penetrated or submissive).
A person who enjoys both topping and bottoming is called versatile or a switch; the act of doing so is called switching.
These terms are used among gay men, BDSM practitioners, in some lesbian circles, and are gaining use among some opposite-sex couples too. For example, the act of pegging involves a female top and a male bottom.
Trans-bashing
Trans-bashing is the practice of victimising someone because they are transgendered or transsexual. Unlike gay bashing, it is bashing someone based on their gender identity rather than because of their choice of sexual partners or sexual activities. There are those who believe that accusing transsexuals and transgenders of being victims of "gay-bashing" erases their identities and the truth of what happens to them.
Troll
Troll and trolling are slang terms used almost exclusively amongst gay men to characterize gay, bisexual and questioning or bi-curious men who cruise or “wander about looking" for sex or potential sex partners or experiences “in a notably wanton manner and with lessened standards of what one will accept in a partner." The term can be used positively or negatively depending on the speaker, usage and intent and can describe the person or the activity. Although often referring to “an unattractive older gay man" the phrases can be used for anyone who is trolling regardless of age or perceived beauty and troll as a slur “is primarily a visual, not a behavioral" judgment.
Twink
The label of Twink is used in gay slang to describe an attractive young or young-looking gay male (usually in his late teens or early twenties) with a slender build, a slight muscular physique, and little or no body hair. In some societies the term "chick" or "chicken" is preferred.
There is a backronym that states "twink" stands for "teenaged, white, into no kink," although none of those things are either necessary or sufficient for being a twink.
Two-Spirit
Two-Spirit (also two spirit or twospirit) is a term for third gender people (for example, woman-living-man) that are among many American Indian and Canadian First Nations indigenous groups. It usually implies a masculine spirit and a feminine spirit living in the same body. It is also used by some contemporary gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, same-sex attracted and intersex Native Americans to describe themselves. There are many indigenous terms for these individuals in the various Native American languages.

U

U-Haul lesbian
In North American lesbian popular culture, the term U-Haul (named after the brand of rental "move yourself" trucks and equipment) is gay slang for a relationship that progresses very quickly, for example moving in together after only a short period of time -- a pattern stereotypically attributed to relationships between two women. The reference to a "U-Haul" in the gay community has been considered one of the touchstones of sexual identity. The expression may have originated in the early 1980s by comic Lea DeLaria, who joked:
Q: What does a lesbian bring on a second date?
A: A U-Haul.
Ungqingili
Ungqingili is a Zulu language term of abuse towards homosexual people.
Uranian @ WP

V

Vanilla sex
Vanilla sex or conventional sex is used to describe what a culture regards as standard or conventional sexual behavior. Different cultures, subcultures, and individuals have different ideas about what constitutes this type of sex. Often it is interpreted as sex that does not involve such elements as BDSM, kink, or fetish activities.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) slang
Back slangBarebackBanjeeBatty boyBearBeardBeatBreederBugchasingCannibalCrossdresserBulldaggerButch and femmeBoiBottomCastro cloneChickenChickenhawkChubCottagingCruisingDaddyDown-lowDragDykeDyke tykeEn femmeFag (Faggot)Fag hagFag stagFaux queenGay barFlagging (hanky code)Friend of DorothyFruitGay-for-payGaydarGaymerGloryholeLesbian until graduationLipstick lesbianNecktie'd( Furry )Party and playQueenShemaleSoft butchSwishTea-roomTopTradeTransfanTrollTwinkU-Haul lesbianVersatile
PolariLavender linguisticsLGBT TermsTerminology of homosexualityRoles and Functions
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