1. What does LGBTQI mean?
LGBTQI means: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Intersex
2. What does Lesbian mean
This is a sexual orientation.
This means a girl or woman who is attracted to other women.
Some women prefer to identify as gay.
This is the same as homosexual.
The word homosexual is not generally used by the lesbian community.
It is best to ask what term a person uses.
3. What does Gay mean?
This is a sexual orientation.
This usually means a boy or a man who is attracted to other men.
It is also used to describe women who are attracted to other women.
This is the same as homosexual.
The word homosexual is not generally used by the gay community.
It is best to ask what term a person uses.
4. What does Bisexual mean?
This is a sexual orientation.
This means someone who is attracted to men and women.
Some people prefer to identify as Queer.
It is best to ask what term a person uses.
5. What does Transgender mean?
This is a gender identity and/or gender expression.
This can mean someone who identifies differently to what you might expect of the gender they were given at birth (gender identity).
For example: someone may have been registered as female at birth, but they identify as male.
This can also mean someone who dresses or acts differently (gender expression) to what you might expect of the gender they were given at birth.
If you do identify as the gender you were given at birth then you are known as cisgender or cisgendered.
Being transgender has nothing to do with who you find attractive.
You can be transgender and straight (attracted to the same gender), or gay, or lesbian, or queer, or many other identities.
Trans or Trans* is a short way of saying transsexual or transgender.
Transgender is not the same as transsexual.
The word transsexual is not generally used by the transgender community.
It is best to ask what term a person uses.
6. What does Queer mean?
This means a lot of different things to different people.
This can be a sexual orientation and/or a gender identity.
Some people use it because they are attracted to more than two different genders and bisexuality implies there are only two genders - male and female.
Some people prefer to use the terms non-binary, genderqueer, agender or bigender.
Some people use it because they do not want people to know who they find attractive.
Some people use it because they are questioning their sexual orientation.
Some people use it because they find other identities too restrictive.
Some people use it to reclaim the term from people who use it to be homophobic/abusive.
Some people find the term offensive because it is word often used in homophobic abuse.
Queer identity is used by some people in addition to other orientations and identities in the LGBTQI spectrum.
7. What does Questioning mean?
This means being unsure or trying to understand.
This can mean someone who is questioning their gender.
This can mean someone who is questioning who they find attractive.
This can mean someone who is questioning how they want to express their gender.
This can mean someone who is questioning how they want to express their sexual orientation.
This can be be a gender identity, gender expression and/or sexual orientation.
8. What does Intersex mean?
This is a gender identity.
This means someone who was born with male and female sexual organs.
This can mean internal organs - such as chromosomes or ovaries.
This can mean external organs - such as genitals.
This can mean both internal and external organs.
Being intersex has nothing to do with who you find attractive.
You can be intersex and straight (attracted to the same gender), or gay, or lesbian, or queer, or many other identities.
9. What do non-binary, genderqueer, agender and bigender mean?
These are a gender identities and/or gender expressions.
Binary means a system of two different things. Male and female are binary genders.
Non-binary, genderqueer, agender and bigender all mean someone who does not identify as male or female.
Some people prefer to use the term queer.
Being non-binary, genderqueer, agender or bigender has nothing to do with who you find attractive.
You can be non-binary and straight, or gay, or lesbian, or queer, or many other identities.
10. Are there other gender identities, gender expressions and sexual orientations?
