Glossary of LGBTIQA+ Terms

AFAB: acronym for Assigned Female at Birth. Generally used to refer to a person who identifies as other than the gender they were assigned at birth.

Ally: refers to a person who is not part of the LGBTIQA+ community, but that is a friend, advocate or supporter for LGBTIQA+ people and their rights.

AMAB: acronym for Assigned Male at Birth. Generally used to refer to a person who identifies as other than the gender they were assigned at birth.

Brotherboy and Sistergirl: terms used by some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to describe trans people. Brotherboy typically refers to masculine spirit people who may be assigned female at birth; Sistergirl typically refers to feminine spirit people who may be assigned male at birth.

Chest binder: a garment used to flatten breast tissue for a more masculine appearance. Other names may include transgender binder, FTM binder, compression binder, breast binder, binder bra, chest binder FTM, trans masc binder, chest binder bra.

Chest binding tape: tape used to bind breast tissue. Using tape to chest bind can be harmful and cause permanent skin damage and/or rib damage.

Cisgender/cis: a person who identifies as the gender they were assigned at birth.

Cisnormativity: a behaviour or phenomenon that is based on the assumption that everyone is cisgender, identify as the gender they were assigned at birth, and that being cisgender is “normal”.

Dead name: the name a person was assigned at birth and which they feel does not represent who they are and/or how they identify. Often associated with feelings of distress.

Dysphoria: the distress or unease sometimes experienced by a person when their gender identity doesn’t match the gender they were assigned at birth.

FTM: an acronym for Female to Male, sometimes used to describe a person assigned female at birth.

FTM binder: see 'Chest Binder'.

Gender identity: a person’s sense of whether they are a man, woman, non-binary, agender, genderqueer, genderfluid, or a combination of one or more of these. Gender can be binary (either a man or a woman), or non-binary.

Gender affirmation: the process or processes a trans person may embark upon to live as their defined gender and so that society recognises them as that gender. This may involve social, medical and/or legal steps that affirm a person's gender.

Gender euphoria: the experience of comfort, connection and celebration related to a trans person with their internal sense of self and gender. The pride of feeling and being affirmed as who they are.

Gender expression: refers to how a person chooses to express or present their gender. This can include behaviour and outward appearance, including clothing, hair, make-up, body language and voice.

Gender fluid: a term used to describe a person with shifting or changing gender identity.

Gender pronouns: refer to how a person expresses their gender identity through the use of a pronoun. Pronouns can be gender-specific or gender-neutral.

Genderqueer: a gender identity that does not conform to traditional gender norms and may be expressed as other than woman or man or both man and woman, including gender neutral and androgynous.

Misgendering: an occurrence where a person is described or addressed using language that does not match their gender identity.

MTF: an acronym for Male to Female, sometimes used to describe a person assigned male at birth.

Mx or Mixter: Generally written in its abbreviated form Mx - a gender-neutral title like Mr, Ms and Miss.

Non-binary: an umbrella term for gender identities that sit within, outside of, across or between the spectrum of the male and female binary. A non-binary person might identify as gender fluid, trans masculine, trans feminine or could be agender.

Queer: a term used to describe a range of sexual orientations and gender identities. Although once used as a derogatory term and still considered derogatory by many older LGBTIQA+ people, the term queer now encapsulates political ideas of resistance to heteronormativity and is often used as an umbrella term to describe the full range of LGBTIQA+ identities.

Transgender/Trans: umbrella terms used to refer to people whose assigned sex at birth does not match their gender identity. Trans people may choose to live their lives with or without modifying their body, dress or legal status, and with or without medical treatment and surgery. Trans people may use a variety of terms to describe themselves including but not limited to: man, woman, trans woman, trans man, non-binary, agender, genderqueer, genderfluid, trans guy, trans masculine/masc, trans feminine/femme.