LGBTQIA+ definitions Part 2: L - Z.

Welcome back everyone. Today I am bringing you part two of my list of LGBTQIA+ definitions. I decided that to have it as one post would be too long. Here is the rest of the terms with their definitions, that I felt were relevant to share.

You might consider some meanings to be similar but each term has its own definition and is still a valid identity. This might be for example omniromantic, panromantic and polyromantic. All of these are different and valid in their own way. Multiromantic is the umbrella term for all of the these. This is the same as multisexual being an umbrella term for omnisexual, pansexual and polysexual.

Lesbian: ‘'Lesbian' refers to a woman who is attracted to women. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.’¹

Lithosexual: ‘Lithosexual refers to a person who may experience sexual attraction but does not want it reciprocated. Also known as Akoisexual.’²

Lithromantic: ‘A lithromantic person is someone who may experience romantic attraction but does not want it reciprocated. Also known as Akoiromantic.’³

MIN: Masculine in Nature.

MIN could refer to mingender which includes anyone who identifies as having a masculine gender such as butch lesbians (AKA masculine appearing).

There is also minsexual for those people who are sexually attracted to are masculine in nature. This could include masculine non-binary people, trans men and perhaps even masculine women.

MTF: Male to female, meaning a trans woman.

Neutrois: According to Neutrois.com Neutrois means ‘Neutrois is a non-binary gender identity that falls under the genderqueer or transgender umbrellas.’⁴

{For a definition of non-binary, I have provided one after this definition.}

I see neutrois as being a neutral, third gender Neu comes from neutral and trois is French for three. Therefore neutrois would mean having a gender identity but just a neutral one. To add to this I think of neutral as being different to the genders or male or female in a similar way to being agender. However being neutrois would suggest having a gender unlike being agender.

Non-binary: Non-binary is an umbrella term to describe someone whose gender identity does not correlate with their sex at birth. To add to this, someone who is non-binary does solely identify as being a man or a woman. For example, a trans man can identify as a man but that does not make him non-binary. A non-binary person may choose to identify as trans as well. This still makes their gender identity valid.

Omniromantic: ‘Someone who experiences romantic attraction towards people of any gender.’⁵

Omnisexual: An omnisexual person has sexual attraction towards people with any gender identity.

Pan (sexual and romantic): ‘Refers to a person whose romantic and/or sexual attraction towards others is not directed towards specific sexes or genders.’⁶

Polyromantic: ‘a polyromantic person experiences romantic attraction to many (but not necessarily all) genders.’⁷

Polysexual: ‘Refers to a person whose romantic and/or sexual attraction towards others is not directed towards specific sexes or genders.’⁸

Queer: ‘An adjective used by some people, particularly younger people, whose sexual orientation is not exclusively heterosexual (e.g. queer person, queer woman). Typically, for those who identify as queer, the terms lesbian, gay, and bisexual are perceived to be too limiting and/or fraught with cultural connotations they feel do not apply to them. Once considered a pejorative term, queer has been reclaimed by some LGBTQ people to describe themselves. However, it is not a universally accepted term even within the LGBTQ community, so use caution when using it outside of describing the way someone self-identifies or in a direct quote. When Q is seen at the end of LGBT, it typically means queer. In a setting for support, particularly for youth, it may mean questioning. Ask people how they describe themselves before labeling their sexual orientation.’⁹

Mentioned above, questioning is for someone who is unsure of their identity and trying to figure it out.

Sex: ‘Feminist theory defines sex only as the biology of a person - whether he or she is male or female.’¹⁰

I want to expand on Humm's definition. Sex is based on your biological characteristics at birth and some people can be Intersex as I have mentioned. It is also important to note that someone's sex and birth and their gender identity do not have to match. It is totally valid for some people to identify as Intersex. [See my first definitions post for a definition on Intersex.]

Transgender: ‘An adjective to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. People who are transgender may also use other terms, in addition to transgender, to describe their gender more specifically. Some of those terms are defined below. Use the term(s) the person uses to describe their gender. It is important to note that being transgender is not dependent upon physical appearance or medical procedures. A person can call themself transgender the moment they realize that their gender identity is different than the sex they were assigned at birth.’¹¹

Until next time,

Thomas.

Footnotes:

¹ "List of LGBTQ+ Terms," Resources, Stonewall, accessed 7 May 2025, List of LGBTQ+ terms | Stonewall.
²  "An Ever Growing List of Sexualities & their Definitions", Blogs, RAINBOW & CO, accessed 7 May 2025, List of LGBTQ+ Sexualities & their Definitions – Rainbow & Co.
³ RAINBOW & CO "An Ever Growing List of Sexualities & their Definitions."
⁴ Home, Neutrøis, accessed 7 May 2025, Neutrøis | Agender. Neutral-gender. Neither male nor female..
⁵ "Gender and Sexuality definitions," LGBTQ+ Terms, Childline, accessed 7 May 2025, LGBTQ+ terms | Childline. LGBTQ Mental Health Service.
⁶ "LGBTQIA+ Glossary," LGBTQIA+, NHS Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, accessed 7 May 2025, LGBTQIA+ Glossary - Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
⁷ "Polyromantic," Dictionary of queer terminology, Pronouns.page, accessed 7 May 2025, Dictionary of queer terminology • Pronouns.page.
⁸ Pronouns.page "Polysexual."
⁹ "Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ," GLAAD Media Reference Guide - 11th edition, accessed 7 May 2025, Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ | GLAAD.
¹⁰ Maggie Humm, THE DICTIONARY OF fEMINIST THEORY, (Prentice Hall/Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1995), 256.
¹¹ "Glossary of Terms: Transgender," GLAAD Media Reference Guide - 11th edition, accessed 7 May 2025, Glossary of Terms: Transgender | GLAAD.

Bibliography:

Childline. "Gender and Sexuality definitions." LGBTQ+ Terms. Accessed 7th May 2025. LGBTQ+ terms | Childline

GLAAD. "Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ." GLAAD Media Reference Guide - 11th edition. Accessed 7th May 2025. Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ | GLAAD

GLAAD. "Glossary of Terms: Transgender." GLAAD Media Reference Guide - 11th edition. Accessed 7th May 2025. Glossary of Terms: Transgender | GLAAD

Humm, Maggie. THE DICTIONARY OF fEMINIST THEORY.  Prentice Hall/Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1995.

Neutrøis. Home. Accessed 7th May 2025. Neutrøis | Agender. Neutral-gender. Neither male nor female.

NHS Hull University Training Hospitals. "LGBTQIA+ Glossary." LGBTQIA+. Accessed 7th May 2025. LGBTQIA+ Glossary - Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Pronouns.page. "Polyromantic." Dictionary of queer terminology. Accessed 7th May 2025. Dictionary of queer terminology • Pronouns.page

Pronouns.page. "Polysexual." Dictionary of queer terminology. Accessed 7th May 2025. Dictionary of queer terminology • Pronouns.page

RAINBOW & CO. "An Ever Growing List of Sexualities & their Definitions." Blog. Accessed 7th May 2025, List of LGBTQ+ Sexualities & their Definitions – Rainbow & Co.

Stonewall. "List of LGBTQ+ Terms." Resources. Accessed 7th May 2025. List of LGBTQ+ terms | Stonewall