What does it all stand for? Breaking down LGBT+ and other terms around gender and sexuality
- L=LESBIAN: A woman who is sexually and/or romantically attracted only to other women.
- G=GAY: A person who is sexually and/or romantically attracted only to people of the same sex. It’s often used to refer to men who are attracted to other men.
- B=BISEXUAL: A person who is sexually and/or romantically attracted to more than one gender. This could mean could include cisgender men or women, nonbinary people, transgender people, or any gender identification.
- T=TRANSGENDER: A person whose sense of personal gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth (see Assigned Sex). For example, they may have been born with a penis and have ‘male’ on their birth certificate, but identify as a woman.
- Q=QUEER: Queer is an umbrella term for anyone who identifies as being LGBTQ+ as well as a term for the community as a whole. ‘Queer’ can mean different things for different people, but it generally can refer to anyone who is not both cisgender and heterosexual.
- I=INTERSEX: A term used for a person is born with reproductive anatomy, hormones or chromosomes not typically expected of ‘female’ or ‘male’. This can be called ‘ambiguous’ genitalia.
- A=ASEXUAL: A person who experiences little to no sexual attraction. Asexual people still may experience romantic attraction, non-sexual physical attraction and other forms of attraction.
Further reading
- ‘The ABCs of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+’ – The New York Times
- LGBTQIA+ support services – Reach Out Australia
- Intersex Human Rights Australia A national body for people with intersex variations
- Kids Help Line (gender identity)
- Minus 18 (champions for LGBTQIA+ youth)
- Orygen (‘Leading the revolution in mental health’)
- QLife (anonymous and free LGBTQIA+ peer support)
- Queerspace (‘A Space for All of Me’)
- Rainbow Door (free LGBTQIA+ helpline for info, support and referral to all LGBTQIA+ Victorians, their friends and family)
- Rainbow Network (empowering carers to provide inclusive services for LGBTQIA+ Victorians)
- Royal Children’s Hospital Gender Service
- Transcend (supporting and affirming the lives of trans and gender-diverse children their families and carers)
- Victorian Pride Centre (range of LGBTQIA+ organisations and businesses who support the LGBTQIA+ community)
