Definitions - What Does It All Mean

Heterosexual: Someone who, most or all of the time, is attracted sexually and/or emotionally to people of the opposite sex. This is also called "straight".

Homosexual: Someone who, most or all of the time, is attracted sexually and/or emotionally to people of the same sex. This is sometimes called "queer". Men are usually called "gay" and women are usually called "lesbian".

Bisexual: Someone who has feelings of sexual and/or emotional attraction to both men and women.

Queer: A term used to describe people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. This word has been used negatively in the past, but is now being used by some people who are "queer" in a positive way. It is an easier and quicker term to describe all the people who find their sexual orientation different from the social norm.

Questioning: A time period when people reconsider their sexual orientation. The amount of time this takes varies from person to person.

Transgendered: A person who feels uncomfortable or different about some aspect of his or her gender (being male or female). It might mean changing his or her gender surgically, dressing in clothing of the opposite gender, being androgynous (neither male nor female) or having ambiguous genitalia.

Staying in the Closet: A metaphor for feeling unable to tell others that one is gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Coming Out: The ongoing process of accepting oneself and (usually) telling others that one is gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Homophobia: The fear of people who are homosexual or "queer". It includes the fear of being thought of as gay/lesbian or the fear of being gay/lesbian. It is a hate based on fear, like racism.

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