People that do not identify themselves as LGBTI, but support the equality of LGBTI people.
Glossary
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A
Allies
Androgyny
Combination of masculine and feminine characteristics in the same person, going beyond the binary model (see Binarism). Nowadays, it is a form of gender expression that defends the potential for gender dynamism or fluidity.
B
Binarism (binary model)
Model that establishes two single genders, the male and the female, attributing them to two single possible sexes: the female sex is connected with the gender woman, and the male sex with the gender man. This system excludes people with different gender expressions or identities, and people with non-normative bodies according to the model (such as intersex people).
Biological sex
Until the seventh week of gestation there is no difference between the sexes. In the majority of cases, the vagina and uterus or the penis and testicles begin to develop. Some people, however, develop characteristics of both biological sexes.
Bisexuality
Sexual orientation in which a person feels attracted to two sexes, men and women
Body Positivity
Movement for people to feel proud of their bodies, escaping the complexes promoted by the patriarchy, racism or the fashion industry and the aesthetics.
Bullying
See Harassment.
Butch
Derogatory term for a lesbian. Some lesbians have reappropriated the term and use it as part of their identity (see also Dyke).
C
Closet - being in the closet
Expression that describes lesbians, gays and bisexuals who do not openly state their sexual orientation. It can be total or partial, depending on the environments in which the person is open or not about their sexual orientation.
Come out of the closet
A step taken by people with a non-normative sexual orientation to openly declare their orientation (see closet).
Cyber bullying
Bullying or harassment through online platforms in cyberspace. It includes digital attacks such as defamation, control, hacking profiles, stealing passwords or revenge pornography, among others.
Cyprianophobia
Hatred of or aversion to people who work as prostitutes.
D
Dyke
Derogatory term for a lesbian. It has been reclaimed by some lesbians, who have reappropriated it as part of their identity. See also Butch
E
Effeminate
Shows a character, appearance or behaviour generally associated with women.
Equal opportunities
Concept according to which everyone has to be have the same opportunities in accessing jobs, social services, housing, health care etc., regardless of their sex, gender, national and/or ethnic origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, ideology, etc.
Equality
Concept according to which everyone has to be treated equally and receive the same political, economic, social and civil rights, regardless of their sex, gender, national and/or ethnic origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, ideology, etc.
F
Faggot
Derogatory term used to refer to a gay or bisexual man. It comes from “bundle of twigs”. It is thought to be related to a medieval tradition of throwing “sodomites” into the fire while convicted criminals were being burnt at the stake.
Fatphobia
Systematic and structural oppression towards fat people as a result of the mythologising of the thin bodies ubiquitous in today's society (TV ads, fashion sizes, size of cinema or metro seats, etc.).
Forced prostitution
Term used for referring to the legally well-known term “human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation” (see “human trafficking for explotation”).
G
Gender dysphoria
The feeling of belonging to a different gender to the one a person was born with. Thanks to the fight led by LGBTI associations, the World Health Organisation has stopped classifying gender dysphoria as an illness. It is considered "gender incongruity" and can be found in guidebooks, meaning that whomever wishes to receive medical treatment may do so.
Gender identity
What we feel: man, woman or something else.
Gender mainstreaming
To integrate the gender perspective into all political and social spheres, paying attention to the different realities of women and men and designing measures for adapting or responding to such differences.
Gender reassignment (surgery)
Medical operation to change a person’s physical sex, including their genitals. Also known as “gender confirmation”.
H
Harassment
Undesired behaviour relating to the sex or gender of a person that is aimed at or has the effect of attacking that person’s dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment around them.
Hetero
Straight. A colloquial term to refer to heterosexual people (see heterosexual).
Heteronormal
Social, political and economic system that imposes heterosexual sexual practices through various medical, artistic, educational, religious, legal and other mechanisms, and through various institutions that present heterosexuality as necessary for the proper running of society and as the only valid model of sex-affective and parental relationships.
Heterosexism
Presumption that everyone is heterosexual and that heterosexuality is the norm and to be desired. Institutionalised heterosexism makes LGBTI people feel invisible or isolated.
Heterosexual
Someone who feels emotionally or physically attracted to members of the opposite sex.
Homophobia
Irrational fear, hatred, intolerance, prejudice or discrimination against LGBTI people.
Homosexual
Someone who feels emotionally or physically attracted to members of the same sex.
Human-trafficking for explotation
This is a crime against human rights and is defined as capturing, transporting, transferring, accommodating or receiving individuals (without the need for crossing borders) by resorting to threats, the use of force or other forms of coercion for the purposes of exploitation through forced work or services, servitude, organ extraction, to carry out criminal acts, through slavery or similar practices, or forced prostitution.
I
Inclusive language
Is a language that avoids bias towards a specific sex or social gender. Non-sexist language aims to avoid a use of language that tends to make invisible or hide away the presence or actions of women. For example, by avoiding certain expressions or words that may be seen as excluding women (e.g. policeman) and attempting to use neutral words (e.g. police officer).
Intersectionality
Analytical and political perspective that an understanding and response to how gender crosses over with other areas of inequality and how these crossovers contribute to unique experiences of oppression and privilege.
Intersex
Person born with male and female genitals. Their chromosomes do not conform to the binary model of XY or XX. They are also commonly known as “hermaphrodites”. The birth sex of many children born intersex is defined by surgery. This often leads to gender dysphoria later in life (see gender dysphoria).
L
Lesbian
Woman who feels emotionally or physically attracted to other women.
Lesbophobia
Fear, hatred, intolerance, prejudice or discrimination against lesbians. As with homophobia, we can talk about internalised lesbophobia and institutional lesbophobia (see homophobia).
LGBTI
Abbreviation of lesbian (L), gay (G), bisexual (B), transgender (T) and intersex (I).
M
Medical or pathological model or concept
Model that considers sexual orientation or dysphoria between sex and gender as a medical, pathological issue.
O
Outing (someone)
Disclosing an LGBTI person's sexual orientation or gender identity against their will. (See Closet - being in the closet)
P
Pansexual or omnisexual
Person who feels attracted to people regardless of their gender.
Patriarchy
Form of social, political and economic organisation in which women are confined to the private sphere and reproductive functions, whilst men dominate the public sphere.
Prejudice
Preconceived belief, opinion or judgement about a group of people.
Prevention of sexism
Awareness raising measures to reduce the occurrence of sexism and ensure that it is not normalised, avoiding its most extreme consequences (see sexism).
Q
Queer
Social current that avoids static binary identities, understanding that people move between genders. It also believes that race, social class, place of birth and gender give rise to social hierarchies.
Questioning
The process of exploring one's sexual orientation.
R
Rainbow
Symbol of LGBTI pride. The most commonly used expression is a flag, which is often known as the "gay freedom flag" or the "gay pride flag".
Romantic love
Social phenomenon or cultural construct based on shared beliefs about the supposed true nature of love with a partner. It is often irrational and impossible to achieve and can lead to relationships of dependency, inequality and tolerance of the abusive behaviour at the root of gender violence.
S
Secondary victimisation or revictimisation
The additional maltreatment committed against women in situations of gender violence as a direct or indirect result of the quantitative and qualitative lack of interventions carried out by the bodies in charge and also for the erroneous initiatives performed by other players involved.
Serophobia
Stigma surrounding issues relating to HIV and AIDS, particularly people who are HIV positive.
Sex
Set of physical, biological and anatomical features of individuals born male or female.
Sex work
Activity that includes a financial transaction for maintaining sexual relations. Sex work is a voluntary activity that can be carried out by men and women alike and by trans persons.
Sexism
System that defines people according to their sex, ranking them and cultivating behavioural rules that correspond to these two single possible identities. This structure subordinates women and excludes people with bodies, identities, expressions and desires that are outside of gender norms.
Sexpreading
Disseminate photos containing sexual images of other people without their consent. It is a violent and criminal offence.
Sexting
Sexual practice that consists in sending, with consent, photos or videos containing sexual content about yourself or someone else.
Sextortion
Form of sexual extortion in which someone is blackmailed or threatened to send a photo of themself containing sexual content.
Sexual identity
Sex or gender with which a person identifies (male, female, man or woman). It is not the same as sexual orientation: someone assigned the sex male at birth may feel like a woman and have relationships with men or women.
Sexual orientation or sexuality
Emotional, romantic or sexual attraction towards people of the same sex or the opposite sex. To a large extent, out tastes are guided by our upbringing, which generally points us towards heterosexuality.
Social model or concept
Model that considers sexual orientation or gender dysphoria as part of the diversity of the human race and not as a disorder.
Straight
Heterosexual. A colloquial term to refer to heterosexual people.
Straight-acting
Literally, people who want to appear heterosexual. It refers to LGBTI people who do not exhibit the appearance seen as typical for LGBTI people.
Symbolic violence
Violence exercised through a set of thought, cultural and social structures of a given group in a given time. Symbolic violence against women oppresses them and makes them invisible.
T
Trans
A less restrictive and more neutral term than transgender that aims to offer a broader, depathologised scope than the word transgender, and includes other non-polarised identities between men and women.
Transgenderism
Medical category that has been used to classify gender identity diversity as a mental health disorder. There are various gender identities that do not require hormonal intervention or surgery and that feel excluded from the term transgender.
Transphobia
Irrational hatred, fear, intolerance or prejudice against trans people. It can manifest itself in the form of verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse against trans people.
Transvestite
Person who dresses in clothes associated with the opposite sex to the one they were assigned at birth. It can take place in public or in private, occasionally or all the time. It has nothing to do with sexual orientation.