Pride Month: 15 LGBTQI+ terms that you should know

Pride Month: 15 LGBTQI terms that you should knowPansexual, deadnaming, pronouns and many more: To mark Pride Month in South Africa take a look at 15 LGBTQI terms everyone should know.

by Naledi de Wee

19-10-2022 15:43

in LGBTQIA

Take a look at 15 LGBTQI terms everybody should know. Image via Pixabay

In 2019, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that more than 630 000 people in South Africa identify as part of the LGBTQI community. In celebration of Pride Month in Mzansi, we have put together a list of terms and definitions centred around the LGBTQI community that everyone should know about.

--

ALSO READ: Johannesburg Pride returns! Everything you need to know

15 LGBTQI TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT A FEW BASICS

Sex: This refers to the label your assigned to at birth, which is either male or female.

Intersex: A person who identifies as intersex is someone who is born with both male and female genetalia.

Gender: This refers to how someone identifies in a social and cultural setting. According to the Council of Europe, this includes male, female, transgender or non-binary.

Transgender: As per Planned Parenthood, this refers to someone's gender identity, which is often different from the sex they were given at birth. Someone can be assigned female at birth but identify as male later in their lives.

ALSO READ: Pride Month: Tshwane unveils Mzansi's first rainbow crossing [pics]

SEXUAL ORIENTATION Sexual ortientation is used to describe a person's emotional or physical attraction to another group of people.

--

Heterosexual: A person who is attracted to people of the opposite gender.

Gay: A man who is attracted to other men.

Lesbian: A woman who is attracted to other woman.

Bisexual: A man or woman who is attracted to more than one gender.

Pansexual: A person who is attracted to anyone regardless of their gender identity.

Asexual: A person who does not experience sexual attraction to another person but is emotionally attracted to them.

ALSO READ: Equality counts for everyone': Miss South Africa raises Pride flag

MORE TERMS TO KNOW

Pronouns: How someone wants to be referred to without using their name. Celebrities like Grammy award-winning singer Sam Smith and actor Sara Ramirez both use they/them pronouns.

Nonbinary: A person who does not identify as male or female.

Gender dysphoria: As per Mayo Clinic, this refers to the discomfort or stress that occurs when someone's gender is different from the sex their were assigned to at birth.

Deadnaming: Using the name that a transgender person does not use anymore.

Misgendering: Referring to someone with their incorrect pronouns.

--

How well do you know Skeem Saam? ENTER QUIZ HERE & WIN R1 000 in cash!

LINK:	https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/lgbtqia/pride-month-lgbtqi-ter...
	See more stories from thesouthafrican

Most recent headlines