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Sex:
Sex means different things to different people. It can be described as an activity that brings people sexual pleasure in doing together, or alone (for example, anal sex, oral sex, masturbation, intercourse, etc).
Sexual Orientation:
Sexual Orientation is how a person identifies sexually
- meaning the physical and emotional ways we are
attracted to someone to people of the same gender,
another gender, or all genders. Sexual orientation
and sexual behaviour isn’t necessarily the
same thing, since for one thing, not everyone acts
on their attractions and you can know your sexual
orientation without ever having had sex.
Heterosexual:
Some one who is physically and emotionally attracted
to people of opposing genders; also referred to
as "straight." For example women who like
men and men who like women.
Homosexual:
Someone who is physically and emotionally attracted
to people of the same gender. Because the term "homosexual"
has been (and is) used medically, psychologically
and historically in derogatory, marginalizing and
hurtful ways, many people prefer to use the terms
lesbian, gay and bisexual.
Lesbian:
A woman who forms physical and emotional relationships
with other women; the term is derived from Lesbos,
a Greek island home to Sappho, a poet and teacher
who loved other women.
Gay:
A term for someone who forms physical and emotional
relationships with persons of the same gender. Gay
can be used to talk about both men and women or
more generally the "gay community", but
commonly refers to men.
Bisexual:
Someone who is attracted physically and emotionally,
to persons of the same and different genders. Bisexuals
are not necessarily attracted equally to both men
and women and not always attracted to both men and
women at the same time. Bisexuality is often thought
of as a "phase" on the way to coming out
as gay or lesbian, but for many people, being bisexual
is a life-long sexual identity. It is important to note that not all people are comfortable with this term because gender is fluid and more varied than this term presumes.
Queer:
An umbrella term for a social/political/intellectual
movement that seeks to encompass a broad range of
sexual identities, behaviours and expressions. It
is also a personal identity that has been "re-claimed,"
because queer has been historically used as a vicious
insult. (See “A note about definitions”).
Queer expresses political and cultural statements
and attitudes. Sometimes it is used as a short form
to that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual/transgendered
LGBTQ:
A shortened acronym for "lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transsexual, transgendered, 2-spirited, queer."
This may appear in various combinations.
Homophobia:
An irrational fear and/or hatred of same-sex attractions can be
expressed through prejudice, discrimination, harassment
or acts of violence (known as "bashing").
Some queer youth who grow up with a lot of homophobia
in their life internalize these feelings which can
be really difficult to deal with. There is also
institutional homophobia, for example housing or
employment being denied to a person is gay, lesbian,
bisexual or trans. When this prejudice and discrimination
is directed at transsexual and transgendered people
it is known as Transphobia. Homophobia and transphobia
are not just experienced by people who are gay or
lesbian, but by people who are thought to be gay
or lesbian because they do not necessarily fit in
with assigned gender roles. An example would be
a woman who is called a "dyke" in an insulting
way just because she has short hair or wears baggy
pants.
Heterosexism:
There is often an assumption that everyone is, or
should be, heterosexual and that heterosexuality
is the only normal, natural or good expression of
sexuality. This implies that heterosexuality is
superior and therefore preferable to being gay,
lesbian or bisexual. |
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