Chances are you’ve probably seen LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA+ or LGBTQIA2S before, but do you know what each of these letters mean? While it’s important to note that this is not an exhaustive list of all the identities and orientations in the community, here’s a quick breakdown of the ones included in this acronym and their respective flags!
L for Lesbian: A woman or female-identified person who experiences sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people of the same or similar gender. However, it’s important to note that not all lesbians are female-identified; some define their identity as more nonmale or femme than female or feminine.
G for Gay: A term that describes people who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people of the same or similar gender.
B for Bisexual: A sexual orientation that describes people who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attractions to people of more than one gender.
T for Transgender: Transgender is a gender identity that does not correspond with the gender assigned at birth.
Q for Queer: Queer is an umbrella term that describes people who aren’t exclusively heterosexual. It acknowledges that sexuality is a spectrum and opens up options beyond lesbian, gay, and bisexual to people who din’t fit neatly into these categories.
I for Intersex: Intersex means you are born with biological traits that are outside the strict male/female gender binary.
A for Asexual: Someone who experiences little or no sexual attraction to others of any gender and is a broad spectrum.
Two-Spirit: This refers to Indigenous people who express their gender or sexual identities as different from others. Not all Indigenous folks who aren’t cisgender or heterosexual will identify as Two-Spirited, but all Two-Spirit individuals identify as Indigenous.
Read more definitions in our Blog “Definitions and Use Cases As We Experience Them” by clicking here.