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1. The Wellness Center

2. Safe Zone

3. Sexual Orientation

   1. Definitions
   2. FAQ

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   Safe Zone

Definitions

Some commonly used labels for sexual orientation:

• Gay (syn. Homosexual.)
  A common and acceptable term for male homosexuals, but also used when referring to both men and women. The term originated as a code word for homosexuals when queer became too well known. Previous to this usage, “gay”, or “gey” had been used since at least Victorian times to refer to sex, usually of an illicit or publicly disapproved-of variety. “Geying it up” once meant visiting a brothel.
• Lesbian
  A common and acceptable term for a homosexual woman. The word derives from the Greek island of Lesbos, where the poetess Sappho ran a school for young women, and wrote often erotic poetry about love between women. She is considered by many lesbians to have been a lesbian, although she was married and had children.
• Bisexual
  A person who is emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to both men and women, though not necessarily at the same time or to the same extent. Some people prefer the terms omni-sexual or pan-sexual instead, because “bi” means two, and there actually are more sexes than two (see inter-sexual for more information on this). Some people who are attracted to more than one gender may still identify as “lesbian,” “gay,” or “straight” because of their own personal definitions of these terms or feelings relating to their sexuality. On the other hand, some bisexuals consider themselves distinct from gays and lesbians but part of the larger GLBT or queer community.
• Transgender or TG
  An umbrella term for individuals who blur the lines of traditional gender expression. It sometimes refers to cross dressers and transsexuals. It also reflects recent scholarship that suggests gender to be socially constructed. Transgender individuals recognize the social construct of their genders and thus do not fit neatly within societally-prescribed gender roles as determined by biological sex.
• Transsexual or TS
  A person who views their birth sex as incorrect or incompatible with hir image of hirself, and who takes steps (including, but not limited to, physical and/or hormone therapy and surgery) to make hir outer self match hir self-identification. Transsexuals may be heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual in the erotic orientation.
• Questioning
  Being unsure of one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity; feeling uncomfortable with or unwilling or unable to self-categorize within traditional labels such as gay, straight, male, female, etc.

For More Information

• See Frequently Asked Questions.

Page updated: 27-Jun-2009

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