Sharing Knowledge: LGBT2SQ+
Humber College is committed to ensuring that principles of equity and diversity are instilled as values throughout Humber’s culture. Increasing the use of inclusive language in all communications throughout the College can enhance inclusion in Humber’s learning, working and living environments. “Inclusive language strives to promote all people – regardless of difference – as full and valued members of society by selecting vocabulary that avoids exclusion, the use of false stereotypes, and the use of descriptors that portray groups of certain people as dependent, powerless, or less valued than others”1.
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Key Term: LGBT2SQ+ |
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LGBT, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBT2SQ are some examples of different acronyms/initialisms used to represent a diverse range of sexualities and gender-identities. These terms are used to describe a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Each letter (or letters) represents a specific identity. Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression are protected social categories outlined by the Ontario Human Rights Code. |
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Term |
Definition |
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Lesbian
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A person who identifies as a woman and experiences attraction to people of the same sex and/or gender. |
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Gay
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A person who experiences attraction to people of the same sex and/or gender as themselves. Gay may be used by individuals of a diversity of genders, or may refer specifically to men who are attracted to other men. |
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Bisexual |
A person who experiences attraction to both men and women. It may also describe the experience of attraction to individuals of the same sex and/or gender and individuals of different sexes and/or genders. |
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Transgender or Trans |
A person whose gender identity does not correspond with what is socially expected based on their sex assigned at birth. It can be used as an umbrella term to refer to a range of gender identities and experiences. |
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2-Spirit or Two-Spirit |
An English umbrella term to reflect and restore identities and roles honouring the fluid and diverse nature of gender and attraction and its connection to community and spirituality in Indigenous traditions forcibly stamped out by colonization. |
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Intersex |
A person whose chromosomal, hormonal, or anatomical sex characteristics fall outside of the conventional classifications of male or female. |
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Asexual |
A person who does not experience sexual attraction, or who has little to no interest in sexual activity. |
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Queer |
This term has been reclaimed by some LGBTQ communities as a term of pride and affirmation of diversity. It can be used to encompass a broad spectrum of identities related to sex, gender, and attraction, or by an individual to reflect the interrelatedness of these aspects of their identity. |
*Terms and Definitions from Egale Canada Human Rights Trust. LGBTQI2S Glossary of Terms. Accessed at <https://egale.ca/awareness/glossary-of-terms/>
Recommended Resources
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Catalyst. LGBTQ+
