All the terms below and their definitions are taken from the Stonewall glossary linked to here.
Abro (sexual and romantic)
A word used to describe people who have a fluid sexual and/or romantic orientation which changes over time, or the course of their life. They may use different terms to describe themselves over time.
Part of adolescence is the formation of identity, during which children and young people experiment and discard a variety of opinions, beliefs, interests and fashions. Part of this is discovering who they are attracted to. This can be both confusing and exciting as we can be attracted to many people for many reasons. Currently, it is common for clusters of girls in secondary schools to identify as bisexual or lesbian – some of them will stick with this orientation, some may not but it is a completely normal part of growing up for some teenagers to be unsure and question who they fancy. The definition above would encompass all of these young people, automatically adding them to the LGBT+ umbrella.
Ace
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of sexual attraction. This encompasses asexual people as well as those who identify as demisexual and grey-sexual. Ace people who experience romantic attraction or occasional sexual attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their romantic or sexual attraction.
Ace and aro/ace and aro spectrum
Umbrella terms used to describe the wide group of people who experience a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of romantic and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction. People who identify under these umbrella terms may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, asexual, ace, aromantic, aro, demi, grey, and abro. People may also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with ace and aro to explain the direction of romantic or sexual attraction if and when they experience it.
Allo (sexual and romantic)
Allo people experience sexual and romantic attraction, and do not identify as on the ace or aro spectrum. Allo is to ace and aro spectrum identities, as straight is to LGB+ spectrum identities. It is important to use words that equalise experience, otherwise the opposite to ace and aro becomes ‘normal’ which is stigmatising.
Aro
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of romantic attraction. This encompasses aromantic people as well as those who identify as demiromantic and grey-romantic. Aro people who experience sexual attraction or occasional romantic attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their attraction.
Aromantic
A person who does not experience romantic attraction. Some aromantic people experience sexual attraction, while others do not. Aromantic people who experience sexual attraction or occasional romantic attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their attraction.
Asexual
A person who does not experience sexual attraction. Some asexual people experience romantic attraction, while others do not. Asexual people who experience romantic attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their romantic attraction.
While some adults don’t experience sexual attraction, children and adolescents do not start to experience sexual feelings and develop a sense of who they are attracted to until they have started puberty. The usual process of developing feelings of attraction is driven by the release of hormones during puberty - the difficulty is that younger adolescents and most primary age children won’t have started this process. If they are investigating the LGBT+ at a younger age, having not started puberty or experienced sexual attraction yet, it will make sense to them that they are either Ace or Aro. In fact, rather than it being a genuine expression of who they are, it is likely that as they grow up they will develop a sense of who they are attracted to. Pre-pubertal children who identify as Allo/Ace almost certainly have no real concept of sexual orientation or where theirs might lie as they are not yet developmentally ready.
Bi
Bi is an umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.
Bi people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, bisexual, pan, queer, and some other non-monosexual and non-monoromantic identities.
​
Like many of the sexual orientations that Stonewall have redefined to mean attraction to same gender rather than same sex, adolescents may well be attracted to peers who are all the same sex, but have differing gender identities. A Lesbian teen may be attracted to a girl and then another girl who identifies as a boy. She may well then believe that rather than being a Lesbian, she is Bisexual. The same for Gay teenagers. The introduction of the phrases non-monoromantic and non-monosexual is likely to confuse them further.
​Butch
Butch is a term used in LBT culture to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically masculine way.
There are other identities within the scope of butch, such as ‘soft butch’ and ‘stone butch’. You shouldn’t use these terms about someone unless you know they identify with them.
​
This is confusing as there is no mention of the fact that the term Butch is used to refer to a particular Lesbian presentation. This explanation suggests that Butch is a descriptor that can be applied to any boys who present in a ‘typically masculine’ way.
​
Cisgender or Cis
Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-trans is also used by some people.
This explanation suggests that everyone has a gender identity and if you don’t have an T+ gender related identity, then you are Cis. Many adults and young people reject this idea. As youth culture has changed over time, LGBT+ identities have, to an extent, replaced it among some groups of teenagers. Although the majority of these teens won’t grow up to be LGB or identify as transgender, being seen as ‘Cisgender’ is the equivalent of being seen as ordinary and uninteresting. In some peer groups, if elements of social contagion are at play and the majority have adopted an LGBT+ identity, few will have the self-confidence to have the label ‘Cis’ placed upon them by their peers.
​
Demi (sexual and romantic)
An umbrella term used to describe people who may only feel sexually or romantically attracted to people with whom they have formed an emotional bond. People may also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with demi to explain the direction of romantic or sexual attraction as they experience it.
​
Only being sexually attracted to someone if we have an emotional bond with them is an entirely ordinary state of being. The influence of porn on society and the immense popularity of reality television shows such as Big Brother and Love Island in which artificial relationships are created in a pressurised environment, has led many children and young people to believe that having one night stands on a regular basis is normal and desirable. Research has shown that teenagers now are engaging in riskier sexual behaviour at an earlier age, influenced by porn. In this environment, a normal part of the human experience has been redefined as unusual and part of the LGBT+ umbrella.
​
Gay
Refers to a man who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards men. Also a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality - some women define themselves as gay rather than lesbian. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.
Here, like the definition of Gay isn’t defined as a sexual orientation but as attraction to men. Ordinarily this wouldn’t matter but the redefinition of men by Stonewall to include anyone who identifies as one, makes this problematic. As with Lesbian, this then risks boys or young men defining themselves as such if they are attracted to other boys/young men and to girls who identify as rather. Rather than recognise that they are Bisexual, this could confuse them.
The addition of non-binary to this definition may be confusing for children and young people, but it also tacitly acknowledges that we all have a sex even if we identify out of it. Interestingly they haven’t stated that some Gay men identify as non-binary as this would presumably be a tacit admission that non-binary identified people still have a sex.
​Gender
Often expressed in terms of masculinity and femininity, gender is largely culturally determined and is assumed from the sex assigned at birth.
Stonewall admit here that Gender is related to ideas of masculinity and femininity rather than sex, and so varies across time and culture. However, they don’t expand on this by linking it to gender stereotypes and the pressure that children and young people feel to like certain things, colours, & experiences because they are either male or female. It is the pressure caused by gender stereotypes that leads so many children to push back against them but any pushback, however small, is now covered by one of the hundreds of different gender identities listed here. It is, in effect, the pathologizing of personality.
​Gender dysphoria
Used to describe when a person experiences discomfort or distress because there is a mismatch between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity. This is also the clinical diagnosis for someone who doesn’t feel comfortable with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Discomfort with our sexed bodies is sadly a very common experience among both children and adults; in fact, a huge proportion of advertising is based around creating discomfort with ourselves so that we can ‘fix’ the problem with whatever product is being advertised.
It is also a very common part of adolescence. The enormous physical and emotional changes that all teenagers go though during puberty can be scary, unexpected, embarrassing and for some children, both unwanted and traumatising. This is dysphoria but we know that the overwhelming majority of children will get through it with support, and by seeing their peers experience it at roughly the same time. However, for some children adopting a gender identity and/or socially transitioning can be an attempt to avoid or identify out of something they find extremely difficult to manage.
​Gender expression
How a person chooses to outwardly express their gender, within the context of societal expectations of gender. A person who does not conform to societal expectations of gender may not, however, identify as trans.
Everyone will develop their own style, whether that is within a peer group, or
sub-culture. However, all of us are restricted to a large extent by what is dictated by the fashion industry and by what shops choose to sell or market to us. Within this, there is an infinite variety of appearances someone can choose but adding this to a wider concept of gender identity (see the genderbread person here) again pathologizes something that affects all of us.
​Gender identity
A person’s innate sense of their own gender, whether male, female or something else (see non-binary below), which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.
This is presented both as a fact and as something that we all have, despite there being no evidence of the existence of an internal sense of gender separate from our bodies, personalities and preferences. This definition also conflates gender with sex by stating that male and female are internal gender identities as well as sexes. This supports the idea that children and young people who identify as non-binary have somehow transcended their sexed bodies which is, of course, a nonsense.
​Gender reassignment
Another way of describing a person’s transition. To undergo gender reassignment usually means to undergo some sort of medical intervention, but it can also mean changing names, pronouns, dressing differently and living in their self-identified gender.
Gender reassignment is a characteristic that is protected by the Equality Act 2010, and it is further interpreted in the Equality Act 2010 approved code of practice. It is a term of much contention and is one that Stonewall's Trans Advisory Group feels should be reviewed.​
The Stonewall definition of gender reassignment doesn’t match the definition in UK law. In the Equality Act 2010, gender reassignment as a protected characteristic covers someone who is transitioning from one sex to live as the other. It does not refer to gender identity which is not defined in UK law. This may be why the Stonewall Trans Advisory Group want it to be reviewed, as Stonewall has referred to replacing gender reassignment with gender identity in the Equality Act as one of it’s aims.
Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)
This enables trans people to be legally recognised in their affirmed gender and to be issued with a new birth certificate. Not all trans people will apply for a GRC and you currently have to be over 18 to apply.
You do not need a GRC to change your gender markers at work or to legally change your gender on other documents such as your passport.
This neglects to mention that the GRC creates a legal fiction under which a person with a GRC can be treated as their acquired gender (by which sex is meant) for all legal purposes. However, the sex based exemptions in the Equality Act allow for service providers to provide single sex spaces if this is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. The guidance notes define this as privacy & dignity and their list of examples includes hospital wards, changing rooms, rape crisis centres, domestic abuse shelters and toilets. They can exclude people of the opposite sex with a GRC in some circumstances.
For people in the trans community without a GRC, a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim is judged using a person of their same sex as a comparator rather than the sex they identify as.
​Gillick competence
A term used in medical law to decide whether a child (under 16 years of age) is able to consent to their own medical treatment, without the need for parental permission or knowledge.
This refers to a legal case in the UK in which a mother went to court to prevent her GP providing the contraceptive pill to her daughter who was under 16. The judgement ruled that children under 16 can consent to medical treatment if it is clear that they understand the consequences of the treatment. This was cited by lobby groups in the aftermath of the Bell vs Tavistock case, as a reason why children should be able to consent to treatment with puberty blockers and cross sex hormones. However, while the contraceptive pill is taken with the aim of preventing long term life changing consequences for children (having a baby as a teenager) taking puberty blockers and cross sex hormones are the cause of long term life changing consequences, including infertility and lack of sexual function as an adult, which the High Court ruled that children under 16 would be unlikely to fully understand and consent to.
Grey (sexual and romantic)
Also known as grey-A, this is an umbrella term which describes people who experience attraction occasionally, rarely, or only under certain conditions. People may also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with grey to explain the direction of romantic or sexual attraction as they experience it.
​
This definition pre-supposes that everyone constantly experiences attraction and people who only experience it occasionally are therefore unusual. In reality, most people only feel attraction to someone as and when it happens but there is no rule of thumb for how often this is. Again, this appears to be pathologizing an entirely normal part of the human experience. On the basis of this definition, many adolescents may well decide that they are Grey and therefore under the LGBT+ umbrella.
Homosexual
This might be considered a more medical term used to describe someone who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards someone of the same gender. The term ‘gay’ is now more generally used.
Here, unlike the definition of Gay, homosexuality is redefined as attraction to someone’s gender rather than their sex. As with Lesbian, this then risks boys or young men defining themselves as such if they are attracted to other boys/young men and to girls who identify as boys. Rather than recognise that they are Bisexual, this could confuse them.
Lesbian
Refers to a woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards women. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.
Here, like the definition of Gay, Lesbian isn’t defined as a sexual orientation but as attraction to women. Ordinarily this wouldn’t matter but the redefinition of women by Stonewall to include anyone who identifies as one, makes this problematic. As with Gay, this then risks girls or young women defining themselves as such if they are attracted to other girls/young women and to boys who identify as girls. Rather than recognise that they are Bisexual, this could confuse them.
The addition of non-binary to this definition may be confusing for children and young people, but it also tacitly acknowledges that we all have a sex even if we identify out of it. Interestingly they haven’t stated that some Gay men identify as non-binary as this would presumably be a tacit admission that non-binary identified people still have a sex
​
​Non-binary
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.
​
Many of the autistic children and young people who are adopting a gender identity, are identifying as non-binary. This makes sense as whikle we all have an internal sense of who we are, we just think of ourselves as ‘us’. Nobody thinks of their inner self in a strictly binary way, as we operate on a awareness of our lives as we live them, made up of an endless variety of likes and dislikes and preferences. None of these will fit neatly into one side of the gender binary. No-one who is male only likes only things that society designates for the ‘man/boy’ box just as nobody female only likes things that society designates for the ‘woman/girl’ box; we are all a complex mix of all things and emotions. In that sense, we are all non-binary except that to name ourselves as such would just be to pathologize the infinite variety of human personality.
​
Orientation
Orientation is an umbrella term describing a person's attraction to other people. This attraction may be sexual (sexual orientation) and/or romantic (romantic orientation). These terms refers to a person's sense of identity based on their attractions, or lack thereof.
Orientations include, but are not limited to, lesbian, gay, bi, ace and straight.
This new definition adds in the concept of romantic attraction (attraction without a sexual element) or rather, separates out the idea of a romantic relationship from a sexual relationship and assumes that the two are commonly interchanged in a variety of ways. The phrase ‘but is not limited to’ is of concern as sexual orientation is finite and related to our bodies. It suggests that there are other orientations to be added and places sexual orientation outside the locus of the adult human body and potentially into the area of paraphilia.
​Pan
Refers to a person whose romantic and/or sexual attraction towards others is not limited by sex or gender.
This redefines Bisexuality to incorporate men/teenage boys and women/teenage girls who may have a variety of gender identities. However, in reality it still refers to someone who is attracted to both males and females.
​Pronoun
Words we use to refer to people’s gender in conversation - for example, ‘he’ or ‘she’. Some people may prefer others to refer to them in gender neutral language and use pronouns such as they/their and ze/zir.
​
Pronouns are grammatical terms referring to male and female which are used when we refer to someone else in conversation, usually when they are not there. In other languages such as French, the entire language is based around pronouns with objects designated with masculine and feminine prefixes. The idea that we share our pronouns is very recent and not widespread and can be subject to pressure or become compelled language. It also causes difficulty with cognitive dissonance if we are compelled to refer to someone with a pronoun which is at odds with what we actually see. For children and young people, adopting alternative pronouns can be a quick and easy way to adopt a gender identity without having to undertake any actual changes to themselves.
Queer
Queer is a term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can also be a way of rejecting the perceived norms of the LGBT community (racism, sizeism, ableism etc). Although some LGBT people view the word as a slur, it was reclaimed in the late 80s by the queer community who have embraced it.
Queer as an umbrella term has spread far beyond the initial LGBT+ community and now incompasses anyone who is in any way gender non-conforming who wants to adopt the term. Again, it is an easy way for children and young people to adopt a gender identity without having to undertake any actual changes to themselves.
​
Romantic orientation
A person’s romantic attraction to other people, or lack thereof. Along with sexual orientation, this forms a person’s orientation identity.
Stonewall uses the term ‘orientation’ as an umbrella term covering sexual and romantic orientations.
See Orientation above
Sex
Assigned to a person on the basis of primary sex characteristics (genitalia) and reproductive functions. Sometimes the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are interchanged to mean ‘male’ or ‘female’.
Sex is not assigned at birth but is observed. It is decided at conception depending on the chromosomes of the sperm that has fertilised the XX egg. The redefining of sex as a changeable rather than a fixed state supports the idea of the meaningful transition. In reality, hormones and surgery can only make superficial changes to the human body and we remain the sex we were born throughout our lifetime. The conflation with the word gender is extremely confusing as the majority of people see the terms interchangeable but this conflation has caused problems with policy and legislation where the use of one can be mistakenly assumed to mean the other.
​Sexual orientation
A person’s sexual attraction to other people, or lack thereof. Along with romantic orientation, this forms a person’s orientation identity.
Stonewall uses the term ‘orientation’ as an umbrella term covering sexual and romantic orientations.
See Orientation above
Spectrum
A term used to cover a variety of identities that have a root commonality or shared experience.1
​
This definition is specific to the LGBT+ umbrella but is confusing as autism is also referred to as a spectrum. There is already a crossover between the autistic community and those with either gender dysphoria or a transgender identity and the idea of both autism and identity as a spectrum leads to the conclusion that autism itself is something that can be identified in or possibly out of.
Trans
An umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.
Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, crossdresser, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman, trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois.
This definition defines gender as something real and proven rather than an internal feeling that cannot be verified externally. It also demonstrates the widening of the concept of trans from transexual to a wider umbrella that incorporates anyone who is gender non-conforming or who chooses to adopt a gender identity. There are no limits to the number of identities under the trans umbrella which has significant ramifications for both society which is organised around sexed bodies and for children and young people whose social, emotional and psychological faculties’ and identity are still forming.
​​Transitioning
The steps a trans person may take to live in the gender with which they identify. Each person’s transition will involve different things. For some this involves medical intervention, such as hormone therapy and surgeries, but not all trans people want or are able to have this.
Transitioning also might involve things such as telling friends and family, dressing differently and changing official documents.
Abro (sexual and romantic)
A word used to describe people who have a fluid sexual and/or romantic orientation which changes over time, or the course of their life. They may use different terms to describe themselves over time.
Part of adolescence is the formation of identity, during which children and young people experiment and discard a variety of opinions, beliefs, interests and fashions. Part of this is discovering who they are attracted to. This can be both confusing and exciting as we can be attracted to many people for many reasons. Currently, it is common for clusters of girls in secondary schools to identify as bisexual or lesbian – some of them will stick with this orientation, some may not but it is a completely normal part of growing up for some teenagers to be unsure and question who they fancy. The definition above would encompass all of these young people, automatically adding them to the LGBT+ umbrella.
Ace
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of sexual attraction. This encompasses asexual people as well as those who identify as demisexual and grey-sexual. Ace people who experience romantic attraction or occasional sexual attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their romantic or sexual attraction.
Ace and aro/ace and aro spectrum
Umbrella terms used to describe the wide group of people who experience a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of romantic and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction. People who identify under these umbrella terms may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, asexual, ace, aromantic, aro, demi, grey, and abro. People may also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with ace and aro to explain the direction of romantic or sexual attraction if and when they experience it.
Allo (sexual and romantic)
Allo people experience sexual and romantic attraction, and do not identify as on the ace or aro spectrum. Allo is to ace and aro spectrum identities, as straight is to LGB+ spectrum identities. It is important to use words that equalise experience, otherwise the opposite to ace and aro becomes ‘normal’ which is stigmatising.
Aro
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of romantic attraction. This encompasses aromantic people as well as those who identify as demiromantic and grey-romantic. Aro people who experience sexual attraction or occasional romantic attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their attraction.
Aromantic
A person who does not experience romantic attraction. Some aromantic people experience sexual attraction, while others do not. Aromantic people who experience sexual attraction or occasional romantic attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their attraction.
Asexual
A person who does not experience sexual attraction. Some asexual people experience romantic attraction, while others do not. Asexual people who experience romantic attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their romantic attraction.
While some adults don’t experience sexual attraction, children and adolescents do not start to experience sexual feelings and develop a sense of who they are attracted to until they have started puberty. The usual process of developing feelings of attraction is driven by the release of hormones during puberty - the difficulty is that younger adolescents and most primary age children won’t have started this process. If they are investigating the LGBT+ at a younger age, having not started puberty or experienced sexual attraction yet, it will make sense to them that they are either Ace or Aro.
Bi
Bi is an umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.
Bi people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, bisexual, pan, queer, and some other non-monosexual and non-monoromantic identities.
​
Like many of the sexual orientations that Stonewall have redefined to mean attraction to same gender rather than same sex, adolescents may well be attracted to peers who are all the same sex, but have differing gender identities. A Lesbian teen may be attracted to a girl and then another girl who identifies as a boy. She may well then believe that rather than being a Lesbian, she is Bisexual. The same for Gay teenagers. The introduction of the phrases non-monoromantic and non-monosexual is likely to confuse them further.
​Butch
Butch is a term used in LBT culture to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically masculine way.
There are other identities within the scope of butch, such as ‘soft butch’ and ‘stone butch’. You shouldn’t use these terms about someone unless you know they identify with them.
​
This is confusing as there is no mention of the fact that the term Butch is used to refer to a particular Lesbian presentation. This explanation suggests that Butch is a descriptor that can be applied to any boys who present in a ‘typically masculine’ way.
​
Cisgender or Cis
Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-trans is also used by some people.
This explanation suggests that everyone has a gender identity and if you don’t have an T+ gender related identity, then you are Cis. Many adults and young people reject this idea. As youth culture has changed over time, LGBT+ identities have, to an extent, replaced it among some groups of teenagers. Although the majority of these teens won’t grow up to be LGB or identify as transgender, being seen as ‘Cisgender’ is the equivalent of being seen as ordinary and uninteresting. In some peer groups, if elements of social contagion are at play and the majority have adopted an LGBT+ identity, few will have the self-confidence to have the label ‘Cis’ placed upon them by their peers.
​
Demi (sexual and romantic)
An umbrella term used to describe people who may only feel sexually or romantically attracted to people with whom they have formed an emotional bond. People may also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with demi to explain the direction of romantic or sexual attraction as they experience it.
​
Only being sexually attracted to someone if we have an emotional bond with them is an entirely ordinary state of being. The influence of porn on society and the immense popularity of reality television shows such as Big Brother and Love Island in which artificial relationships are created in a pressurised environment, has led many children and young people to believe that having one night stands on a regular basis is normal and desirable. Research has shown that teenagers now are engaging in riskier sexual behaviour at an earlier age, influenced by porn. In this environment, a normal part of the human experience has been redefined as unusual and part of the LGBT+ umbrella.
​
Gay
Refers to a man who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards men. Also a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality - some women define themselves as gay rather than lesbian. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.
Here, like the definition of Gay isn’t defined as a sexual orientation but as attraction to men. Ordinarily this wouldn’t matter but the redefinition of men by Stonewall to include anyone who identifies as one, makes this problematic. As with Lesbian, this then risks boys or young men defining themselves as such if they are attracted to other boys/young men and to girls who identify as rather. Rather than recognise that they are Bisexual, this could confuse them.
The addition of non-binary to this definition may be confusing for children and young people, but it also tacitly acknowledges that we all have a sex even if we identify out of it. Interestingly they haven’t stated that some Gay men identify as non-binary as this would presumably be a tacit admission that non-binary identified people still have a sex.
​Gender
Often expressed in terms of masculinity and femininity, gender is largely culturally determined and is assumed from the sex assigned at birth.
Stonewall admit here that Gender is related to ideas of masculinity and femininity rather than sex, and so varies across time and culture. However, they don’t expand on this by linking it to gender stereotypes and the pressure that children and young people feel to like certain things, colours, & experiences because they are either male or female. It is the pressure caused by gender stereotypes that leads so many children to push back against them but any pushback, however small, is now covered by one of the hundreds of different gender identities listed here. It is, in effect, the pathologizing of personality.
​Gender dysphoria
Used to describe when a person experiences discomfort or distress because there is a mismatch between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity. This is also the clinical diagnosis for someone who doesn’t feel comfortable with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Discomfort with our sexed bodies is sadly a very common experience among both children and adults; in fact, a huge proportion of advertising is based around creating discomfort with ourselves so that we can ‘fix’ the problem with whatever product is being advertised.
It is also a very common part of adolescence. The enormous physical and emotional changes that all teenagers go though during puberty can be scary, unexpected, embarrassing and for some children, both unwanted and traumatising. This is dysphoria but we know that the overwhelming majority of children will get through it with support, and by seeing their peers experience it at roughly the same time. However, for some children adopting a gender identity and/or socially transitioning can be an attempt to avoid or identify out of something they find extremely difficult to manage.
​Gender expression
How a person chooses to outwardly express their gender, within the context of societal expectations of gender. A person who does not conform to societal expectations of gender may not, however, identify as trans.
Everyone will develop their own style, whether that is within a peer group, or
sub-culture. However, all of us are restricted to a large extent by what is dictated by the fashion industry and by what shops choose to sell or market to us. Within this, there is an infinite variety of appearances someone can choose but adding this to a wider concept of gender identity (see the genderbread person here) again pathologizes something that affects all of us.
​Gender identity
A person’s innate sense of their own gender, whether male, female or something else (see non-binary below), which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.
This is presented both as a fact and as something that we all have, despite there being no evidence of the existence of an internal sense of gender separate from our bodies, personalities and preferences. This definition also conflates gender with sex by stating that male and female are internal gender identities as well as sexes. This supports the idea that children and young people who identify as non-binary have somehow transcended their sexed bodies which is, of course, a nonsense.
​Gender reassignment
Another way of describing a person’s transition. To undergo gender reassignment usually means to undergo some sort of medical intervention, but it can also mean changing names, pronouns, dressing differently and living in their self-identified gender.
Gender reassignment is a characteristic that is protected by the Equality Act 2010, and it is further interpreted in the Equality Act 2010 approved code of practice. It is a term of much contention and is one that Stonewall's Trans Advisory Group feels should be reviewed.​
The Stonewall definition of gender reassignment doesn’t match the definition in UK law. In the Equality Act 2010, gender reassignment as a protected characteristic covers someone who is transitioning from one sex to live as the other. It does not refer to gender identity which is not defined in UK law. This may be why the Stonewall Trans Advisory Group want it to be reviewed, as Stonewall has referred to replacing gender reassignment with gender identity in the Equality Act as one of it’s aims.
Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)
This enables trans people to be legally recognised in their affirmed gender and to be issued with a new birth certificate. Not all trans people will apply for a GRC and you currently have to be over 18 to apply.
You do not need a GRC to change your gender markers at work or to legally change your gender on other documents such as your passport.
This neglects to mention that the GRC creates a legal fiction under which a person with a GRC can be treated as their acquired gender (by which sex is meant) for all legal purposes. However, the sex based exemptions in the Equality Act allow for service providers to provide single sex spaces if this is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. The guidance notes define this as privacy & dignity and their list of examples includes hospital wards, changing rooms, rape crisis centres, domestic abuse shelters and toilets. They can exclude people of the opposite sex with a GRC in some circumstances.
For people in the trans community without a GRC, a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim is judged using a person of their same sex as a comparator rather than the sex they identify as.
​Gillick competence
A term used in medical law to decide whether a child (under 16 years of age) is able to consent to their own medical treatment, without the need for parental permission or knowledge.
This refers to a legal case in the UK in which a mother went to court to prevent her GP providing the contraceptive pill to her daughter who was under 16. The judgement ruled that children under 16 can consent to medical treatment if it is clear that they understand the consequences of the treatment. This was cited by lobby groups in the aftermath of the Bell vs Tavistock case, as a reason why children should be able to consent to treatment with puberty blockers and cross sex hormones. However, while the contraceptive pill is taken with the aim of preventing long term life changing consequences for children (having a baby as a teenager) taking puberty blockers and cross sex hormones are the cause of long term life changing consequences, including infertility and lack of sexual function as an adult, which the High Court ruled that children under 16 would be unlikely to fully understand and consent to.
Grey (sexual and romantic)
Also known as grey-A, this is an umbrella term which describes people who experience attraction occasionally, rarely, or only under certain conditions. People may also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with grey to explain the direction of romantic or sexual attraction as they experience it.
​
This definition pre-supposes that everyone constantly experiences attraction and people who only experience it occasionally are therefore unusual. In reality, most people only feel attraction to someone as and when it happens but there is no rule of thumb for how often this is. Again, this appears to be pathologizing an entirely normal part of the human experience. On the basis of this definition, many adolescents may well decide that they are Grey and therefore under the LGBT+ umbrella.
Homosexual
This might be considered a more medical term used to describe someone who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards someone of the same gender. The term ‘gay’ is now more generally used.
Here, unlike the definition of Gay, homosexuality is redefined as attraction to someone’s gender rather than their sex. As with Lesbian, this then risks boys or young men defining themselves as such if they are attracted to other boys/young men and to girls who identify as boys. Rather than recognise that they are Bisexual, this could confuse them.
Lesbian
Refers to a woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards women. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.
Here, like the definition of Gay, Lesbian isn’t defined as a sexual orientation but as attraction to women. Ordinarily this wouldn’t matter but the redefinition of women by Stonewall to include anyone who identifies as one, makes this problematic. As with Gay, this then risks girls or young women defining themselves as such if they are attracted to other girls/young women and to boys who identify as girls. Rather than recognise that they are Bisexual, this could confuse them.
The addition of non-binary to this definition may be confusing for children and young people, but it also tacitly acknowledges that we all have a sex even if we identify out of it. Interestingly they haven’t stated that some Gay men identify as non-binary as this would presumably be a tacit admission that non-binary identified people still have a sex
​
​Non-binary
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.
​
Many of the autistic children and young people who are adopting a gender identity, are identifying as non-binary. This makes sense as whikle we all have an internal sense of who we are, we just think of ourselves as ‘us’. Nobody thinks of their inner self in a strictly binary way, as we operate on a awareness of our lives as we live them, made up of an endless variety of likes and dislikes and preferences. None of these will fit neatly into one side of the gender binary. No-one who is male only likes only things that society designates for the ‘man/boy’ box just as nobody female only likes things that society designates for the ‘woman/girl’ box; we are all a complex mix of all things and emotions. In that sense, we are all non-binary except that to name ourselves as such would just be to pathologize the infinite variety of human personality.
​
Orientation
Orientation is an umbrella term describing a person's attraction to other people. This attraction may be sexual (sexual orientation) and/or romantic (romantic orientation). These terms refers to a person's sense of identity based on their attractions, or lack thereof.
Orientations include, but are not limited to, lesbian, gay, bi, ace and straight.
This new definition adds in the concept of romantic attraction (attraction without a sexual element) or rather, separates out the idea of a romantic relationship from a sexual relationship and assumes that the two are commonly interchanged in a variety of ways. The phrase ‘but is not limited to’ is of concern as sexual orientation is finite and related to our bodies. It suggests that there are other orientations to be added and places sexual orientation outside the locus of the adult human body and potentially into the area of paraphilia.
​Pan
Refers to a person whose romantic and/or sexual attraction towards others is not limited by sex or gender.
This redefines Bisexuality to incorporate men/teenage boys and women/teenage girls who may have a variety of gender identities. However, in reality it still refers to someone who is attracted to both males and females.
​Pronoun
Words we use to refer to people’s gender in conversation - for example, ‘he’ or ‘she’. Some people may prefer others to refer to them in gender neutral language and use pronouns such as they/their and ze/zir.
​
Pronouns are grammatical terms referring to male and female which are used when we refer to someone else in conversation, usually when they are not there. In other languages such as French, the entire language is based around pronouns with objects designated with masculine and feminine prefixes. The idea that we share our pronouns is very recent and not widespread and can be subject to pressure or become compelled language. It also causes difficulty with cognitive dissonance if we are compelled to refer to someone with a pronoun which is at odds with what we actually see. For children and young people, adopting alternative pronouns can be a quick and easy way to adopt a gender identity without having to undertake any actual changes to themselves.
Queer
Queer is a term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can also be a way of rejecting the perceived norms of the LGBT community (racism, sizeism, ableism etc). Although some LGBT people view the word as a slur, it was reclaimed in the late 80s by the queer community who have embraced it.
Queer as an umbrella term has spread far beyond the initial LGBT+ community and now incompasses anyone who is in any way gender non-conforming who wants to adopt the term. Again, it is an easy way for children and young people to adopt a gender identity without having to undertake any actual changes to themselves.
​
Romantic orientation
A person’s romantic attraction to other people, or lack thereof. Along with sexual orientation, this forms a person’s orientation identity.
Stonewall uses the term ‘orientation’ as an umbrella term covering sexual and romantic orientations.
See Orientation above
Sex
Assigned to a person on the basis of primary sex characteristics (genitalia) and reproductive functions. Sometimes the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are interchanged to mean ‘male’ or ‘female’.
Sex is not assigned at birth but is observed. It is decided at conception depending on the chromosomes of the sperm that has fertilised the XX egg. The redefining of sex as a changeable rather than a fixed state supports the idea of the meaningful transition. In reality, hormones and surgery can only make superficial changes to the human body and we remain the sex we were born throughout our lifetime. The conflation with the word gender is extremely confusing as the majority of people see the terms interchangeable but this conflation has caused problems with policy and legislation where the use of one can be mistakenly assumed to mean the other.
​Sexual orientation
A person’s sexual attraction to other people, or lack thereof. Along with romantic orientation, this forms a person’s orientation identity.
Stonewall uses the term ‘orientation’ as an umbrella term covering sexual and romantic orientations.
See Orientation above
Spectrum
A term used to cover a variety of identities that have a root commonality or shared experience.1
​
This definition is specific to the LGBT+ umbrella but is confusing as autism is also referred to as a spectrum. There is already a crossover between the autistic community and those with either gender dysphoria or a transgender identity and the idea of both autism and identity as a spectrum leads to the conclusion that autism itself is something that can be identified in or possibly out of.
Trans
An umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.
Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, crossdresser, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman, trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois.
This definition defines gender as something real and proven rather than an internal feeling that cannot be verified externally. It also demonstrates the widening of the concept of trans from transexual to a wider umbrella that incorporates anyone who is gender non-conforming or who chooses to adopt a gender identity. There are no limits to the number of identities under the trans umbrella which has significant ramifications for both society which is organised around sexed bodies and for children and young people whose social, emotional and psychological faculties’ and identity are still forming.
​​Transitioning
The steps a trans person may take to live in the gender with which they identify. Each person’s transition will involve different things. For some this involves medical intervention, such as hormone therapy and surgeries, but not all trans people want or are able to have this.
Transitioning also might involve things such as telling friends and family, dressing differently and changing official documents.
Comentarios