Definitions
| Lesbian |
A woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards
women.
|
| Gay |
A man who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards
men.
* Gay is also a generic term commonly used by individuals
in the LGBTQ+ community to describe themselves.
|
| Bisexual |
An over-arching term to describe a person who has a romantic
and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.
|
| Trans |
An over-arching term used to describe people whose gender is not
the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were
assigned at birth.
|
| Queer |
A term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of
romantic orientation, sexual orientation, and/or gender
identity.
* Historically, “queer” has been used as a slur. Although
it has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community, who in
general now embrace the word, it still makes some LGBTQ+
people very uncomfortable.
|
Sex vs Gender
Your sex is assigned to you at birth, based on your genitalia and
biological characteristics.
Your gender is largely culturally determined- gender is your own sense
of identity.
These are not always the same!
Pronouns
Pronouns are words we use to refer to people’s gender in conversation
- for example, ‘he’ or ‘she’. Everyone has pronouns. Some people may
prefer others to refer to them in gender neutral language and use
pronouns such as they/their.
More information
For more definitions visit the
Stonewall website for their glossary.
We want to make sure that everyone understands all that they can about
the LGBTQ+ community in order to be inclusive. It is important that
people feel able to ask the questions in a safe and appropriate way.
If you want to ask a question, then you can
ask in our survey
and we will post the answers below. It is an anonymous system so don’t
be shy to ask, chances are someone else is thinking the same thing!
Knights Pride: A guide to LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.
How to support your members
-
Try not to presume anyone’s sexuality or gender when you meet them.
-
If someone is homophobic, biphobic or transphobic, have a
conversation with them about why they said that and explain to them
you don’t agree.
- Be kind!
If you need any support or guidance RUSU is here to help, along with
specialist organisations such as Stonewall.