Queer identities

Queer identities

The LGBTQ+ acronym encompasses a range of sexual orientations and gender identities that exist beyond dominant social norms around sexuality and gender. LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, with the plus representing other diverse sexual orientations and gender identities not explicitly represented by letters in the acronym. The plus also acknowledges the shifting nature of language and identity.

Sexuality

Sexual orientation or sexuality refers to who we are romantically or sexually attracted to. Some examples include:

• Lesbian
• Gay
• Bisexual
• Pansexual
• Queer
• Asexual (or “ace”)
• Aromantic (or “aro”)
• Heterosexual

Gender

Gender identity, or gender, refers to a person’s innate/internal feeling or experience of gender.

Gender can be any or a combination of the following:

• Woman
• Man
• Non-binary
• Genderfluid
• Genderqueer
• And many more

A person can be cisgender or transgender.

Cisgender, or “cis” (pronounced sis-gender ), is a term meaning someone’s gender is the same as what was presumed for them at birth.

Transgender is an umbrella term, referring to anyone whose gender differs from what was presumed for them at birth (sometimes referred to as “assigned at birth”).

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Gender diversity in different cultures

While the terms cis and trans are common ways of discussing and understanding gender in Western societies, this is by no means a universal definition. There are so many different and diverse ways in which gender is understood and expressed in different cultural contexts.

Sistergirls and brotherboys, as part of Indigenous cultures in Australia, are just some examples of genders that exist outside the Western gender binary (you can learn more about these identities here). Other examples include Two-Spirit peoples throughout North American Indigenous cultures, Hijra in South Asia, Kathoey in Thailand, and many more across the world and throughout history. While colonialism imposed binary gender roles across much of the world, it is important to recognise that Indigenous cultures resisted and survived this imposition, as have European trans people.

You can read more about the history of trans people in TransHub’s ”Is being trans a new thing?” page, or in the Trans Culture Gallery.

Sex

Sex is a distinct concept from gender. It is often talked about as a biological fact – a binary category of either male or female.

In reality, sex, just like gender, exists on spectrum. Humans are born with a whole range of anatomical, hormonal and chromosomal characteristics that don’t always neatly line up with binary categories. For more information on intersex identities and variations, check out the InterAction website.

Identities can be fluid

It is important to remember that LGBTQ+ people’s sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression can be fluid and change over time. Gender identity and sexuality are not static – they can evolve over the course of our lives. We may discover that over time, our sexual preferences change. Sometimes, when people begin to explore their gender identity, their sexuality or sexual preferences shift. For some, exploring sexuality can also spark an exploration of gender!

It is completely valid and healthy to try out different identities or ways of identifying to see if they feel right for you!

Coming out and inviting in

Coming out is about telling people – whether that is your family, friends, colleagues, or everyone you know – about your sexuality or gender identity. This can be a liberating experience and important milestone in a person’s life as they share a part of their identity with others. It can also be a daunting and painful process for those who are met with negativity, homophobia or transphobia from those they are sharing with.

Coming out publicly may not be possible or culturally safe for everyone. In some spaces and communities, because of a lack of knowledge, specific cultural reasons, faith-based beliefs or political attitudes, some people are less understanding and accepting of LGBTQ+ people and identities.

Another way of thinking about sharing our sexual or gender identity is “inviting in”. Inviting others in is when an LGBTQ+ person gradually, in their own time, expresses themselves by inviting in trusted friends and family members to know and celebrate all aspects of their identity.

We can still be proud of who we are, even if we’re still yet to share our LGBTQ+ experiences and identities with the people around us. Coming out and inviting people in is a personal process that can happen at whatever pace we need.