Xavier Alliance
“In language lie the assumptions of a culture, its rules of conduct, what it will acknowledge as possible and permissible. No mirror of nature, language rather constitutes a prism through which human knowers organize, interpret, and give meaning to their experiences. Language marks out the limits of the possible. It tells us what to think because it is impossible to think outside language.”
- Warren J. Blumenfeld, “Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price”
Bisexual: A bisexual is one who has significant sexual and romantic attractions to members of
both the same and opposite sex.
The Closet: Gay men and lesbians who conceal their sexual identity from others are said to be “ in
the closet”. For many gay men and lesbians, the closet becomes a place in which you live, unable to
tell your secret. The image of a dimly lit, stale, confining space in which it is difficult to live and
grow comes to mind.
Coming Out: Coming out is the act of telling another person that you are gay or lesbian. For
many gay men and lesbians this is a continuing process which occurs every time they meet someone
new. Some gay men and lesbians choose to never come out to others.
Dyke: Dyke is derived from Dike of Ancient Greece, who was a storm goddess. It is a shortened
version of Bulldyke. The word is used to create the image of a masculine woman. The word along
with Faggot can be devastating terms to homosexual men and women in the early stages of
developing their self-esteem.
Faggot: The term faggot originated in medieval times when a faggot was a bundle of sticks used
to stoke a fire. The term came to refer to the burning of Gay men and Lesbians which occurred at
the time. Flamer and Flaming Faggot also originated from this experience.
Gay: This word appeared in popular culture in the 1970’s to describe homosexuals. It is used
mainly as an adjective and underscores sexual orientation as one aspect of an individual, not as the
total individual.
Gender Identity & Expression: Freedom to express and present oneself without discrimination based on sex roles.
Gender Roles: Society places arbitrary rules and roles, how one is supposed to act, dress, feel,
think, relate to others, etc., on each of us based on a person’s sex (what genitalia they have).
Heterosexism: Heterosexism is the idea that there is a natural form of sexuality, which is
inevitable and good. The structures and institutions of our society exist to perpetuate this belief.
Some examples are: the invisibility of gay men and lesbians, the lack of role models in schools and
the media, and the lack of legal and cultural recognition.
Heterosexual: Heterosexual is the clinical term used to describe people who feel a sexual
attraction to members of the opposite sex.
Homophobia: Homophobia is the intense and irrational fear of same-sex relationships, gay men,
lesbians, and bisexuals. Gays are seen as sick, crazy, immoral, sinful, wicked, etc. Anything is
believed to be justified in order to change them, including discrimination, harassment and violence.
Homosexual: The word Homosexual is a clinical term used to refer to people who are sexually
attracted to members of their own sex.
Lesbian: The term Lesbian originates from ancient Greece where the homosexual poet Sappho
lived on the isle of Lesbos with other Greek women. It is from this isles that the term originates.
Homosexual women sometimes prefer the term Lesbian as opposed to the generic term “ Gay”.
This term acknowledges the fact that homosexual women have different priorities and experiences
than homosexual men.
Lifestyle: One’s lifestyle is how they live and behave, for example, a person’s hobbies,
environment, family make-up, etc.
Out: To disclose a person’s sexual orientation to another person. To be open regarding one’s
sexual orientation in a given situation.
Queer: An inclusive, unifiying sociopolitical term for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgendered, straight, transsexual, intersexual, gender queer, or anyone else who supports
the equality of all identities.
Sexual Identity: Sexual Identity is the consistent and enduring sense of one’s own sexuality and
repeated sexual thoughts, feelings and/or behaviors. Sexual identity is how one thinks of oneself in
terms of whom one is sexually and romantically attracted to. The process of sexual identity is on
going
Sexual Orientation: Sexual Orientation is defined as a predominant erotic attraction for the
same or other sex, or for both sexes in varying degrees. Few, if any, obvious identifiable
mannerism exists that distinguish between individuals of different sexual orientations. Sexual
Orientation is not a choice, lifestyle or behavior, it is an inner sense of identity. Sexual Orientation
is only one small aspect of a person’s being.
Silent Minority: The term silent minority refers to the idea that gay men and lesbians are not a
visible group to a casual observer. One cannot walk into a room and pick out a gay man or lesbian
by sight. This allows many gay men and lesbians to live in “ the closet”.
Transgender: A person whose core gender identity is different from their biological gender
identity. A transgender person is someone who switches gender roles, whether it is once or many
times.