Gay and lesbian people are those who are capable of developing feelings of attraction for and/or romantic relationships with people of the same gender.
Gay is an adjective used to describe persons who are attracted to other members of the same gender on a physical, romantic, emotional, and/or spiritual level. In the past, males who are attracted to men were expressly referred to as “gay.” Anyone who is attracted to their own gender can now use the term “gay” to describe themselves. It’s entirely up to individuals which term best describes who they are. Considering that not all males who act in same-gender sexual ways identify as gay, this term should be used with care.
In contrast, a woman who identifies as a “lesbian” typically has a romantic or sexual inclination toward other women. Nonbinary people may also use this phrase to describe themselves. Additionally, it functions as an adjective. It’s acceptable for some lesbian women to identify as “gay.”
Following is a list of common words or terms used by gays and lesbians:
- Gold Star
adjective: A lesbian who’s never had sex with a man.
- U-Haul
verb: When queer women become emotionally invested in a relationship very quickly.
- Celesbian
noun: A famous lesbian.
- Pillow Princess
noun: Someone who enjoys the receiving role in sex, but doesn’t like to give. (Sometimes considered a derogatory term.)
- Lipstick Lesbian
noun: A feminine lesbian.
- Soft Butch
noun: Someone who presents mostly masculine, but has some feminine traits.
- Chapstick Lesbian
noun: A lesbian who presents somewhere between masculine and feminine, often dressing in comfortable or sensible clothing.
- High Femme
noun: A queer woman who presents extremely feminine.
- Stone Butch
noun: Someone who presents extremely masculine. A stone butch might or might not identify as transgender.
- CisHet
adjective: An abbreviation for someone who’s both cisgender and heterosexual.
- Baby Dyke
noun: Someone who recently came out as a lesbian.
- Dykon
noun: A famous woman (not necessarily gay), who is popular among queer women and seen as a gay icon.
- Bed Death
noun: The stereotypical idea that relationships between two women will eventually lead to a sexless life.
- Stud
noun: A queer woman, usually a woman of colour, who’s dominant during sex. Studs are often also butch.
- 100-Footer
noun: Used to describe someone who appears so stereotypically queer that you can spot them from 100 feet away.
- Cliterference
noun: When someone gets in the way of you flirting, making out, or having sex with a girl you’re interested in.
- Dopplebanger
noun: Someone who is attracted to people who look just like them.
- Achillean
noun: An umbrella term for attractions and relationships between men, regardless of their sexual or romantic orientation.
- Baby Gay
noun: A young or recently out gay person.
- Baths
noun: Bathhouses frequented by gay men for sexual encounters.
- Beach Bitch
noun: A gay man who frequents beaches and resorts for sexual encounters.
- Beard
noun: A person used as a date, romantic partner, or spouse to conceal one’s sexual orientation.
- Beat
verb: having or seeking anonymous gay sex.
- Bent
noun: gay, as opposed to straight.
- Bender
noun: Someone who has homosexual intercourse.
- Binding
verb: A technique in which individuals wear tight clothing, bandages, or compression garments, known as binders, to hide and flatten their breasts.
- Bottom
noun: A passive male partner in intercourse.
verb: The state of receiving sexual stimulation.
- Butch Queen
noun: A masculine-looking drag queen.
- Closeted
verb: Keeping one’s sexuality or gender identity a secret from others.
- Come out (of the closet)
verb: To admit or publicly acknowledge oneself as non-heterosexual.
- Cruising
verb: Seeking a casual gay sex encounter.
- Down-low
verb: Homosexual or bisexual activity, kept secret, by men who have sex with men.
- En femme, En homme
verb: The act of wearing clothes stereotypically of the opposite sex.
- Fag hag
noun: A woman who associates mostly or exclusively with gay and bisexual men.
- Femboy
noun: A feminine or androgynous male.
- Tomgirl
noun: A feminine or androgynous male.
- Femme
noun: A feminine homosexual.
- Gaydar
adjective: The supposed ability to detect someone’s sexual orientation.
- Platinum star gay
noun: Gay men who were born by a C-section procedure.
- Homoflexible
adjective: To be mostly gay.
- Sapphic
adjective: Synonymous with lesbian, but used nowadays to encompass attractions and relationships between women, regardless of their sexual or romantic orientation.
- Trade
noun: A straight-passing or heterosexual male partner, commonly used by gay men or trans women.
- Vers
noun: A person who enjoys both being dominant and submissive, and may alternate between the two in sexual situations, adapting to their partner.
- Switch
noun: A person who enjoys both being dominant and submissive, and may alternate between the two in sexual situations, adapting to their partner.
- Auntie
noun: An older, often effeminate and gossipy gay man.
- Chicken
noun: A youthful gay man.
- Chubby Chaser
noun: A man who seeks overweight males.
- Cupcake
noun: Young attractive man, usually a jock type, with a good body.
- Daddy
noun: A typically older gay man.
- Flower
noun: A typically effeminate gay man.
- Queen
noun: A flamboyant or effeminate gay man.
- Chicken Queen
noun: An older gay man interested in younger or younger-appearing men.
- Baby butch
noun: A young, boyish lesbian.
- Baby dyke
noun: A young or recently out lesbian.
- Babmi lesbian
noun: A lesbian who prefers cuddles, hugs, kisses, and other affectionate and sensual non-sexual acts over sexual acts.
- Lesbian until graduation
noun: A young woman who is assumed to be temporarily experimenting with same-sex behaviour, but will ultimately adopt a heterosexual identity.
- Stem
noun: Someone whose gender expression falls somewhere between a stud and a femme.
- Abro
noun: 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.
- Coming Out
verb: When a person first tells someone/others about their orientation and/or gender identity.
- Lesbophobia
noun: The fear or dislike of someone because they are or are perceived to be a lesbian.
- Outed
noun: When a lesbian, gay, bi or trans person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is disclosed to someone else without their consent.
Conclusion
Gay and lesbian people are present in every community. They are diverse, represent all ages, socioeconomic levels, and racial and ethnic backgrounds, and they originate from all regions of the nation.
There are millions of homosexual and lesbian people in the world, and like any group, they have their own vocabulary to discuss who they are and the difficulties they encounter in a culture that does not fully accept or safeguard them.
The easiest method to become an ally is to educate yourself about the LGBTQ community; however, you should be aware that many of the terminologies discussed in this article have historically been used negatively by straight, white, cisgender (defined below) individuals and have since been reclaimed by the LGBTQ community.
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