Talk:Glossary of English gender and sex terminology

Remove poorly-attested jargon?

A bunch of jargon on this page doesn't seem to have ever been in use by any part of the LGBT community, and don't seem to have appeared in use anywhere other than in an article where somebody proposed them. Do you think we should retire those poorly-attested entries to the Talk page, to make the glossary itself more useful and representative of jargon really used by the LGBT community any time during its history? -Sekhet (talk) 03:45, 28 February 2019 (UTC)

Nm, I went ahead and did it. :) I made this decision because I'm the one who put so much extreneous stuff in the glossary in the first place, in an effort to make it thorough! See below. -Sekhet (talk) 05:32, 28 February 2019 (UTC)

This looks good. I am slighly unsure of a few though. "TME / TMA" is a term that I was unfamilar with but is in common use (at least where I live), we don't have it anywhere else on the wiki, so it seems good to have here. Also perhaps "trap" and "qirl". Falkirks (talk) 07:36, 28 February 2019 (UTC)

Poorly-attested jargon

The below entries have been removed from the main article because they seem not to have been used much in the LGBT community, or are slightly off-topic for this wiki. Many are pronouns that were proposed, but not used, or not used widely. Other entries moved here may have been used in the LGBT community, but are too far off the topic of nonbinary gender, such as jargon strictly about LGB people. Some entries moved here are outdated psychiatric terms that were rarely used. Others are entries that don't seem to need dictionary definitions as much, because they're so well-known or speak for themselves, such as "gay" or "gender neutral." If you move any entries from the Talk page back into the main article, please add another source showing its notability, relevance to nonbinary people specifically, and that it has seen significant usage.

Numerals and symbols

• *e, h*, h*s, h*s, h*self. Called "splat pronouns," this set of third-person gender-neutral pronouns uses an asterisk to make ambiguity between "he" and "she." Some software in the 1990s used these.

A

• a. A third-person gender-neutral pronoun in some archaic as well as living British dialects.
• ag or aggressive. Another word for stud, which see.
• AGP. Short for autogynephilia, which see.
• ala, alum, alis, ?, ?.. A set of third-person gender-neutral pronouns created in 1989.
• autoandrophilia. To feel sexually aroused by the thought of being or dressing like a man. Some see this as an offensive word.
• autogynephilia. To feel sexually aroused by the thought of being or dressing like a woman. Some see this as an offensive word, because it pathologizes and invalidates the experiences of trans women in an attempt to divide them from cross-dressing men.

B

• bear. A specific kind of masculine gay male gender identity.
• bicurious. A person who wants to have romantic or sexual relationships with more than one gender.
• biphobia. Discrimination against people who are bisexual.
• biromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantic attraction to more than one gender.

C

• ce, cir, cir, cirs, cirself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns created in 2014.
• chapstick lesbian. A lesbian who doesn't try to look feminine.
• che, chim, chis, chis, chimself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns listed in Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage under epicene pronouns.
• cissexual. Non-transsexual. A kind of cisgender.
• contrasexism. Apparently this is an early clinical term for a “gender identity and role disturbance” used in “Westphal, 1869.”
• co, cos, cos, cosself. Coined by Mary Orovan in 1970, from Indo-European *ko. A gender-neutral pronoun set.

D

• domestic partner. "One who lives with their beloved and/or is at least emotionally and financially connected in a supportive manner with another. Another word for spouse, lover, significant other, etc."
• dyke. A lesbian. Some consider "dyke" an offensive word, so only lesbians should reclaim it.

E

• em, ?, ems, ems, ?. A set of gender-neutral pronouns created in 1977 by "Jeffrey J. Smith, [who] felt strongly enough about them to start the Em Institute and put out the Em Institute Newsletter".
• enben or enber. Proposed nouns meaning "nonbinary person". Coined on the nonbinaryculture instagram account in 2019.
• eonism. Apparently this was an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Ellis, 1936."
• epicene. Having a lack of gender distinction.
• et, et, ets, ets, etself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns created in 1979.
• ey, em, eir, eirs, emself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns invented by Christine Elverson in 1975.

G

• gay. "Men attracted to men. Colloquially used as an umbrella term to include all LGBTIQ people."
• gender-blank. Having no gender.. Syn. agender.
• gender blind. Doing things without regard to the genders of the people involved. Unisex.
• gender-free. Having no gender identity. Syn. agender.
• gender incongruence. "Gender Incongruence was a proposed term for replacement of gender identity disorder in diagnosing transsexualism in the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The term Gender Dysphoria was chosen as the replacement."
• gender neutral. 1. That which has nothing to do with gender. 2. Having no gender identity; agender. 3. Having a gender identity that is neutral: not female, not male, not a mix. Neutrois.
• gender-null. Having no gender identity. Syn. agender.
• genderless. Having no gender identity. Syn. agender.
• gender outlaw. Used by Kate Bornstein, a person who doesn't conform to a gender. See gender non-conformity.
• gender-play. Proposed by Raphael Carter in 1996 or earlier as an alternative word for genderfuck, which see.
• gender refusenik. "Proposed by [Raphael Carter in 1996 or earlier] as a term for people denied [gender confirming surgeries], whether due to lack of funds or psychological paternalism. All gender refuseniks are non-ops [...], but not all non-ops are refuseniks."
• genital nullification. Any kind of surgery to take away the genitals.
• gequen. Proposed noun meaning "genderqueer person". Coined on the nonbinaryculture instagram account in 2019.
• GID. See Gender Identity Disorder.
• GLBT. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender.
• gray-aromantic, or grey-aromantic. A romantic orientation that partly lacks romantic attraction to people of any gender.

H

• ha, hem, hez, ?, ?. A set of gender-neutral pronouns coined in 1927,
• he'er, him'er, his'er, his'er's, his'er'self. An inclusive pronoun that was proposed in 1912.
• heesh. A gender-neutral pronoun.
• herm. 1. Short for hermaphrodite, which see. 2. Derived from a mix of "her" and "him," several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use this as a pronoun in the accusative form. For example, heesh.
• hesh. A gender-neutral pronoun.
• hu, hum, hus, hus, huself. A set of gender-neutral "humanist" pronouns. "Used in several college humanities texts published by Bandanna Books. Originated by editor Sasha Newborn in 1982."
• hypersexual. Having a highly active sex drive.
• hyposexual. Having a sex drive that isn't very active, and contented with that situation.

I

• interdressing. Coined by Deird Duncan in 2000. Non-binary gender expression in clothing, possibly without any intention to be thought of as any particular gender.
• ip. A gender-neutral pronoun proposed in 1884.
• ir, im, iro, iros, iroself. A set of English gender-neutral pronouns from 1888.
• it or itself. An English gender-neutral pronoun that many think of as offensive to use for a person. However, some nonbinary people ask to be called by these pronouns.

K

• kai, kaim, kais, kais, kaiself. A set of English gender-neutral pronouns created by novelist Janet Ganus for nonbinary characters, in 1998 or earlier.
• Kaiet. Novelist Janet Ganus created this title that is the gender-neutral counterpart of Mr or Ms. It is also a proper noun that serves the gender-neutral counterpart of "man" or "woman." The plural is kaieti.

L

• le, lem, les, les, lesself. A set of English gender-neutral pronouns proposed in 1884, borrowed from French.
• LGBTQ. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.
• LGBTIQAP. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual, and pansexual/polysexual.
• LGBTQQIA. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual.
• lipstick lesbian. A lesbian with a feminine gender expression.
• lunagender. A fluid gender identity that changes on a consistent, orderly cycle, reminding one of a lunar cycle.

M

• M. Pronounced em. A gender-neutral title. In science fiction by Dan Simmons, Hyperion Cantos, all adult humans go by the title M. Easily confused with the title Monsieur, which looks the same when abbreviated.
• metamorph. "A term used by some people (who choose not to identify as transsexuals) to express their belief they are not changing their gender, but changing their body to reflect their inner feelings and gender identity."
• metamorphosis sexualis paranoica. Apparently this is an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Hirschfeld, 1922."
• metrosexual. Coined by British journalist Mark Simpson in 1994. A heterosexual man whose gender expression seems like that of a gay man.
• Misc. From miscellaneous. Pronounced misk. A gender-neutral title.
• misdirected misogyny. Misogyny that ends up doing harm even to people who don't identify as women.
• Mre. Pronounced mystery. A gender-neutral title.
• Msr. Pronounced misser. A gender-neutral title.
• Myr. A gender neutral title, honorific, and proper noun in science fiction books by David Marusek. Its plural form is myren.

N

• na, nan, nan, nan's, naself. June Arnold's story The Cook and the Carpenter, 1973, used this set of gender-neutral pronouns exclusively, for all people. Arnold may have created the pronouns.
• natal sex. See gender assigned at birth.
• ne. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "ne" in the nominative form.
• nonlibidoist. A person who doesn't have a sex drive, and feels contented with that situation.
• null gender. A person without a gender identity, or whose gender identity is not feminine and not masculine.

O

• omniromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantic attraction to all genders and is not gender blind.
• omnisexual. A sexual orientation in which a person feels sexual attraction to all genders of consenting adults and is not gender blind.
• other gender. Sometimes a nonbinary gender identity.
• otherkin pronouns. See nounself pronouns.
• ou, ou, ous, ous, ouself. A set of singular gender-neutral pronouns that were first recorded in an English dialect in 1789.

P

• paranoia transsexualis. Apparently this was an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Pauly, 1965."
• peh, pehm, ?, peh's, ?. Used by Jenn Manley Lee in a science fiction graphic novel, Dicebox, as a gender non-specific pronoun, for when a person's gender is either irrelevant or nonbinary.
• per, persself. From "person." A set of gender-neutral pronouns used in Marge Piercy's book Woman on the Edge of Time, 1972. Independently created by transgender activists.
• phe, per, per, pers, perself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns.
• postgenderism. A movement for getting rid of gender throughout humankind.
• Pr. From "person." Pronounced per. A gender-neutral title.
• psychopathia transsexualis. Apparently this was an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Cauldwell, 1949."
• psychosexual inversion. Apparently this was an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Pauly, 1956."

Q

• qirl. A gender identity for black transgender nonbinary feminine people.

R

• re, erm, rees, rees, ?. In 2002, atheist activist Mike Newdow proposed this set of third-person gender-neutral pronouns to replace all use of "he" and "she" pronouns.
• read. Slang in the wider transgender community. 1. To get read means that someone has guessed what gender one was assigned at birth, when one was trying to keep that a secret. 2. How a person's gender is read means how one's gender is seen by others. This is regardless of that person's assigned gender at birth, or their intended gender presentation.

S

• salmacian. "Suggested by [Raphael Carter in 1996 or earlier] as a term for male-to-intersex and female-to-intersex transsexuals."
• scrat. [Old, Middle, and Modern English, and Old German] An intersex human or animal.
• se. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "se" in the nominative form.
• Ser. From "sir." Pronounced sair. A title or honorific that may be gender-neutral, or may have other meanings.
• sex identity. 1. How a person thinks of the sex of their own body. "The sex that a person sees themselves as. This can include refusing to label oneself with a sex." 2. The category of sex that others put a person's body into.
• s/He, hir, hir, hirs, hirself. A set of English gender-neutral pronouns used in books by Timothy Leary in the 1970s, and in Peter David's Star Trek books. Sometimes with mixed caps, as shown.
• shey, shem, sheir, sheirs, sheirself. The same set was independently created (or perhaps only used) in 1973, 1979, and 1982. The idea is to combine "she" and "they."
• skoliosexual. A sexual orientation in which a person feels sexual attraction to people with non-binary genders. Some see this as an offensive word.
• sie, hir, hir, hirs, hirself. Pronounced like "see" and "hear." Derived from German pronouns for "she" and "they." A set of English gender-neutral pronouns popularized on the Internet during the 1990s.
• songie or sungie. In an English dialect, an intersex person.
• Spivak pronouns. A set of gender-neutral pronouns made popular by writer Michael Spivak in 1990.
• splat pronouns. A set of gender-neutral pronouns that use an asterisk.
• stem. "A person whose gender expression falls somewhere between a stud and a femme."
• switch. A person who likes to do a dominant role as well as a submissive role in sexual activities.

T

• tey, tem, ter, tem, temself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns, proposed by feminists Kate Swift and Casey Miller in the 1971 December issue of Ms in earnest as a strategy to avoid "pronoun abuse" (meaning the inappropriate use of male pronouns when it would make more sense to include women as well).
• thane, see þane.
• they or themself. A well-established gender-neutral pronoun.
• thon. Charles Crozat Converse of Erie, Pennsylvania proposed this gender-neutral pronoun in 1858, based on a contraction of "that one."
• TME / TMA. Trans-misogyny affected or trans-misogyny exempt.
• tomboy. A masculine young girl.
• transgenderist. Coined by Virginia Charles Prince. A transgender person who has lived full time without wanting surgery, or perhaps without all the same surgeries expected for a transsexual of that gender identity.
• trans-trender. An offensive word for a transgender person, meaning that the person is only pretending to be transgender in an ill-advised attempt to seem fashionable. There is no evidence that people do that.
• transvestic fetishism. To feel sexually aroused by dressing as a woman. Some see this as an offensive term, because it pathologizes and invalidates trans women in order to divide them from cross-dressing men.
• trap. An offensive word for a transgender woman. This word should be reclaimed only by trans women. Other people shouldn't use it.

U

• ungender. Coined by Baaphomett in 2014. "Not without but a negative; an unboy would be the negative of a boy and an ungirl would be the negative of a girl."

V

• ve. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "ve" in the nominative form.

X

• Xeumel, xeamel, xaimel, xaemel, xomel. Proposed in 2018. Nouns for various types of nonbinary people.

Y

• yo. In addition to an interjection and greeting, this is a gender-neutral pronoun in a dialect of African-American Vernacular English.

Z

• zhe, zhim, zher, zhers, ?. A set of gender-neutral pronouns.
• zie. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "zie" in the nominative form.

Special and foreign characters

• þane, or "thane." Created by John Newmeyer in 1978, a proper noun for a person whose gender isn't specified, as a counterpart to the nouns "man" and "woman." "Thane" is derived from an English word for a specific kind of land-owner, who historically would have been only male.
• þe, þim, þir, þirs, ?. A non-standard set of gender-neutral pronouns created by John Newmeyer in 1978. These use the Old English letter þ, called "thorn," which represents an unvoiced "th" sound, as in the English word "thin."