Pronouns are any of a small set of words (such as I, she, he, you, it, we, or they) in a language that are used as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and whose referents are named or understood in the context (from Merriam-Webster)
Below are a few pronouns people might use for themselves, but there are lots more out there!
Want to learn more about pronouns? Here are some great resources:
Just like you like for people to call you by your name, your title, and use your pronouns, it's important to do that for the people around you as a sign of care and respect. We've got some great resources for terms you might hear as well as some pronouns that people might use. Language changes all the time, which is super exciting, so it's important to do your best to keep up.
Below, you will find a partial list of LGBTQ and gender-related words and their definitions. This list isn't comprehensive, but it's a great place to get started. For more definitions. visit:
Agender: a person who does not identify with or experience any gender.
Aromantic: a person who does not experience romantic attraction.
Asexual: a person with complete or partial lack of sexual attraction or lack of interest in sexual activity with others. Sometimes shortened to ace.
Bigender: a person whose gender identity encompasses two genders or is moving between being two genders.
Biromantic: a person who feels the potential to be romantically attracted to people of more than one gender.
Bisexual: a person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one gender.
Butch: a person who is masculine of center in dress, attitude, and/or presentation. It is often, but not exclusively, used in a lesbian context.
Cis: an individual whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth. The prefix cis- comes from the Latin word for “on the same side as.”
Demi: a term that modifies another to indicate a partial, not full, alignment. Terms include demiboy, demigirl, demisexual, and demiromantic.
Drag: a theatrical performance of one or multiple genders including makeup, costume, dance, and/or lip-syncing. Drag is based on attire and performance and does not indicate what gender or sexual orientation someone may have. Common terms include drag queen and drag king.
Estrogen: a prescription hormone that some people use, typically transgender women and transfeminine people. Some trans men are prescribed estrogen too.
**Terminology adapted from PFLAG, HRC, and GLAAD
Fem/Femme: a person who is feminine of center in dress, attitude, and/or presentation.
Gay: a person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves.
Genderfluid: a person who does not consistently adhere to one fixed gender and who may move among genders.
Genderqueer: individuals who blur preconceived boundaries of gender in relation to the gender binary.
Heterosexual: a person who is sexually attracted to a person of a different gender or sex. Also referred to as hetero or straight.
Heteroromantic: an individual who is romantically attracted to a person of a different gender or sex from their own.
Homosexual: an older term to describe gay, lesbian, or queer people. Many people prefer other terms that are less clinical and that align with their own identity.
Homoromantic: an individual who is romantically attracted to people of the same sex or gender as themselves.
Intersex: a term used to refer to people whose bodies may have variations in hormones, chromosomes, reproductive organs, or any combination of primary and/or secondary sex characteristics. An intersex person can be of any gender identity and can also be of any sexual orientation and any romantic orientation.
Lesbian: a woman or nonbinary person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women.
**Terminology adapted from PFLAG, HRC, and GLAAD
Mx.: an English-language honorific that does not indicate gender. Created as an alternative to Mr. and Ms. in the 1970s.
Neopronouns: third-person personal pronouns beyond "he", "she", and "they". Some examples include fae/faer and xe/xem.
Nonbinary: people who do not subscribe to the gender binaryt. Nonbinary people may identify as transgender.
Pansexual: a person whose emotional, romantic and/or physical attraction is to people inclusive of all genders.
Queer: a term to express a spectrum of identities and orientations, often used as a catch-all to include many people, including those who do not identify as exclusively straight and/or folks who have non-binary or gender-expansive identities.
Queerplatonic: a relationship style that includes more, or deeper, commitment than simple friendship but is not romantic or sexual in nature for those involved.
QTPOC: an acronym for Queer and Trans People of Color.
**Terminology adapted from PFLAG, HRC, Wikipedia, and GLAAD
Sapphic: a term used to refer to lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or otherwise same-gender loving women.
Sexual Orientation: an enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.
Testosterone: a prescription hormone sometimes taken by trans men, transmasculine people, and nonbinary people.
Transfeminine/Transfem: a person designated male at birth who is closer to femininity than masculinity but is not a binary woman.
Transgender: a term describing a person’s gender identity that does not necessarily match their assigned sex at birth. Often shortened to trans, from the Latin prefix for “on a different side as.”
Transition: processes that some transgender people may undergo in order to live more fully as their true gender. This may include changing name and pronouns, hormone therapy or gender affirming surgeries, and/or changing legal name and sex on government identity documents.
Transmasculine/Transmasc: a person designated female at birth who is closer to masculinity than femininity but is not a binary man.
**Terminology adapted from PFLAG, HRC, and GLAAD