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Lex's Queer Terms Glossary | The Lexicon
Connecting with the queer community for the first time, whether as someone who’s newly exploring their identity or an ally, can be intimidating for some. It might feel like there are so many words and acronyms you can’t begin to guess the meaning of. We don’t believe in gatekeeping, so we’re building the ultimate glossary of queer terminology: welcome to Lex’s Lexicon.
We’ve put together this Lexicon to help you navigate the ever-evolving world of queer lingo. We recognize LGBTQ+ identities and terms change every second, and these common definitions might not apply to everyone.
LGBTQ+ Acronyms and abbreviations
ISO Acronym for In Search Of
QTBIPOC Acronym for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color
Cishet Abbreviation for someone who is both cisgender and heterosexual
TGNC Acronym for Transgender and Gender Non-conforming
Enby Abbreviation for nonbinary, not to be confused with NB (non-Black)
T4T (Trans for trans) Trans folks who are primarily/only interested in connections with other trans folks
MOC/FOC (Masc of center/Fem of center) Queer folks who feel a core sense of masculinity or femininity and may have any gender identity. Someone could be a masculine of center woman, a feminine of center non-binary person, etc.
Ace abbreviation for asexual
Aro abbreviation for aromantic
AGAB/AFAB/AMAB Acronym for Assigned Gender/Female/Male At Birth. Some people choose to self-identify with their assigned gender while many people find it a way to alienate trans people through bioessentialism
TERF Acronym for Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminism, which is a type of feminism that excludes trans women
QPP/QPR Acronym for Queer platonic partner or queer platonic relationship
LDR acronym for long distance relationship
Queer identity terms
Gender dysphoria Refers to psychological distress that can result from misalignment between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity
Gender euphoria A condition characterized by the feeling of comfort/joy when thinking about one’s true gender identity
Genderfluid Often used to mean that a person’s gender expression or gender identity (their internal sense of self) changes frequently
Two-spirit A culturally distinct gender that describes Indigenous North Americans who fulfill one of many mixed gender roles. Found traditionally among many Native Americans and Canadian First Nations indigenous groups
Dead name The birth name of someone who has since changed their name, either legally or not. The act of dead-naming is transphobic and should be avoided at all costs. Asking someone what their name “user to be” is a form of dead-naming.
Transmasc A self-descriptor for trans folks who are masculine-identified
Transfemme A self-descriptor for trans folks who are feminine-identified
Stud A self-descriptor used by some Black masculine-identifying lesbians
U-Haul When queer couples become emotionally invested in a relationship very quickly, sometimes involves moving in together
Queer coded The subtextual coding of a character in media as queer, though the character’s sexual or gender identity may not be explicitly confirmed
Queer sex terms
Service Top A top who acts according to what pleases their bottom, which pleases them
Service Bottom A bottom who acts according to what pleases their top, which pleases them
Pillow princess A person who strictly prefers or tends to prefer to receive during sex
Switch Someone who enjoys both top and bottom roles
Stone Someone who has strict boundaries surrounding sex, particularly in relation to nudity and touch (often refers to stone butch tops but not exclusively)
Need us to define some other terms? Email us at support@lex.lgbt with your requests!