Terms Related to Sexual Orientation

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Aromantic: Describes someone who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others, though they may experience sexual attraction or form close emotional bonds. Also note this is not the same as celibacy.
Asexual: Refers to a person who experiences little or no sexual attraction. Asexual individuals may still engage in romantic relationships or experience emotional intimacy.

Bi-curious: Describes an individual who is exploring or open to the possibility of romantic or sexual attraction to people of more than one gender, even if they do not currently identify as bisexual. The term reflects curiosity or questioning rather than a fixed sexual orientation, and experiences of bi-curiosity may vary across time and context.
Bisexual or Bi+: Describes someone who is romantically or sexually attracted to more than one gender. This may include attraction to both men and women, or to people regardless of gender. Bi people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including but not limited to, bisexual, pan, queer, and some other non-monosexual and non-monoromantic identities.

Closeted: Refers to an individual who has not publicly disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and is therefore presumed to be hetrosexual and/or cisgender. A person may choose to not to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity for personal, cultural, or safety reasons, or due to fear of discrimination or rejection.
Coming Out: Describes the process of recognising, accepting, and sharing one’s sexual orientation or gender identity with others. Coming out can be a deeply personal and ongoing experience, rather than a single event. It may involve different levels of openness across various contexts. The process is shaped by social, cultural, and personal factors, and should always occur at the individual’s own pace and choice.

Gay: Commonly refers to men who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to other men, although it can also be used more broadly to describe same-gender attraction.

Heterosexual and Straight: these terms refer to a man or woman who is romantically and/or sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex.
Homosexual: refers to a person who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards someone of the same gender. This term is often considered to be a medicalised term and therefore ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ tends to be more widely used.

Lesbian: Refers to women who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to other women.
LGBTQ+: An acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or Questioning, people. The ‘+’ symbol recognises other identities which either do not fall into these categories or are not explicitly referenced, such as queer, questioning, nonbinary, intersex, gender-fluid, asexual, aromantic and several others. Although this acronym is commonly used, it is important to note that the LGBTQ+ community is not a single homogenous group and each person’s experience is unique. Other variations of the acronym include LGBT+ and LGBTQIA+

Outed / Outing: Refers to the act of disclosing someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity without their consent. Being outed can cause significant emotional distress and may expose an individual to discrimination, stigma, or harm. Outing someone breaches their privacy and autonomy, regardless of intention, and is widely regarded as unethical. Everyone has the right to control when, how, and with whom they share personal information about their identity. (See also: ‘coming out’).

Pansexual: Describes a person who experiences romantic or sexual attraction to individuals regardless of their gender or sex. Pansexuality emphasises attraction based on personal connection rather than gender identity, recognising that gender is not a determining factor in whom someone may be attracted to.

Queer: A reclaimed term used by some people as an umbrella identity for those who are not heterosexual or not cisgender. It is also used politically to challenge heteronormative and binary frameworks. Some still find the term offensive due to its historical use as a slur, so its usage should be contextually sensitive.
Questioning: Describes individuals who are exploring or uncertain about their sexual orientation or gender identity and may not wish to label themselves.

Sexual Orientation / Sexuality: Refers to a person’s pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction to others, or lack thereof. It encompasses identities such as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, and pansexual, among others. Sexual orientation is distinct from gender identity; it relates to who one is attracted to, not who one is. It exists on a spectrum and may be fluid over time, influenced by a combination of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors.