| People, Y’all, You Folks, Everyone |
Gender inclusive way to address a group. Preferred to “Ladies and Gentlemen”, “You Guys” |
| Asian, Asian American or more specific designation such as Pacific Islander, Chinese American, Korean |
Preferred to “Asiatic” or “Oriental” |
| Black, African-American |
Preferred to Afro-American. African-American is not interchangeable with black because of its national affiliation. |
| Hispanic, Latinx, or Latino /Latina if gender is known |
Preferred over assumption of country such as “Mexican” if not known |
| Native American, American Indian, Indigenous people |
Preferred over “Indian” to describe people whose ancestors were in America before the arrival of Europeans |
| People/ Persons/ Person of Color |
To refer to non-white people and groups. Do not use "colored people." |
| Bi-racial people, Multi-racial people |
Preferred way to address people with multi-racial backgrounds |
| Persons with disabilities or more specific designation such as person who uses crutches |
Person first language, preferred to “disabled person” |
| Person who is temporarily able-bodied |
To describe people who do not currently have a physical disability |
| Womxn |
Preferred to “girls”, when speaking about adult womxn. “Womxn” in preferred to “women” because it is inclusive of community members who have experienced life as a womxn in the body, mind and/or spirit, be that in the past, present, future |
| Economically marginalized, person of low socioeconomic status (SES) |
Term to describe people who are pushed to the margins of the economy, preferred to “lower class” or “poor” |
| Underrepresented or marginalized group |
Preferred to minority |
| Undocumented immigrant |
Preferred to “illegal immigrant”, “alien” |
| Partner, spouse |
Gender inclusive way of referring to a romantic partner |
| Cisgender |
A person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth |
| Trans, transgender |
A person whose gender identity is different than the one they were assigned at birth |
| Genderqueer |
A term under the trans umbrella which refers to people who identify outside of the false male-female binary. Genderqueer people may experience erasure if they are perceived as cisgender. Genderqueer folks who are perceived as genderqueer are often subjected to gender policing. |
| Non-binary |
A person whose gender identity does not align exclusively with a false male/ female gender binary |
| Gender Non-Conforming |
Refers to people who do not conform to society’s expectation for their gender roles or gender expression. Some prefer ‘gender variant’ |
| Gender-fluid |
A person who does not identify with a single and fixed gender |
| Lesbian |
A woman who is emotionally or sexually attracted to other women. Preferred to “homosexual” because “homosexual” pathologizes sexuality and feeds into the idea that it is biological, rather than socially constructed |
| Gay |
A sexual orientation that describes an individual who is emotionally or sexually attracted to people of their own gender; most commonly used to describe men. Preferred to “homosexual” because “homosexual” pathologizes sexuality and feeds into the idea that it is biological, rather than socially constructed |
| Heterosexual |
A person who is a ttracted to members on the other end of the gender spectrum. Preferred to “straight” because “straight” sets a norm that the alternative would be “crooked” |
| Bisexual |
A person who is sexually or emotionally attracted to more than one sex or gender |
| Queer |
An umbrella term used to describe the diverse ways in which people reject the binary categories of gender and/or sexual orientation. Also an academic term to reject the colonization into any classification mechanisms. |
| Intersex |
A person born with sex characteristics such as genitalia or chromosomes that do not fit the biological criteria for a male or female binary |
| Pansexual |
A person who can be attracted to a variety of people regardless of their biological sex or their gender identity |
| Asexual (sometimes shortened to Ace) |
A person who does not experience sexual attraction to other people |
| Aromantic (sometimes shortened to Aro) |
A person who does not experience romantic attraction to other people |
