Asexuality A person who does not experience sexual attraction. Some asexual people experience romantic attraction, while others do not. Asexual people who experience romantic attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their romantic attraction. ​ < Back to Glossary

Hypervigilance Hypervigilance is an individual’s heightened awareness to threat or potential threats in their surroundings. Living with hypervigilance can be exhausting, causing individuals to constantly be on alert or perceive threats when they are not there. Hypervigilance can manifest as withdrawing from social situations, concealing one’s identity or constantly scanning environments for perceived threats. People from historically marginalised backgrounds often develop hypervigilance due to chronic exposure to stigma, discrimination and violence. The cumulative negative mental health effects on marginalised people as a result of their identity is known as “minority stress”, and it is particularly common in individuals who have multiple intersectional marginalised identities. ​ < Back to Glossary

Ableism Beliefs or practices that rest on the assumption that being able-bodied is “normal” while other states of being need to be “fixed” or altered. This can result in devaluing or discriminating against people with physical, intellectual or psychiatric disabilities. Institutionalised ableism may include or take the form of un/intentional organisational barriers that result in disparate treatment of disabled people. See: Accessibility, Inter-able, Neurodiverse & Autism. < Back to Glossary

Sex Work Sex workers are adults who receive money or goods in exchange for consensual sexual services or erotic performances, either regularly or occasionally. Sex work has always been relevant to queer and trans communities, both as a livelihood option and as an issue that critically informs the space between social and political margins. ​ < Back to Glossary

Identity The term identity itself was coined in the 1960’s and it was originally described as 'relating to the self'. Identity is often described as a construct. What that eludes to is that it’s made of different elements, characteristics, affiliations, and social roles. Elements or characteristics of identity would include race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, political affiliations, religious beliefs, profession, and so on. Some of these aspects we are born into, some we have learnt (behavioural), some we’ve chosen, and some even change over time. It's important to remember that identities are self-determined, and always intersectional. One identity does not exist on its own, but continuously overlaps with others. We are not single-identity beings, but multi-hyphenate individuals. It's also worth recognising that we’re not portraying the same identities in every situation. As members of a minority group, sometimes in public this is for safety and security. We can also choose to apply varying levels of importance on each of our identities in different environments. For example certain aspects might play out more with family Vs with friends Vs at work. See: Intersectionality. < Back to Glossary

Indigiqueer Indigiqueer is another term sometimes used alongside or to refer to the Two-Spirit identity; more often it is a term used by some LGBTQ+ Indigenous people who do not self-identify as Two-Spirit, or by those who identify with both. ​ < Back to Glossary

Breathwork Breathwork is a New Age term for various ancient breathing practices in which the conscious control of breathing is said to influence a person's mental, emotional or physical state, with a claimed therapeutic effect. ​ < Back to Glossary

Elected Official Elected Officials are individuals which have the power to make true change within our government and legislative structures. We vote for people based on how they align with our own personal values, and how they plan to instill these values and use their positionality (proximity to power) in the seat / office / policy area that they occupy. Often, Elected Officials hold the key to positive cultural and legislative change. However, these individuals who promise a lot can often be disappointing in terms of their actions to liberalised, once they have been positioned within an institution. See: Power and Positionality. < Back to Glossary

Plus A way of speaking about the variations of marginalised sexual orientations and gender identities that might fall under the LGBTQ+ acronym. ​ < Back to Glossary

Futch Futch describes lesbians whose gender expression falls somewhere between butch and femme. They may embody a mix of masculine and feminine in their gender expression. ​ < Back to Glossary

Masc A person whose gender is perceived or understood as masculine presenting. See: Gender Identity and Gender Expression. < Back to Glossary

ENM (Ethical Non-Monogamy) ENM is an umbrella term for romantic relationships that are not exclusive between two people. Ethical Non-Monogamy must have the consent of all parties involved and communication of expectations and boundaries is essential. ​ < Back to Glossary

Androgyny Androgyny is the quality or state of being neither specifically feminine or masculine. ​ < Back to Glossary

Integrity Having integrity means that you live in accordance to your deepest values, you're honest, and you always keep your word. Integrity is a highly valued trait, especially in leaders. See: Authenticity and Values. < Back to Glossary

Language Whether or not we realize it, we are constantly using language to evolve our ideas and beliefs into concrete reality. By becoming more aware of the impact and power of language, we can make more conscious, insightful choices about how we express ourselves and how we interpret others. ​ < Back to Glossary

Male Privilege Male privilege is the system of advantages or rights that are available to men solely on the basis of their sex or gender. A man's access to these benefits may vary depending on how closely they match their society's ideal masculine norm. ​ < Back to Glossary

Power We all hold certain types of power over others based on our privileges and achievements. It's important that we consider the power we hold and think critically about the ways we are using it. You can harness your power to uplift others. See: Privilege and Allyship. < Back to Glossary

Native Hawaiians The culture and heritage Native Hawaiians encompasses social behaviours, institutions, and norms practised by the original residents of the Hawaiian islands, including their knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits. Humans are estimated to have first inhabited the archipelago between 124 and 1120 AD when it was settled by Polynesians who voyaged to and settled there. (See: Polynesian and Pacific Islanders) < Back to Glossary

Style Personal style is a tool for self expression, experimentation and play. While fashion follows trends, style should reflect your personality, values and outlook and evolve with you slowly over time. It's self-knowledge and self-confidence expressed through what you choose to wear. ​ < Back to Glossary

Presentation (Gender) (See Gender Expression) ​ < Back to Glossary