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West Asian West Asian culture and heritage is typically associated with the region made up of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. ​ < Back to Glossary

Polycule A connected network of people in non-monogamous relationships. ​ < Back to Glossary

Reflection Reflection allows you to identify and appreciate positive experiences and better identify ways that you can improve or apply meaning to past events. It can be useful when you have had more challenging experiences; helping you to process and learn from them. See: Post-Traumatic Growth, Introspection, Growth and Self-Awareness. < Back to Glossary

Safe-guarding Protecting someone or something from harm or damage with an appropriate measure. We may safeguard our values and beliefs, as well as people who are vulnerable. See: Brave Spaces, Therapy and Psychological Safety. < Back to Glossary

Outed Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. See: Consent. < Back to Glossary

Colorism Discrimination based on skin colour, also known as colourism, or shadeism, is a form of prejudice and/or discrimination in which people who share similar ethnicity traits or perceived race are treated differently based on the social implications that come with the cultural meanings attached to skin color. ​ < Back to Glossary

Heritage Heritage is the full range of our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and culture. Most important, it is the range of contemporary activities, meanings, and behaviours that we draw from them. Heritage is important both in terms of appreciating those who have paved the way for us through Civil Rights activism, but also in-terms of embracing our racial, ethnic, and cultural differences. Cultural heritage implies a shared bond, and a belonging to a community. It can represent our history and our identity; our bond to the past, to our present, and the future. ​ < Back to Glossary

Shadow-self ​ ​ < Back to Glossary

MLM Men who love or are sexually attracted to other men. ​ < Back to Glossary

Rainbow The rainbow flag, also known as the pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) pride and LGBTQ+ social movements. The colours reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. ​ < Back to Glossary

Orientation A person's sexual orientation refers to who they are romantically or sexually attracted to. ​ < Back to Glossary

Health at every size Known by the acronym HAES, a social and health promotion movement that challenges social stigma based on weight, size and shape. The movement emphasises body positivity, health outcomes, and eating and movement for wellbeing rather than weight control. ​ < Back to Glossary

Loneliness Loneliness is a common feeling, but everyone’s experiences of loneliness are different and unique to them. LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be lonely than cis-het people. This loneliness can stem from a variety of factors: we’re more likely to be disconnected from our families, or have problems finding other people like us who we can connect with. Older LGBTQ+ people may experience heightened loneliness and feelings of disconnection from a queer community that’s increasingly centered around young folks. While loneliness by itself isn’t a mental health problem, it can certainly take its toll on your mind and body. (See Family, Community and Belonging) ​ < Back to Glossary

Liberation 1. Liberation as a feeling can be sensed when we feel safe and connected to those around us, and we're able to have fun and be ourselves without hiding parts of our identities. 2. Liberation in society is a result in progression of heightened Civil Rights, equality and equity for all of those who belong to marginalised communities (See Legislation, Progress, Elected Official and Civil Rights) (See: Belonging, Chosen Family, Coming Out, Community and Queer Joy) (See: Legislation, Progress, Elected Official and Civil Rights) < Back to Glossary

White Fragility Used to describe the privilege that accrues to white people living in a society that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. It can be argued this builds an expectation of always feeling comfortable and safe, which in turn lowers the ability to tolerate racial stress and triggers a range of defensive reactions. ​ < Back to Glossary

Xenophobia The fear or hatred of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an ingroup and an outgroup and may manifest in suspicion by one of the other's activities. Xenophobia is not always connected to racism. ​ < Back to Glossary

Fatphobia Weight bias, sometimes also called fatphobia or weight stigma, describes the negative attitudes and stereotypes surrounding and attached to larger bodies. Furthermore, fatphobia is an abnormal and irrational fear of being fat or being around fat people. See: Fat Acceptance. < Back to Glossary

Mutual Aid Mutual aid is the exchange of resources within a community in order to support and care for one another. Mutual aid recognises that we may all need help at different points in our life and it is our duty to look out for the people around us, as it is theirs to look after us. ​ < Back to Glossary

Emotional Regulation “Emotion regulation” is a term generally used to describe a person's ability to effectively manage and respond to an emotional experience. People unconsciously use various emotional regulation strategies to cope with difficult situations many times throughout each day (some are as simple as taking a deep breath, or using positive self-talk). See: Affirmation, Breathwork and Mindfulness. < Back to Glossary

Eating Disorder Eating disorders are mental disorders that impact a person's eating habits in a negative way. This can manifest as binge-eating, restricting food intake, purging after eating or eating non-food items. Research suggests that LGBTQ+ people suffer from higher rates of eating disorders than people outside the community. ​ < Back to Glossary