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AAVE AAVE is a way of speaking typically seen in African American and Black Canadian Communities. AAVE may be considered a dialect, ethnolect or sociolect. While it is clear that there is a strong historical relationship between AAVE and earlier Southern U.S. dialects, the origins of AAVE are still a matter of debate. (See: Black and Blaq/Blaqueer) < Back to Glossary

Flag The original rainbow Pride flag was created in 1978 in San Francisco by Gilbert Baker, Lynn Segerblom, James McNamara and other activists. Since then the flag has undergone numerous revisions and inspired countless more queer flags for specific identity groups. The Progress Pride flag, designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018 and updated by Valentino Vecchietti in 2021 to be intersex inclusive, has become increasingly popular as a symbol that embraces intersectionality and solidarity within the LGBTQ+ community. ​ < Back to Glossary

Vulnerability 1. The quality of being easily hurt or attacked. 2. The feeling we get during times of uncertainty, risk, or emotional exposure. “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness.” - Brene Brown See: Courage and Queer Leadership. < Back to Glossary

Perspective Perspective helps us to understand situations from other positions, to consider other beliefs, experiences and view points. This gives us a better understanding and greater empathy. It reduces bias, judgement and reduces conflict. See: Introspection, Reflection and Empathy. < Back to Glossary

Self-care The act of prioritising and taking care of your own physical, mental and emotional health. Self-care can involve a variety of activities, such as exercising, mindfulness, setting and maintaining personal boundaries, going to therapy or taking time to relax. ​ < Back to Glossary

LGBTQIA2S+ Initialism referring to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two spirit. The umbrella term can both be used to describe the collective of people who fall under this group of identity labels, or an individual who identifies as part of this group. ​ < Back to Glossary

Erasure The act of ignoring, explaining away, or otherwise dismissing parts of culture or the experiences of specific communities in media or history. This is especially prevalent for the bisexual community - both by heteronormative society and the Queer Community. ​ < Back to Glossary

Surrogate A surrogate is a person who carries the pregnancy of another person or couple. This process usually includes a legal agreement between the surrogate and parent(s). Surrogacy is pursued by people and couples who are not able to carry their own children, such as AMAB couples or AFAB people experiencing fertility issues. ​ < Back to Glossary

CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. CBT aims to stop negative cycles such as these by breaking down things that make you feel bad, anxious or scared. By making your problems more manageable, CBT can help you change your negative thought patterns and improve the way you feel. ​ < Back to Glossary

Implicit Something that is suggested but not directly expressed. A lot of real-world homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, racist and ableist behaviours can be implicit. This can sometimes make it hard to call out. (See Gaslighting) ​ < Back to Glossary

Self Your self is your sense of who you are, deep down — your identity. It refers to the totality of the individual, consisting of all characteristic attributes, conscious and unconscious, mental and physical. ​ < Back to Glossary

Intersex An umbrella term used to describe a person who is born with a physiological or biological variation in their sex development. Their body may not fit some stereotypical ideas of what we are taught about female and male bodies. ​ < Back to Glossary

Propaganda Propaganda is information that is used to promote a political cause and persuade its audience. The information presented is generally misleading, often skewing or manipulating facts and tapping to the fear of the receiver. See: Hate Speech and Discrimination, < Back to Glossary

Islamophobia The expressed dislike of, prejudice or discrimination against Islam or towards Muslims, especially as a political force. ​ < Back to Glossary

Surgery (See Bottom Surgery, Top Surgery, HRT, Gender Dysphoria and Bodily Autonomy) See: Bottom Surgery, Top Surgery, HRT, Gender Dysphoria and Bodily Autonomy. < Back to Glossary

Home Having a place we can call home, a space we possibly share with loved ones is a key part of one's existence. Maslow refers to it as a physiological need - sitting at in the foundation of the hierarchy pyramid. Rather than a symbolic place, home can also characterise a 'feeling' that is conducive to our sense of belonging. See: Grounding and Belonging. < Back to Glossary

Self Compassion Compassion involves allowing ourselves to be moved by suffering, and experiencing the motivation to help alleviate and prevent it. An act of compassion is typically defined by its helpfulness. Qualities of compassion are patience and wisdom; kindness and perseverance; warmth and resolve. Self-compassion on the other hand is extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering. Research indicates that self-compassionate individuals experience greater psychological health than those who lack self-compassion. It is associated with a lower tendency for self-criticism, depression, anxiety, rumination, thought suppression, perfectionism, and disordered eating attitudes. It's worth noting that self-compassion is different than self-esteem; which is more of a subjective emotional evaluation of the self. ​ < Back to Glossary

Trigger In mental health terms, a trigger refers to something that affects your emotional state, often significantly, by causing extreme overwhelm or distress. A trigger affects your ability to remain present in the moment. It may bring up specific thought patterns or influence your behavior. ​ < Back to Glossary

Undetectable HIV medication (antiretroviral treatment, or ART) works by reducing the amount of the virus in the blood to undetectable levels. This means the levels of HIV are so low that the virus cannot be passed on. This is called having an undetectable viral load or being undetectable. ​ < Back to Glossary

Ambassador An ambassador (in terms of DEI) is normally someone who an organisation or brand partners with. Normally, this ambassador will be part of a marginalised community who is vocal on societal issues and injustices. ​ < Back to Glossary