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Deadnaming Intentionally calling someone by their assigned at birth name after they have publicly changed their name. This term is often associated with trans people who have changed their name as part of their transition. ​ < Back to Glossary

East Asian East Asian culture and heritage is typically associated with the region made up of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ​ < Back to Glossary

Integration A fundamental process which has been outlined by various psychologists to explain how one comes to integrate a sexual or gender identity. The process allows for psychological assessment, adjustment and integration. It's worth noting that this is not a one-off process, but one of constant evaluation and application. See: Identity < Back to Glossary

Unity Unity refers to what connects us rather that what makes us different. There is power in unity. We can only accomplish so much on our own, but together we can create a movement that brings tangible change and creates a future of hope. (See Connection, Community, Chosen Family, Solidarity, Belonging and Allyship). ​ < Back to Glossary

Mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. ​ < Back to Glossary

Lived Experience Personal knowledge about the world gained through direct, first-hand involvement in everyday events rather than through representations constructed by other people. Lived experience is an invaluable resource, both in helping us navigate our lives, but also as a tool for educating others. ​ < Back to Glossary

Gender Roles The role or behaviour learned or expected by a person as appropriate to their gender, usually determined by the prevailing cultural norms. ​ < Back to Glossary

Mental Illness / Ill-Health Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behaviour. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviours. ​ < Back to Glossary

Internalised Homophobia Internalised homophobia occurs when a person is subject to society’s negative perceptions, intolerance, and stigma toward people with same-sex attraction. Consciously or unconsciously, they then turn those ideas and homophobic biases inward, believing that they are true, and experience self-hatred because of being a socially stigmatised person. ​ < Back to Glossary

Privacy It relates to an individual's ability to determine for themselves when, how, and for what purpose their personal information is handled by others. Protecting privacy is key to ensuring human dignity, safety and self-determination. It allows individuals freely develop their own personality and explore their own identities. ​ < Back to Glossary

WLW Women who love or are sexually attracted to other women. ​ < Back to Glossary

Inclusion The practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or mental disabilities and members of other minority groups. It's important to recognise however that inclusive practices and policies benefit all parts of society. ​ < Back to Glossary

Transmisogynoir Discrimination that falls at the intersection of transphobia, misogyny and anti-black racism, as experienced by Black trans women and trans feminine people. ​ < Back to Glossary

Inter-able When a non-disabled person / people and disabled people mix. This could term could be applied to things like sports teams, but is most-commonly seen in connection with intimate relationships. ​ < Back to Glossary

Story-telling Storytelling is essential because of its central role in human experience, culture, and history since the dawn of humankind. Storytelling stimulates our brain in a unique way, as we connect with the message we not only absorb the information but feel the emotion too. We all have unique life experiences and stories to tell. Sharing our stories with others can provide opportunities for learning, insight, understanding and connection. The wisdom of others can also be an essential tool in helping us learn more about ourselves. ​ < Back to Glossary

Consent Permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. Within relationships, consent is vitally important when we consider physical intimacy and identity disclosure. This is something we should all campaign for, both within the Queer Community, but also wider society as a whole. It is also imperative that when someone shares personal information with us, that we only share this further with others after gaining consent (e.g. if someone discloses that they have a disability). ​ < Back to Glossary

Confidence Confidence comes from a Latin word 'fidere' which means "to trust"; therefore, having self-confidence is having trust in one's self. The concept of self-confidence is commonly defined as self-assurance in one's personal judgment, ability, power, etc. Self-confidence involves a positive belief that in the future, one can generally accomplish what one wishes to do. Self-confidence is not the same as self-esteem, which is an evaluation of one's own worth, whereas self-confidence is more specifically trust in one's ability to achieve some goal. Many LGBTQ+ people lack confidence because of ingrained and internalised beliefs, often instilled from childhood. See: Affirmation & Belief. < Back to Glossary

Fostering Fostering is similar to adoption, in that it involves providing a home to children that cannot live with their birth parents, but adoption ends the legal relationship between a child and their birth family and fostering does not. Foster carers treat children in their care as members of their family, and fostering relationships can be short or long term. Some people may pursue adoption or fostering due to being unable to have children, but it is also common for people who can have their own children to foster out of a desire to make a difference in the lives of children living in care. See: Adoption, Family and Finances. < Back to Glossary

Ally An ally is someone who supports people who are in a minority group or who are discriminated against, even though they do not belong to that group themselves. True allyship requires action and continuous unwavering solidarity. It is not about convenience or optics - this would be considered 'Performative Allyship'. The positive effect of an ally can only be evaluated by the receiver. ​ < Back to Glossary

Body Image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. In the Queer Community, people can especially have trouble with their body image, due to mainstream beauty standards being determined by heteronormative society. There are also very prevalent archetypes that exist within the Queer Community, which can determine what is attractive, meaning we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. See: Archetypes, Body Dysmorphia & Body Shaming. < Back to Glossary