Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Guide: Glossary of Terms

Ableism is discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.

Accessible refers to a site, facility, work environment, service, or program that is easy to approach, enter, operate, participate in, and/or use safely and with dignity by a person with a disability.

Deaf is lacking the power of hearing, or having impaired hearing.

Deaf (Community) comprises those deaf and hard of hearing individuals who share a common language, common experiences and values, and a common way of interacting with each other, and with hearing people.

Deafened causes (someone) to lose the power of hearing permanently or temporarily.

Hard of Hearing is not able to hear well.

Legally (Statutory) Blindness is blindness as defined in sections 216(i)(1) and 1614(a)(2) of the Social Security Act (Act). The Act defines blindness as central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens.

Light Perception and Light Projection is the ability to perceive the difference between light and dark, or daylight and nighttime. A person can have severely reduced vision and still be able to determine the difference between light and dark, or the general source and direction of a light.

Low vision is used to describe a loss of visual acuity while retaining some vision.

Neurodiversity is a word used to explain the unique ways people's brains work.

Partially Sighted are unable to see properly so even with corrective aids normal activities are prevented or seriously hindered.

Total Blindness is a term used to describe those who have complete lack of light perception, documented as no light perception (NLP).

Ally is someone who is actively supportive of LGBTQ+ people. This includes straight, cisgender allies and those within the LGBTQ+ community who support each other. 

Androgynous is a person with a gender that is both masculine and feminine or in between masculine and feminine. An androgynous person.

Aromantic (Aro) is a romantic orientation generally characterized by not feeling romantic attraction or a desire for romance. Aromantic people can be satisfied by friendship and other non-romantic relationships. Many aromantic people also identify with a sexual orientation, such as asexual, bisexual, etc.

Asexual (Ace) refers to a complete or partial lack of sexual attraction or lack of interest in sexual activity with others. Asexuality exists on a spectrum and asexual people may experience no, little, or conditional sexual attraction. 

Biphobia refers to the fear and/or hatred of or discomfort with people who love and are sexually attracted to more than one gender. 

Bisexual (Bi) is a person emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to more than one gender, though not always simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. The bisexual term is sometimes used interchangeably with pansexual. 

Cisgender is a gender identity or performance in a gender role, that society deems to match the person’s assigned sex at birth.  The prefix cis- means "on this side of" or "not across." A term used to highlight the privilege of people who are not transgender.

Coming Out is the process of voluntarily sharing one's sexual orientation and/or gender identity with others. This process is unique for each individual and there is no right or wrong way to come out. The term “coming out” has also been broadened to include other pieces of potentially stigmatized personal information. Terms also used that correlate with this action are: "Being out" which means not concealing one's sexual orientation or gender identity, and "Outing", a term used for making public the sexual orientation or gender identity of another who would prefer to keep this information secret. Not sharing one’s LGBTQ+ identity publicly is sometimes referred to as being “in the closet” or “closeted”. 

Drag is the theatrical performance of one or multiple genders via dressing in the clothing of a different gender, or in a manner different from how one would usually dress. Drag queens perform in distinctly feminine attire. Drag kings perform in distinctly masculine attire. Drag is a form of gender expression and is not an indication of gender identity. Individuals who dress in drag may or may not consider themselves to be transgender. They may identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight or some other sexual orientation.

Gay refers to a person who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to members of the same gender. Men, women, and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves. 

Gender is a social construct used to classify a person as a man, woman, or some other identity. Fundamentally different from the sex one is assigned at birth.

Gender dysphoria refers to clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.

Gender expression refers to the external appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics, or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.

Gender-fluid is a person who does not identify with a single fixed gender or has a fluid or unfixed gender identity.

Gender non-conforming is an adjective for people who do not subscribe to societal expectations of typical gender expressions or roles. The term is more commonly used to refer to gender expression (how one behaves, acts, and presents oneself to others) as opposed to gender identity (one’s internal sense of self).

Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as "genderqueer" may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female, or as falling completely outside these categories.

Heteronormativity is attitudes and behaviors that incorrectly assume everyone is straight, or that being heterosexual is “normal”.  Hetereornormativity also assumes people should and will align with conventional expectations of society for sexual and romantic attraction. Heteronormativity often combines with cisnormativity to create societal expectations of behavior.

Homophobia is the fear and hatred of or discomfort with people who are attracted to members of the same sex.

Intersex people are born with a variety of differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy. There is a wide variety of differences among intersex variations, including differences in genitalia, chromosomes, gonads, internal sex organs, hormone production, hormone response, and/or secondary sex traits.

Lesbian refers to a woman who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves.

LGBTQ+ is an acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer” with a "+" sign to recognize the limitless sexual orientations and gender identities used by members of our community.

Misgender refers to attributing a gender to someone that is incorrect/does not align with their gender identity.  This can occur when using pronouns, gendered language (i.e. “Hello ladies!” “Hey guys”), or assigning genders to people without knowing how they identify.

Monogamous refers to having only one intimate partner at any one time; also known as serial monogamy.

Nonbinary is an adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do. Non-binary can also be used as an umbrella term encompassing identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer or gender-fluid.

Pansexual describes someone who has the potential for emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. Sometimes used interchangeably with bisexual.

Polyamorous denotes consensually being in/open to multiple loving relationships at the same time. Some polyamorists (polyamorous people) consider “polyam” to be a relationship orientation. Sometimes used as an umbrella term for all forms of ethical, consensual, and loving non-monogamy.

Pride Month typically observed in June is a time to celebrate and recognize the LGBTQ+ community. Its roots trace to the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York City. 

Pronouns are linguistic tools used to refer to someone in the third person. Examples are they/them/theirs, ze/hir/hirs, she/her/hers, he/him/his.  In English and some other languages, pronouns have been tied to gender and are a common area of misgendering (attributing a gender to someone that is incorrect.)

Queer is a term people often use to express a spectrum of identities and orientations that are counter to the mainstream. Queer is often used as a catch-all to include many people, including those who do not identify as exclusively straight and/or folks who have non-binary or gender-expansive identities. This term was previously used as a slur but has been reclaimed by many parts of the LGBTQ+ movement.

Questioning is a term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Same-gender loving is a term some prefer to use instead of lesbian, gay, or bisexual to express attraction to and love of people of the same gender.

Sex assigned at birth is the sex, male, female, or intersex, that a doctor or midwife uses to describe a child at birth based on their external anatomy.

Sexual orientation is an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to other people. Note: an individual’s sexual orientation is independent of their gender identity.

Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.

Transphobia refers to people having deeply rooted negative beliefs about what it means to be transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming. Their beliefs affect the way they, the government, organizations, the media, and society generally treat people whose identities don’t fit into typical gender roles.

Transitioning is a series of processes that some transgender people may undergo in order to live more fully as their true gender. This typically includes social transition, such as changing name and pronouns, medical transition, which may include hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries, and legal transition, which may include changing legal name and sex on government identity documents. Transgender people may choose to undergo some, all, or none of these processes.

Two Spirit is an umbrella term encompassing sexuality and gender in Indigenous Native American communities. Two Spirit people often serve integral and important roles in their communities, such as leaders and healers. It may refer to an embodiment of masculinity and femininity but this is not the only significance of the term. There are a variety of definitions and feelings about the term two-spirit – and this term does not resonate with everyone.  Two Spirit is a cultural term reserved for those who identify as Indigenous Native American. Although the term itself became more commonly used around 1990, two-spirit people have existed for centuries.

References

Human Rights Campaign. (2023 May 31). Glossary of Terms. https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms

University of California-Davis. (2023 July 21). LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary. https://lgbtqia.ucdavis.edu/educated/glossary#c

Afro-Latinx - The term Afro-Latinx (or Afro-Latino, -Latina, or -Latine) refers to individuals of Latin America or of Latin American descent who are also of African ancestry (LOC). 

 Anti-Black Racism - Anti-Black racism, also called anti-Black sentiment, anti-Blackness, colorphobia or Negrophobia, is characterized by prejudice, collective hatred, and discrimination or extreme aversion towards people who are racialized as Black people, especially those people from sub-Saharan Africa and its diasporas, as well as a loathing of Black culture worldwide (Husbands, W., et al., 2022). 

 Anti‐Semitism - hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group (Webster-Merriam Dictionary). 

 BIPOC - The acronym BIPOC, referring to "black, indigenous, (and) people of color. 

 Blood Quantum - A person's blood quantum (BQ) is defined as the fraction of their ancestors, out of their total ancestors, who are documented as full-blood Native Americans. For instance, a person who has one parent who is a full-blood Native American and one who has no Native ancestry has a BQ of 1/2 (Wikipedia, 2025). 

Color Blind - Denial of potential racial differences by emphasizing sameness and denial of racism by emphasizing the belief that
everyone has the same opportunities (Neville et al., 2013). 

Culture - customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). 

Cultural Appropriation - A member of a majority group oversimplifying the culture of a minority group, or treating the culture of a minority group as a joke, is cultural appropriation (Britannica, n.d.). 

 Decolonization - to free from the dominating influence of a colonizing power (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). 

 Discrimination - the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people (Britannica, n.d.). 

 Dominant Group - refers to a privileged segment of society that wields significant power, resources, and influence compared to other social categories (Bash, 2024). 

 Ethnicity - a large group of people with a shared culture, language, history, set of traditions, etc., or the fact of belonging to one of these groups (Cambride, n.d.)

 Individual/Personal Racism - refers to an individual’s racist assumptions, beliefs or behaviours and is “a form of racial discrimination that stems from conscious and unconscious, personal prejudice” (Henry & Tator, 2006, p. 329).

Institutional/Systemic Racism - includes the policies and practices entrenched in established institutions, which result in the exclusion or promotion of designated groups. It differs from overt discrimination in that no individual intent is necessary (City of Toronto).

 Internalized Racism -the acceptance of negative stereotypes about one’s own racial group (Willis et al., 2021). 

 First Nations People refers to the indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Metis. 

 Hate Crime is a crime typically involving violence that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or similar grounds. 

 Hispanic refers to people whose ancestors are from Spanish speaking countries like Latin America or who are from Spain. 

 Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration that takes place from September 15 to October 15. It recognizes and honors the history, culture, and achievements of Hispanic and Latino Americans many whom are American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. 

 Indigenous People are any group of people native to a specific region. It refers to people who lived there before colonists or settlers arrived. 

 Latinx/a/o is a gender neutral term referring to people of Latin America origin, including those who identify as non-binary or gender-nonconforming. Latino is a gendered term for male and Latina is female. 

 Marginalization is treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral. 

 Mexican American is a citizen or resident of the United States who is of Mexican birth or descent. 

 Micro-Aggressions is a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority. 

 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) refers to a significant ongoing crisis where Indigenous women and girls are disproportionally affected by violence, including missing and murdered cases. 

 Oppression is prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control. 

 People of Color (POC) are people who are not white. 

 Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. 

 Privilege is a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. 

 Race refers to a group of people who are perceived to share certain physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, and facial features. 

 Racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by and individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group. 

 Stereotype a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. 

 Token-ism the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.

 Two Spirit is a term used by some Indigenous, Native American, and First Nations people to describe a gender identity or expression that encompasses both masculine and feminine traits often outside the traditional Western binary understanding of gender. 

 White Fragility is discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice. 

 White Privilege is inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice. 

 White Supremacy the belief that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society, typically to the exlusion or detriment of other racial and ethnic groups. 

 Xenophobia is the dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries. 

Atheist is a person who does not believe in the existence of a god or gods. 

Agnostic is a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenoma. 

Bahá'ís are followers of the Bahá'í Faith, a religion founded in the mid-19th century in Persia by Baháʼu'lláh. 

Buddhists are followers the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha. 

Chinese folk-religion is a broad and syncretic belief system that incorporates elements from Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, along with traditional practices and beliefs. Often referred to as Chinese popular religion. 

Christians are followers who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Christianity. It may also refer to the faith tradition that focuses on the figure of Jesus Christ. 

Confucianism is a philosophy and belief system originating in ancient China, focusing on ethics, morality, and social harmony. 

Daoism or Taoism is a Chinese philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes harmony with the natural order of the universe often referred to as the Dao. 

Ethnic religion is a religion that is closely tied to a specific group, culture, or region, often seen as a defining part of that group's identity. 

Hinduism is a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, which developed from Vedic religion. 

Islam is based on the belief in the oneness and uniqueness of God (tawhid), and belief in an afterlife (akhirah) with the Last Judgment wherein the righteous will be rewarded in paradise (Jannah) and the unrighteous will be punished in hell (Jahannam).

Jainism is a nontheistic religion founded in India in the 6th century BC. It teaches salvation by perfection through successive lives and noninjury to living creatures.  

Jewish is any person whose religion is Judaism. In the broader sense of the term, a Jew is any person belonging to the worldwide group that constitutes, through descent or conversion, a continuation of the ancient Jewish people, who were themselves descendants of the Hebrews of the Bible (Old Testament).

Muslims are followers of the religion of Islam. 

Palestinians are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine.

Shintoists are followers of Shintoism, the indigenous religion of Japan. 

Sikhism is an Indian religion and philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE.

Spiritism maintains that spirits exist separately from human bodies, that humans are incarnate spirits, and that spirits undergo repeated reincarnation into the physical world in a progression toward intellectual and moral perfection.

Zoroastrians is a follower of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion founded by Zarathustra. Zoroastrianism is considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions, and its followers believe in one supreme god, Ahura Mazda, who is the creator of all good things. 

The term "veteran" means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable. 

Bodily Autonomy refers to the right of an individual to make informed decisions about their own body and its treatment without coercion or external influence. 

Gender is a complex concept encompassing social constructs, identities, and roles, distinct from biological sex. 

Gender Identity is a person's innate sense of their gender. 

Gender Expression is the way in which a person expresses a gender identity, typically through their appearance, dress, and behavior. 

“Me Too” Movement is a social movement against sexual violence and sexual assault, primarily driven by a social media hashtag. 

Misogyny is the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. 

Misogynoir refers to a form of misogyny specifically targeting Black women, blending the elements of racism and sexism. 

Patriarchy refers to a social system where men hold the majority of power and influence in areas like politics, economics, and social life. 

Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. 

Sexual Orientation refers to a person's identity in relation to the gender or genders to which they are sexually attracted. 

Race and Ethinicity

"Anti-Semitism". Merriam-Webster.com dictionary (16 October 2024).

Bash, H. (2024). Dominant group. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/dominant-group#bibliography

Blood quantum laws. (2025, March 5). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from Wikipedia. 

City of Toronto. (1991). Race Relations: Myths and Facts. Toronto Mayor’s Committee on Community and Race Relations.

"Culture". Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. 2025. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture. (22 April 2025). 

"Cultural appropriation". Britannica.com. 2025. https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-cultural-appropriation, (22 April 2025). 

"Decolonize". Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. 2025. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decolonize. (22 April 2025). 

"Discrimination". Britannica.com dictionary. 2025. https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/discrimination. (22 April 2025). 

"Ethnicity". Cambridge.org dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ethnicity. (22 April 2025). 

Garcia, Sandra E. (June 17, 2020). "Where Did BIPOC Come From?". The New York Times. Retrieved Ocotber 16, 2024.

Henry, F., & Tator, C. (2006). The Colour of Democracy: Racism in Canadian Society. 3rd Ed. Toronto, ON: Nelson.

Husbands, W., Lawson, D. O., Etowa, E. B., Mbuagbaw, L., Baidoobonso, S., Tharao, W., Yaya, S., Nelson, L. E., Aden, M., & Etowa, J. (2022). Black Canadians' Exposure to Everyday Racism: Implications for Health System Access and Health Promotion among Urban Black Communities. Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 99(5), 829–841. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-022-00676-w 

Neville, H. A., Awad, G. H., Brooks, J. E., Flores, M. P., & Bluemel, J. (2013). Color-blind racial ideology: Theory, training, and measurement implications in psychology. American Psychologist, 68(6), 455–466. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033282

Willis, H. A., Sosoo, E. E., Bernard, D. L., Neal, A., & Neblett, E. W. (2021). The Associations Between Internalized Racism, Racial Identity, and Psychological Distress. Emerging adulthood (Print), 9(4), 384–400. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968211005598

https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-studies/afro-latinx-bibliography