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2SLGBTQIAP+

2S: Two-Spirit

L: Lesbian

G: Gay

B: Bisexual

T: Trans

Q: Queer/Questioning

I: Intersex

A: Asexual

P: Pansexual

+: Other diverse gender and sexual identities

Created by the TDSB GSA Network.

Visit https://sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/tdsbgsanetwork

Many of these definitions are drawn from the 519’s Glossary of Terms. Please note that the initialism for the 2SLGBTQIAP+ community has evolved many times over the years and will likely to continue to evolve. Teaching this history is an important part of teaching the initialism. Earlier in the history of our movement, gay was used as a general term and many women described themselves as gay. Women in the queer rights movement faced and continue to face sexism. For this reason, they demanded that the names of queer movements explicitly include “lesbian” in their titles. The initialism began with GLB and lesbians fought to have the L placed first as an acknowledgement that women’s voices should be centred to counteract the sexism of many gay and bisexual men. The addition of the following letters has come with advocacy from those communities, and the initialism varies between organizations and in different places around the world. This same philosophy of prioritizing the most marginalized members of the community is behind the more recent placement of 2S at the beginning of the initialism. Finally, it should be noted that the initialism in North America has been most influenced by white people. This has meant that terms in racialized communities, such as quare in the Black community, have been left out of the initialism.

2S Two-Spirit: An umbrella term encompassing gender and sexual diversity in Indigenous communities. Two Spirit people often serve integral and important roles in their communities, such as leaders and healers. There are many understandings the term Two Spirit – and this English term does not resonate for everyone. Two Spirit is a cultural term reserved for those who identify as Indigenous. The term two-spirit was coined by Elder Myra Laramee who proposed its use during the Third Annual Inter-tribal Native American, First Nations, Gay and Lesbian American Conference, held in Winnipeg in 1990.

L Lesbian: A woman who is attracted to women.

G Gay: A person who is attracted to people of the same gender.

B Bisexual: A person who is attracted to people of more than one gender.

T Trans*: An umbrella term referring to people whose gender identities differ from the sex they were assigned at birth. “Trans” can mean transcending beyond, existing between, or crossing over the gender spectrum. It includes but is not limited to people who identify as transgender, transsexual, non-binary or gender non-conforming (gender variant or genderqueer).

Q Queer: An umbrella term used and reclaimed by some whose sexual orientations and/or gender identities fall outside of cisgender/straight norms.

Q Questioning: A person who is exploring their own sexual identity, orientation, and/or gender.

I Intersex: A person born with sex characteristics (chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, or genitals) that do not fit the typical medical definitions of male or female bodies. Around 1% of people are intersex in some way. Learn more here.

A Asexual: A person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to people of any gender. ‘A’ is sometimes used to represent ‘ally’: people who support 2SLGBTQIAP+ people.

P Pansexual: A person who is attracted to other people regardless of gender.

+ Other diverse gender and sexual identities: There are many other diverse gender and sexual identities. Some may be included under umbrella terms as well. Some include Agender, Gender Queer, Bigender, Gender Variant, Pangender, Aromantic, Demisexual, Graysexual, Gender Fluid, Non-Binary and more.