Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Health
Definitions
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) people are a diverse group of people who have struggled with issues of sexuality and gender identity, and may therefore feel a sense of kinship. GLBT people are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, age, education, political affiliation, income, and the degree to which they identify with other GLBT people.
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Sexual Orientation |
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Sexual orientation refers to one's sexual and romantic attraction. Those whose sexual orientation is to people of the opposite sex are called "heterosexual", those whose sexual orientation is to people of the same sex are called "homosexual" (or lesbian or gay), and those whose sexual orientation is to people of both sexes are called "bisexual." The term "sexual preference" is misleading because it implies that this attraction is a choice rather than an intrinsic personal characteristic. Sexual orientation is not necessarily the same as sexual behavior.
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Lesbian |
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A lesbian is a woman whose primary sexual and romantic attractions are to other women. She may have sex with women currently or may have had sex with women in the past. A smaller number of lesbians may never have had sex with another woman for a whole host of reasons (age, societal pressures, lack of opportunity, fear of discrimination), but nonetheless realize that their sexual attraction is mainly to other women. Some lesbians have sex with men and some don't. It is important to note that some women who have sex with other women, sometimes exclusively, may not call themselves lesbians.
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Gay |
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A gay man is a man whose primary sexual and romantic attraction is to other men. He may have sex with men currently or may have had sex with men in the past. A smaller number of gay men may never have had sex with another man for a whole host of reasons (age, societal pressures, lack of opportunity, fear of discrimination), but nonetheless realize that their sexual attraction is mainly to other men. Some gay men have sex with women and some don't. It is important to note that some men who have sex with other men, sometimes exclusively, may not call themselves gay.
"Gay" is also used as an inclusive term encompassing gay men, lesbians, bisexual people, and sometimes even transgender people. In the last 20 years, this has become less and less common and "gay" is usually used currently to refer only to gay men. The term is still often used in the broader sense in spoken shorthand, as in "The Gay Pride Parade is at the end of June."
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Bisexual |
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Bisexual men and women have sexual and romantic attractions to both men and women. Depending upon the person, his or her attraction may be stronger to women or to men, or they may be approximately equal. A bisexual person may have had sex with people of both sexes, or only of one sex, or he or she may never have had sex at all. It is important to note that some people who have sex with both men and women do not consider themselves bisexual. Bisexuals are also referred to as "bi."
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Heterosexual |
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A heterosexual man or woman's primary sexual and romantic attraction is to people of the other sex. She or he may or may not have had sex with another person, but still realize that his/her sexual attraction is mainly to people of the other sex. Some people who consider themselves heterosexual have or have had sexual contact with people of the same sex. Heterosexual people are also referred to as "straight."
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Gender Identity |
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At birth, we are assigned one of two genders, usually based on our visible genitals. For many people this gender assignment fits and feels comfortable and they never think about it further. Others do not feel as comfortable with their assigned gender, either because they find the two-gender system too limiting or because they feel more identification with the gender opposite that to which they were assigned at birth. People deal with this discomfort in many ways, sometimes only in personal ways, and sometimes in ways visible to others.
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Transgender |
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People who identify more strongly with the other gender than the one to which they were assigned (e.g., women who feel like men, or men who feel like women) are called "transgendered." Some transgendered people may "cross-dress" or "do drag" regularly or for fun (and many of these people are comfortable in their assigned gender). Other transgendered people may take hormones of the opposite gender and/or have surgery in order to change their bodies to reflect how they feel inside. These people are also called "transsexual." Transgendered people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.
Female-to-male transsexuals are sometimes referred to as "FTMs" or "transsexual men," and male-to-female transsexuals as "MTFs" or "transsexual women." Pre-operative ("pre-op") transsexuals are preparing for sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) and may take hormones. Post-operative ("post-op") transsexuals have undergone SRS and continue to take hormones, often for the rest of their lives. Some transsexuals ("non-op") either do not want or cannot afford SRS, though they may still take hormones.
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Queer |
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Some GLBT people, particularly young people living in the coastal US, use the term "queer" to encompass the entire GLBT community. For these people, the term "queer" is positive and empowering. Other GLBT people find this term degrading. |
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