1. The LGBT+ Traffic Light System
The following words and terms have been sorted into three categories: green, amber, and red. This
is a guideline on which words are okay to use, which should definitely be avoided, and which ones
are difficult to categorise since they can mean different things to different people or groups of
people.
Prefixes explained! Knowing what these prefixes mean will make it easier to understand the
meaning of some LGBT+ terms:
A- : means ‘not’ or ‘away from’, so indicates a negation of the following
Bi- : indicates there are two of the following
Demi- : means ‘half’ or ‘part’, so indicates partiality
Pan - : means ‘all’, so encompasses all of the following
Poly- : means ‘many’, so encompasses some of the following
Trans- : means ‘across’, so indicates a change or movement away from or towards something
Tri- : indicates there are three of the following
Green
These words are not offensive, don't be afraid to use them!
There is however a correct way to use them which should be fairly obvious, e.g. if Simon is a gay
man, saying “Simon is gay” is not offensive. Using 'gay' as a substitute for 'stupid' or 'annoying',
etc., is offensive. E.g. if your computer isn't working, saying “My computer isn't working, that's so
gay!” is offensive and should be avoided.
Agender – a person who does not identify with any gender identity
Asexual – a person who does not want to or does not experience the desire to engage in sexual acts
Bigender - a person whose gender shifts between male and female depending on the situation
Bisexual – a person who is sexually attracted to both men and women (and usually romantically)
Cisgender – a person who identifies as the sex they were assigned at birth, e.g. A person who was
born with a female sex AND whose gender identity is female is a cisgender woman
Demisexual - a person who only experiences the desire to engage in sexual acts with someone with
whom they share a close emotional, mental or spiritual bond
Drag/Drag queen – usually a man who performs dressed as a woman, it is an acronym for Dressed
Resembling A Girl (coined by Shakespeare!). Drag does not mean transgender or transsexual, it is
only for performance
FTM - acronym meaning ‘female to male’, a type of sexual reassignment
Gay – a man who is sexually and romantically attracted to men
Genderfluid - similar to bigender, a person whose gender changes depending on how they feel
Genderqueer – an umbrella term for anyone who does not identify as male or female
Gender non-conforming - the same as genderqueer
Genderless - like agender, a person who feels the absence of gender
Heterosexual – a person who is attracted to the opposite sex
Homosexual – a person who is attracted to the same sex
Intergender - a person who identifies as between male and female or a combination of the two
Intersex – a person who was born with both male and female physical features, e.g. testes, breasts,
etc.
Lesbian – a woman who is sexually and romantically attracted to women
MTF - acronym meaning ‘male to female’, a type of sexual reassignment
Neutrois - a term meaning gender neutral

2. Non-binary - this is an umbrella term for anyone who does not identify as male or female
Pangender - a person whose gender identity is a culmination of all gender identities and
expressions
Pansexual – a person who is sexually attracted to people regardless of their gender identity
Polygender - a person whose gender identity is made up of many gender identities and expressions,
but not all
Third gender - in some cultures and societies another gender is recognised that is not male or
female, third gender describes a person who identifies as this gender
Trans – short for transgender, transsexual or any term beginning with trans. Used as an umbrella
term
Transgender – a person who does not identify as the sex they were assigned at birth
Transsexual – a person who has reassigned their sex from the one they were assigned at birth
Trigender - like bigender, but also including third gender
Two-spirit – an indigenous term from the belief that a person can have more than one spirit, which
may be of any gender identity
Amber
These words can have different meanings to different people, so it is often difficult to know when it
is appropriate to use them. A simple guideline is to avoid using them unless someone specifically
tells you it is okay or that they would like to be identified by a specific term. e.g. if Sarah says “I
identify as queer”, it is alright for you to say “Sarah is queer”.
In some cases it is best to use a bit of intuition, for example if Simon says “I was bullied a lot in
school for being gay, they used to call me queer”, then the word 'queer' probably has bad
connotations for Simon and it is best to avoid it.
Many of these Amber words should be used with caution because they have been slurs in the past
but have now been re-appropriated as a way of self-defining by some groups or individuals (this
means they have the same definition as before but without the negative connotations), however to a
lot of people they may still be considered a slur. It is important to note that some of these terms may
be used freely among LGBT+ people but may be considered offensive coming from a non-LGBT+
person.
Butch – a person who expresses masculine attributes or appearance
Boi - a person who was assigned female at birth but generally expresses masculine tendencies and
either does not or only partially identifies as a woman
Camp – whilst not specifically a slur, it is normally used in a derogatory way
Crossdresser - a person who dresses in clothes usually assigned to the opposite sex, e.g. a man who
wears dresses. Whilst not specifically a slur it normally has negative connotations because of how it
has been used in the past
Femme – a person who expresses feminine attributes or appearance
Lipstick lesbian – a lesbian who is stereotypically feminine in manner and appearance. Not
generally considered an offensive term, but it implies that there is something unusual about a
lesbian being feminine
Queen – this word can be particularly confusing! It can be used as a compliment meaning
something like ‘regal’ or ‘fantastic’, however from a non-LGBT+ person would probably be taken
as an insult because it has been used negatively in the past
Queer – Usually means a person who identifies as non-heterosexual, sometimes also non-cisgender
Stud - similar to butch, normally used to describe women who express extreme masculinity, sort of
like an alpha-male
Tomboy - another word to describe women who express masculinity, but not as strong as butch

3. Androgynous - a person who either appears or identifies as a mix of masculine and feminine or
gender neutral, this is simply a descriptive term and is not in itself offensive but some people may
not like to be described this way.
Transvestite - the same as Crossdresser
Twink – a young, slender man. Not necessarily an offensive term, but usually used with sexual or
negative connotations
Red
These words are offensive and should be avoided. The only time it is alright to use these words is
when someone specifically requests to be referred to with them because some of them have been re-
appropriated by certain groups or individuals, however to the majority of the LGBT+ community
they are still very offensive. E.g. if Jessica says “I identify as a dyke, I would like you to refer to me
as a dyke”, then it is alright to say “Jessica is a dyke”, but even then make sure to double check! It
is also a good idea to make sure that anyone you say this to is aware that Jessica has specifically
requested to be referred to using this term.
Again, It is important to note that some of these terms may be used freely among LGBT+ people
but will most likely be considered offensive coming from a non-LGBT+ person.
Dyke – A slur meaning lesbian (Bulldyke, dieseldyke, etc. – there are several variations of dyke,
they should all be avoided)
Faggot – a slur usually meaning a gay, bisexual or effeminate man
Fag – short for faggot
Fairy – a slur meaning an effeminate man
Lesbo/lezzy/lez – short for lesbian
Ladyboy – a term meaning a transgender or transsexual person, or a man who presents and appears
as a woman. The term originates from Asian culture where it may not be a slur, however in western
culture it is generally considered offensive
Shemale – a slur meaning a transgender or transsexual person
Tranny - a slur meaning transgender or transsexual
Note 1: For all the words above that end in ‘sexual’ there is also a word that ends in ‘romantic’, this
indicates a person’s emotional feelings towards people of different genders rather than sexual
attraction
Note 2: This is by no means a complete list! For a more extensive list of slurs and terms to avoid
completely follow the link below, but please be aware that some of them are very explicit and
very graphic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LGBT_slang_terms
Other points to be aware of:
Names -
Never ask a Trans person what their 'real name' is. This implies that the name they now identify
with is somehow invalid. Their real name is the name that matches their gender identity, not their
assigned sex. If you know a trans person who has made it explicitly clear that they don't mind being
asked personal questions about their experiences of being trans and their life before transitioning,
then it is alright to inquire about their 'birth name’.

4. Pronouns -
The grammarians among you will know that pronouns are the words you use to refer to a person or
a thing. For example, to refer to a man you use 'he/him/his'. To refer to a woman you use
'she/her/her'. When meeting a new person, if you are not sure of their gender, it is always a good
idea to ask them what their preferred pronouns are. 'Preferred pronouns' is term that has come
around recently meaning the pronouns someone would like to be referred to with.
On rare occasions you may meet someone who does not identify as male or female and wants to be
referred to with the alternative pronouns 'xe/xim/xir' or 'ze/zim/zir', this is very uncommon though
and they will tell you if they want you to do this.
Some people also prefer the gender neutral pronouns 'they/them/their', however this often raises
an argument and is claimed to be grammatically incorrect since some believe they should only be
used in the plural and not to refer to individuals. Let's take a second to look at the first paragraph,
did it sound wrong to you when reading the sentence about meeting a new person? In reality as far
as grammar is concerned using 'they/them/their' is perfectly fine, not least because English has such
irregular grammar anyway, but most importantly because making sure someone feels comfortable
and respected is more important that trying to be pernickety about syntax. If you're ever unsure of
someone's gender, use 'they/them/their' until you get the chance to ask their preferred pronouns
privately. Don't worry it's not rude to ask, just make sure to be sensitive in the way you ask and
don't ask any intrusive questions.
Respect other peoples’ privacy -
Other peoples’ bodies are not your business! Some people may express their gender in a way that
seems strange to you, but that doesn’t give you the right to ask them invasive questions. If Brian
wants to come into work wearing a dress that does not necessarily mean he is undergoing a sexual
reassignment procedure, so it is not okay for you to ask him if he’s having surgery or anything like
that. You may think you would never do something like that but most people don’t realise when
they are overstepping a boundary, as many Trans people report that people ask them questions like
“Have you had it chopped off yet?” or “Why do you still have an Adam’s Apple?” or even “Are
you a real man/woman?” These kinds of questions can be very upsetting for Trans people,
especially when phrased like this. Don’t ask anyone these kinds of questions unless they have made
it explicitly clear that they are willing to talk openly with you about this topic and never say that
someone isn’t a real man or woman, that’s for them to decide.