Sexual Orientation: the sexual/affectional attraction that a person feels either to members of the same sex (gay, lesbian); the opposite sex (heterosexual); both sexes (bisexual); or neither sex.

Homophobia: the fear and hatred of gay, lesbian, or bisexual people. Includes discrimination, harassment, and acts of violence brought on by that fear and hatred.

Heterosexism: the system of advantages bestowed on heterosexuals. An institutional response to homophobia which assumes that all people are or should be heterosexual and therefore excludes the needs, concerns, and life experiences of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.

Transgender: Generally used as an umbrella term for people who are not comfortable being confined to the roles of male and female as they are defined by our society. For example, a transgender person may be sexually a male, but identify more closely with the societal role of a woman... or vice versa. Being transgender does not necessarily mean that the person is not happy with their sex; it means that they are not happy with how society tells them to express their sex.

Transsexual: A person who chooses to change their sex assignment. There are several types of transsexuals: Preoperative (planning to have sex reassignment surgery), Postoperative (having gone through the sex reassignment surgery), and Nonoperative (choosing not to have the sex reassignment surgery).

Transvestite: A person who cross dresses for pleasure and who may be heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

Queer: This term is considered by some to be offensive and derisive, and by others as a re-appropriated term used to describe a sexual orientation and/or gender identity or gender expression that does not conform to heteronormative society.