LGBT slang, LGBT speak, or gay slang is a set of English slang

lexicon A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Koine Greek language, Greek word (), neuter of () ...

used predominantly among LGBT people. It has been used in various languages since the early 20th century as a means by which members of the LGBT community identify themselves and speak in code with brevity and speed to others. The acronym LGBT was popularized in the 1990s and stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.

History and context

Because of sodomy laws and threat of prosecution due to the criminalization of homosexuality, LGBT slang has served as an argot or cant, a secret language and a way for the LGBT community to communicate with each other publicly without revealing their sexual orientation to others. Since the advent of

queer studies Queer studies, sexual diversity studies, or LGBT studies is the education of topics relating to sexual orientation and gender identity usually focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender dysphoria, asexual, queer, questioning, inte ...

in universities, LGBT slang and argot has become a subject of academic research among linguistic anthropology scholars. Butch Femme Society by David Shankbone

During the first seven decades of the 20th century, a specific form of Polari was developed by gay men and

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

s in urban centres of the United Kingdom within established LGBT communities. Although there are differences, contemporary British gay slang has adopted many Polari words. The 1964 legislative report '' Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida'' contains an extensive appendix documenting and defining the homosexual slang in the United States at that time. SCRUFF launched a gay-slang dictionary app in 2014, which includes commonly used slang in the United States from the gay community. Specialized dictionaries that record LGBT slang have been found to revolve heavily around sexual matters. Slang is ephemeral. Terms used in one generation may pass out of usage in another. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s, the terms "cottage" (chiefly British) and "tearoom" (chiefly American) were used to denote public toilets used for sex. By 1999, this terminology had fallen out of use to the point of being greatly unrecognizable by members of the LGBT community at large. Many terms that originated as gay slang have become part of the popular

. For example, the word ''

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...

'' was popularized by Hubert Selby Jr. in his book '' Last Exit to Brooklyn''. ''Drag'' has been traced back by the

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

(OED) to the late 19th Century. Conversely, words such as " banjee", while well-established in a subset of gay society, have never made the transition to popular use. Conversations between gay men have been found to use more slang and fewer commonly known terms about sexual behavior than conversations between straight men. In the Philippines, many LGBT people speak with Swardspeak, or "gay lingo", which is a more extensive use of slang as a form of dialect or way of speaking. Other argots are spoken in southern Africa ( Gayle language and IsiNgqumo) and Indonesia ( Bahasa Binan). More specifically, in a country like Thailand, LGBT slang was always present in their history due to their religious, behavioral, and social nature. Though, before the term LGBT was introduced, the Thai community would use the terms Kathoey and Tom. The term Kathoey was used to describe transgender women who dress, act, or partake in surgery to become female, and the term Tom as well as "handsome girls" in Thai was used to describe women who liked women. Homosexuality and transgenderism has always existed throughout their history, as well as their behavioral nature did not align with heterosexual ideals.

General slang terms

* 100-footer – an obviously gay or lesbian person (as if visible from 100 feet away) ( US) * or (man-loving-man) – an umbrella term for attractions and relationships between men, regardless of their sexual or romantic orientation, sometimes including non-binary androphiles * baby gay – a young or recently out gay person (US) * baby trans – a young or recently out transgender person (US) *

baths Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

– bathhouses frequented by gay men for sexual encounters (US) * beach bitch – a gay man who frequents beaches and resorts for sexual encounters (US) *

beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal a ...

– a person used as a date, romantic partner, or spouse to conceal one's sexual orientation * beat – having or seeking anonymous gay sex (Australia) * bent – gay, as opposed to straight (UK) * bender – someone who has homosexual intercourse (UK) * binding – a technique in which individuals wear tight clothing, bandages, or compression garments, known as binders, to hide and flatten their breasts * bottom – a receptive male partner in intercourse; also used as a verb for the state of receiving sexual stimulation ** – someone who dominantly or energetically plays the receptive role in intercourse * –

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsanal sex Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. O ...

. Also used to refer to

trans man A trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth. The label of transgender man is not always interchangeable with that of transsexual man, although the two labels are often used in this way. ''Transgender'' is an umbrella term that in ...

's vulva. * – a masculine-looking

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

* butchy femme – a gender expression between femme and futch * camp, campy – effeminacy, effeminate * clone – a San Francisco or New York

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

denizen with exaggerated macho behavior and appearance (US) *

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other ( LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and hum ...

– keeping one's sexuality or gender identity a secret from others (US) * cocksucker – a person who practices fellatio, usually a gay male (US) * come out (of the closet) – to admit or publicly acknowledge oneself as non-heterosexual/non-cisgender (US) *

cottaging Cottaging is a gay slang term, originating from the United Kingdom, referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory (a "cottage", "tea-room"Andre "tearoom; t-room ''noun'' a public toilet. From an era when a great deal of homosexual ...

– having or seeking anonymous gay sex in a public toilet, or 'cottage' (UK) * cruising – seeking a casual gay sex encounter (historically from

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–50 ...

) * down-low – homosexual or bisexual activity, kept secret, by

men who have sex with men Men who have sex with men (MSM) are male persons who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex. The term was created in the 1990s by epidemiologists to study the spread of disease among all men who have sex with men, regardless of s ...

(US) * en femme, en homme – the act of wearing clothes stereotypically of the opposite sex * fag hag – a woman who associates mostly or exclusively with gay and bisexual men (US) * femboy – a feminine or androgynous male * femme – a feminine homosexual (US) * – a shorter alternative to folks * – a gender expression between femme and butch, or a feminine butch * Game of Flats – an 18th century English term for sex between women The reference is to A. G. Busbequius, Travels into Turkey, English translation (London, 1744). The original book, published much earlier, was invariably cited whenever lesbianism was mentioned, e.g., William Walsh's A Dialogue Concerning Women (London, 1691) and in

Martin Schurig Martin Schurig (1656–1733) was the first physician to occupy himself with the anatomy of the sexual organs.gaydar – the supposed ability to detect someone's sexual orientation (from ''gay'' + ''radar''). Corresponding terms include , , , and . Bidar is also called , a jocular pun on

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio w ...

. *

gaymer Gaymer and gay gamer are umbrella terms used to refer to the group of people who are identified as homosexual and have an active interest in video games or tabletop games, also known as gamers. Lesbian, bisexual, and transgender gamers are o ...

– an LGBT person who plays

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...

(from ''gay'' + ''gamer'') * gaysian – a gay Asian person * gold star – a homosexual who has never had heterosexual sexual intercourse (US) * * heteroflexible – to be mostly heterosexual * homoflexible – to be mostly gay * Horatian – from the belated nineteenth century, term utilized at Oxford amongst Lord Byron along with his compatriots to a bisexual individual; a bisexual+ masculine person (UK) * Molly/Tommy – In 18th century England, the term "molly" was used for male homosexuals, implying

effeminacy Effeminacy is the embodiment of traits and/or expressions in those who are not of the female sex (e.g. boys and men) that are often associated with what is generally perceived to be feminine behaviours, mannerisms, styles, or gender roles, rat ...

; "tommy", a slang term for a homosexual woman in use by 1781, and may have been coined by analogy. See

Molly house Molly-house was a term used in 18th- and 19th-century Britain for a meeting place for homosexual men. The meeting places were generally taverns, public houses, coffeehouses or even private rooms where men could either socialise or meet possible ...

. * platinum star gay – gay men who were born by a C-section procedure (US) * * poz –

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

-positive person (US) * queer – originally a slur against homosexuals, transgender people, and anyone who does not fit society's standards of gender and sexuality; recently reclaimed and used as umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities * sapphic or (woman-loving-woman) – synonymous with lesbian, but used nowadays to encompass attractions and relationships between women, regardless of their sexual or romantic orientation, sometimes including non-binary gynephiles * side – someone who prefers not to have anal sex * swish – effeminate or effeminacy (US) *

switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type ...

– see vers * tomgirl – see femboy * top – the dominant or inserting sexual partner, usually in a homosexual relation or activity ** – a submissive top, someone who applies sensation or control to a bottom, but does so at the bottom's explicit instructions *

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exch ...

– a straight-passing or heterosexual male partner, commonly used by gay men or trans women (derived from Polari) (US) *

vers Vers may refer to: *Vers (Lahn), a river of Hesse, Germany *Vers (Lot), a river of southern France, tributary of the Lot *an abbreviation for the trigonometric function "versine" *an abbreviation for versatile (sex), commonly used in Western gay m ...

– a person who enjoys both topping and bottoming, or being dominant and submissive, and may alternate between the two in sexual situations, adapting to their partner

Terms describing gay men

* artiste – a gay man who excels at fellatio (US) * auntie – an older, often effeminate and gossipy gay man (US) * bathsheba – a gay man who frequents gay bathhouses (US) *

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domestication, domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey junglefowl, grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster ...

– a youthful gay man * chubby chaser – a man who seeks overweight males (US) * cupcake – young attractive man, usually a jock type, with a good body. *

daddy A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fath ...

– a typically older gay man (US) * finocchio (from Italy, meaning fennel) * flit * flower – a typically effeminate gay man *

friend of Dorothy A "friend of Dorothy" (FOD) is a euphemism for a gay man, first used in LGBT slang, and is more broadly used to describe any LGBTQ person. Stating that, or asking if someone is a ''friend of Dorothy'' is a furtive way of suggesting sexual orientat ...

– a gay person. Historically used as a

shibboleth A shibboleth (; hbo, , šībbōleṯ) is any custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or even a single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another. Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many societies as passw ...

to identify other LGBT people. Likely a reference to

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in ''The ...

, who portrayed Dorothy in ''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) and had a large gay fan-base. * gaysian – a gay Asian * light in the loafers / light in the pants / light in the fedora * punk – a smaller, younger gay man who, in prison settings, is forced into a submissive role and used for the older inmate's sexual pleasure *

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

– a flamboyant or effeminate gay man. Alternatively, short for

. ** bean queen (also taco queen or Salsa queen), gay man attracted to Hispanic men ** brownie queen – obsolete slang for gay man interested in anal sex (used by men who disliked anal sex) **

queen – an older gay man interested in younger or younger appearing men ** grey queen – a gay person who works in

financial services Financial services are the economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, accountancy companie ...

; grey flannel suits). ** potato queen – a gay Asian man attracted mainly to white men.Ayres T (1999). China doll - the experience of being a gay Chinese Australian. ''Journal of Homosexuality'', 36(3-4): 87-97 ** rice queen – a gay man attracted mainly to East Asian men.

Slurs

* anal assassin (UK) or "anal astronaut" * arse bandit or Ass bandit * backgammon player (late 18th century Britain) * batty boy – a slur for gay or effeminate man (

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

and U.K.) * bent, bentshot or bender * bixa/ (Brazil) * brownie king / brown piper * bufter, bufty (mainly Scottish) or booty buffer * bum boy / bum chum, also bum robber * butt pirate, butt boy, butt rider, butt pilot, or butt rustler * chi chi man (Jamaica and the Caribbean) * cockstruction worker – a gay, bi or queer man who works in

construction industry Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...

* homo – shortening of

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

. Often derogatory. * homo thug *

faggot Faggot, faggots, or faggoting may refer to: Arts and crafts * Faggoting (metalworking), forge welding a bundle of bars of iron and steel * Faggoting (knitting), variation of lace knitting in which every stitch is a yarn over or a decrease * F ...

/ fag – slur against gay men. First recorded in a

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

publication in 1914 * fairy – a slur reclaimed by gay men in the 1960s * flamer *

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

(also fruit loop, fruit packer, butt fruit) – a slur against gay men; originally a stereotype of gay men as "softer" and "smelling good" * fudge packer * maricón or (in Spanish) * ogay *

Pansy The garden pansy (''Viola'' × ''wittrockiana'') is a type of large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridization from several species in the section ''Melanium'' ("the pansies") of the genus ''Viola'', ...

* poof/poofta/ (Australian) * sod (from

Sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non-procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''so ...

) * or ''veado'' – a gay male or an effeminate man (lit., a corrupted form of "deer", derived from ''desviado'', meaning deviant) (Brazil)

Terms describing lesbians

* baby butch – a young, boyish lesbian (US) * baby dyke – a young or recently out lesbian (US) * bambi lesbian – a lesbian who prefers cuddles, hugs, kisses, and other affectionate and sensual non-sexual acts over sexual acts * bean flicker – Likening the clitoris to a bean * boi – a boyish lesbian (UK) * – a lesbian with male presentation * bull dyke – a masculine lesbian, as opposed to a baby butch or dinky dyke (US) *

butch Butch may refer to: People * Butch (nickname), a list of people * Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, an Old West outlaw gang *Barbara Butch, French lesbian DJ and activist * Butch Miller (wrestler) (born 1944), ring name of New Zealand professional wr ...

– a masculine lesbian * Carpet muncher (or "rug muncher") *

dyke Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...

("bull dyke", "bull dagger", alternatively "bulldagger", "bulldicker"), from 1920s black American slang. A slur reclaimed by women who are attracted to women in the 1950s ** diesel dyke ** drag dyke * dykon – portmanteau of ''dyke'' + ''

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...

''. A celebrity woman who is seen as an icon by lesbians; may or may not be a lesbian herself (US) * (in French) * kiki – a term used primarily from the 1940s until the 1960s to indicate a lesbian who was not butch or femme and did not have a preference for either butch or femme partners * kitty puncher / pussy puncher – with both "kitty" and "pussy" referring to a woman's vagina, and "puncher" as a variation on various derogatory terms for gay men, such "donut puncher". * lesbian until graduation (LUG) – a young woman who is assumed to be temporarily experimenting with same-sex behavior, but will ultimately adopt a heterosexual identity * lipstick lesbian – a lesbian/bisexual woman who displays historically feminine attributes such as wearing make-up, dresses, and high heels * muff-diver – a lesbian * pillow princess – a lesbian who prefers to receive sexual stimulation (to bottom) (US) * (Brazil) or (Portugal) *

soft butch A soft butch, or stem (stud-fem), is a lesbian who exhibits some stereotypical butch traits without fitting the masculine stereotype associated with butch lesbians. Soft butch is on the spectrum of butch, as are stone butch and masculine, whereas ...

– an androgynous lesbian, in between femme and butch (US) * stem, stemme – someone whose

gender expression Gender expression, or gender presentation, is a person's behavior, mannerisms, interests, and appearance that are associated with gender, specifically with the categories of femininity or masculinity. This also includes gender roles. These ca ...

falls somewhere between a stud and a femme *

stone butch A stone butch is a lesbian who displays female butchness or traditional "masculinity", as opposed to a stone femme. Identification with the terms is not necessarily dependent upon the person's physical appearance or gender expression, or upon t ...

– a very masculine lesbian, or a butch lesbian who does not receive touch during intercourse, only giving (US) * stud – a

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

butch

Terms describing bisexuals

* AC/DC – reference to "swinging both ways" (US) * – euphemism for bisexual, derived from ambidextrous * bicon –

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsbisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, wh ...

'' + ''

''. Used to refer to a bisexual

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

* Gillette Blade – a 1950s era term for bisexual women, whose sexuality "cuts both ways" * switch hitter – from the baseball term * unicorn – a bisexual, usually female, who desires multiple partners and is willing to join an existing married couple and sexually satisfy both members of the couple. So-named because bisexuals willing to enter to such an arrangement are considered rare or non-existent, while couples seeking such a partner ("unicorn hunters") are common.

Terms describing androgynous or intersex people

* – Japanese word for hermaphroditism, which is also used in a broader sense for

androgyny Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in ...

. Krauss, Friedrich Salomo et al. ''Japanisches Geschlechtsleben: Abhandlungen und Erhebungen über das Geschlechtsleben des japanischen Volkes; folkloristische Studien'', Schustek, 1965 The term is also heavily associated with a genre of hentai defined by sexualization of characters simultaneously possesssing breasts, a penis and vagina. * hermie – an androgynous or

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical b ...

person, often considered a slur. * altersex – a term describing an alternative sex in fiction or a body plan that is usually inaccessible in real life.

Terms describing transgender and non-binary people

* boymoder – a transgender woman who socially presents in a masculine gender role, typically in places where transgender individuals are discriminated against, or due to not being out as transgender. * Copenhagen capon – a transsexual; someone who has undergone sex reassignment surgery. The term alludes to Christine Jorgensen, a trans woman who underwent

sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and al ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in the 1950s. A

capon A capon (from la, cāpō, genitive ''cāpōnis'') is a cockerel (rooster) that has been castrated or neutered, either physically or chemically, to improve the quality of its flesh for food, and, in some countries like Spain, fattened by for ...

is a neutered rooster. * / – a female-to-male (FtM) and male-to-female (MtF) transgender/transsexual person, respectively, who has not had genital surgery, sometimes used for fictional characters * egg – a transgender person who has not yet realized they are trans; used by transgender people when aspects of one's personality or behavior remind them of gender-related aspects of themselves before they realized they were trans * – a

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typicall ...

person. Derived from the abbreviation NB. * hon – a non-passing transgender woman. This term is primarily used by trans women in online communities, especially 4chan. It is considered derogatory. * lady boy – English translation of kathoey, similar or equivalent to ''transgender woman'', but may refer to feminine gay men or

people. * repressor – a person who is fighting the wish to change their gender expression. * shemale – a trans woman with male genitalia and possibly female secondary sex characteristics.Autumn Sandeen
Blaming The Victim, Angie Zapata, For Her Own Death
Shadowproof, 19 Mar 2009 Primarily a term used in pornography and often considered derogatory. * – a

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may Gender transitioning, transition; this process commonly includes Feminizing horm ...

(short for "trans girl"). Sometimes considered derogatory, due to its association with transgender pornography. ** / – a

(short for "trans boy" and "trans guy") * tranarchist – transgender anarchism. * tranny – slur used for transgender people. * (

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordstrans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may Gender transitioning, transition; this process commonly includes Feminizing horm ...

or effeminate boy. Implies that others who are attracted to them (typically heterosexual men) are maliciously deceived (i.e. "trapped") regarding their "real" gender. Considered derogatory and dehumanizing.

Terms related to transgender and non-binary people

* chaser / tranny chaser – someone attracted to transgender people. Often used in a pejorative fashion, chasers to value them for their trans status alone, rather than being attracted to them as a person * clock – to recognize someone as transgender. * deadname – as a noun, a transgender person's birth name. As a verb, to refer to someone by their deadname. * girldick – a transfeminine person's penis, especially one changed by hormone use. Also known as girlcock or gock. * malefail – typically of transfeminine people, to be gendered as feminine when trying to present in a masculine gender role. * packing – the act of wearing padding or a

phallic A phallus is a penis (especially when Erection, erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimesis, mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history a figure with an erect penis is described as ithyphallic. Any object that symbolically— ...

object to present the appearance of a penis *

passing Passing may refer to: Social identity * Passing (sociology), presenting oneself as a member of another sociological group ** Passing (gender), presenting oneself as being cisgender ** Passing (racial identity), presenting oneself as a member ...

– being perceived by strangers as

cisgender Cisgender (often shortened to cis; sometimes cissexual) is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. The word ''cisgender'' is the antonym of ''transgender''. The prefix '' cis-'' is L ...

. * skoliosexual – to describe attraction to

people. * stealth – passing to the extent that most people do not know that you are trans. * TERF – acronym for "trans-exclusionary radical feminist"; a feminist whose advocacy excludes or opposes the rights of trans women; more generally, anyone hostile to transgender people. Such feminists typically prefer the term '' gender critical''.

Terms describing cisgender or heterosexual people

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist ...

– a heterosexual person, especially one with children * cishet – Someone who is cisgender and heterosexual and/or heteroromantic. * chaser – a cisgender person who has a sexual fetish for transgender people, usually transgender women. * fag hag – a heterosexual woman who specifically associates with gay men. *

fag stag Fag stag and fruit fly are slang terms for a heterosexual man who either enjoys, prefers the company of (or simply has numerous friends who are), gay or bisexual people. The latter term comes from the derogatory term for homosexuals (fruit). The ...

– heterosexual man who enjoys company of gay men. * – a cisgender woman who identifies as a heterosexual woman ''except'' in the context of her attraction to gay/bisexual men; in these instances, she regards herself as a gay man too. * guydyke or lesboy – a cisgender man who identifies as a heterosexual man ''except'' in the context of his attraction to lesbian/bisexual women; in these instances, he regards himself as a lesbian too.

Terms describing asexuality or aromanticity

* ace – short for asexual. * aro – short for aromantic * , aro-ace, aro/ace – both aromantic and asexual * ace of spades – an aromantic asexual * ace of hearts – a romantic asexual * ace of diamond – a demiromantic demisexual * ace of swords – a greyromantic

greysexual Gray asexuality, grey asexuality, or gray-sexuality is the spectrum between asexuality and sexuality. Individuals who identify with gray asexuality are referred to as being gray-A, gray ace, or grace, and make up what is referred to as the "ac ...

* squish – a non-romantic or platonic version of crush * queerplatonic relationship – committed

intimate relationship An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Although an intimate relationship is commonly a sexual relationship, it may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, ...

s which are not

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

nor (necessarily) sexual in nature * zucchini – queerplatonic partner.

LGBT subgroups

The following slang terms have been used to represent various types of people within the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and soci ...

: *

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...

– a larger and often hairier man who projects an image of rugged

masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors ...

. The bear subgroup is among the oldest and largest of the LGBT community. Pride.com says "Bears are on the heavier side, either muscular, beefy, or chunky. They wouldn't dream of shaving their body hair (which comes in abundance) and they usually have a full beard to match. They exude masculinity, and are some of the kindest men you'll meet in your entire life." ''Attitude'' magazine says bears are "typically older" with a big build, a belly, and lots of hair. There are many bear subtypes, including the black bear (

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

men), the brown bear (

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

men), the grizzly bear ("dominant bears of extreme stature or hairiness"), the koala bear (Australian men), the panda bear (men of Asian descent), and the polar bear, which represents an older bear with white hair. ** cub – a younger bear. Pride.com describes cubs as "baby bears" or "large, hairy guys in their teens and 20's who are on their way to becoming a bear". ** bear chaser – a man who pursues

bears Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

** otter – a man who is slender and hairy. ** wolf – Pride.com says, "Similar to an otter, a

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

has some hair and is in between a twink and a bear. However, there are some key differences between wolves and otters. Wolves typically have a lean, muscular build and are sexually aggressive." ''Attitude'' says wolves are "typically older and masculine" with a "muscular/athletic build". * bull – Pride.com says a bull is a "hunky, muscular" bodybuilder who weighs 200 pounds or more. The website says, "These men are big, strong and have muscles you didn't even know existed." ''Attitude'' says bulls have a "super-muscular build" with any hair style, and can be any age. *

– a young twink. ''Attitude'' says chickens are "hairless and young" with a slim or skinny build. * chickenhawk – a typically older man who seeks younger men. From ''chickenhawk'', a designation for several birds which are thought to hunt chickens. * pig – someone who is "more focused on sex than anything else, often into kinkier and somewhat seedier sexual practices", according to Pride.com. * pup / puppy – in

animal roleplay Animal roleplay is a form of roleplay where at least one participant plays the part of a non-human animal. As with most forms of roleplay, its uses include play and psychodrama. Animal roleplay may also be found in BDSM contexts, where an ind ...

, someone who wants to be treated like a puppy, "with love and affection", by a handler. ''Attitude'' says pups are "young and submissive" with a slender build and little hair. * silver fox – an older man with gray hair * twink – a young or young-looking gay man, with little body hair and a slender build * twunk – a twink with well-developed physique (from ''twink'' + ''hunk'')

References

Bibliography

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External links

Lavender Linguistics, from Guardian Unlimited

Frederick, Brian J. (2012) Partying with a purpose: Finding meaning in an online "party 'n' play" subculture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lgbt Slang Slang terms LGBT-related slurs Sociolinguistics lists Lists of slang