I am sure there is somewhere that has something like this, but I am a bit overwhelmed. There is so much vocabulary, and I can't really figure it all out. I know lesbian, gay, bisexual. But then I see things like queer, pansexual, etc. There is so many new words that I have no clue about, and it seems that everywhere has a different "this means this" explanation. And I feel like there are code words that everyone else knows but me. Granted, I have not delved into the LGBT community at all, outside of this forum, but I have met a few people in other contexts. The other night, I was having drinks with a friend and we were joined by two of her friends. One of them refereed to someone else as not being "family", and I was confused. Then I figured out she meant the person in question wasn't LGBT. I a little out of my depth here. Thanks.:bang:
There are lots of sites out there, but this one seems to be the most extensive of those I found after a quick-n-dirty google: Matt & Andrej Koymasky - Gay Slang - index Please note that some of these terms may be outdated or regional, since I haven't heard of many of them. Hope this helps, Todd
I took a glance at the words "queer" and "asexual," and both were defined in ways that don't match up with modern usage at all. So, yeah, I would definitely take those with a grain of salt. Here's a glossary I happen to have on-hand: The Trail We Blaze: Glossary I'm iffy about some of the definitions, but it's an okay place to start.
UrbanDictionary.com is one of the best places to go for vocab. Also, just google for gay slang and you should get a plethera of sites. Just a warning however, the words that have made it into the slang dictionaries are not always 100% accurate, meaning that they are the pure meaning of the word as it was originally used, not as it applies now. That is why I like Urban Dictionary. It gives a good spread of meanings for the same word.
I think I am more confused than before. The first site had way to much stuff, and was confusing. The second was simpler, though "umbrella" terms doesn't seem to make much sense. What is the difference between queer and gay/lesbian/etc? So, if you self-identify as queer, can you tell me why you chose that label rather than something else? I know this may seem a little strange. Now that I have the emotional aspect figured out, I need to work out the intellectual aspect of all this. When I can understand as much as I can, then it helps me accept.
Queer actually has a ton of different meaning depending on the context. The most relevant here are a) as a more-inclusive synonym to LBGT and b) as a term for people who don't fit neatly into the other categories. So for the first definition, think of queer as being to gay/lesbian/etc as European is to French, German, Spanish, Italian, and so on. The second definition would be like someone who is a mix of European nationalities and so doesn't necessarily identify with any single one of them. (This is an oversimplification, as it is also possible for someone who is queer to feel that their identity is entirely its own thing unrelated to the other identities, but that's the basic idea.)
I was a little surprised that the Gay Slang - Index doesn't include the term "Tribe". This is a synonym for "family" as used in the original post.
