Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1498713
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 MAY 2023 COMPILED BY MATTHEW VELLA Allosexual A term used to describe anyone who experiences sexual attrac- tion to someone who can be of the same or a different gender. This term normalises the expe- rience of people on the asexual spectrum and provides a more specific term to describe those who are not. Androsexual Sexual or romantic attraction to men, males or masculinity re- gardless of biology, anatomy or the sex assigned at birth. Aromantic The lack of romantic attraction to others, or low or completely absent desire to engage in a ro- mantic relationship. Bicurious A term that refers to persons who are questioning or explor- ing their sexual orientation, of- ten as a result of curiosity about romantic and sexual attraction to people of the same or differ- ent genders. Bisexual erasure/invisibility Refers to the tendency to ig- nore, remove, falsify and/or re-explain evidence of bisexuali- ty in history, academia and me- dia. In extreme cases it can also include the denial of the exist- ence of bisexuality Cisnormativity Cisnormativity is the assump- tion that all, or almost all, in- dividuals are cisgender. It is a combination of the prefix cis-, as in cisgender, and the suffix -normativity, as a complement to heteronormativity Demisexual Usually considered to be on the asexual spectrum, this term refers to people who experience sexual attraction only under spe- cific circumstances such as after establishing a romantic or emo- tional connection with a partner. Gender non-conforming Describes gender expression that differs from a given society's norms for males and females. Genderqueer Describes a person who would typically reject the notions of static categories of gender and embrace fluidity within gender identity. Genderqueer people see their gender identity to fall outside the traditional gender binary. Gynesexual Sexual or romantic attraction to women, females or femininity regardless of biology, anatomy or the sex assigned at birth. Heteronormativity Refers to the set of beliefs het- erosexuality is natural and priv- ileged over other sexual orien- tations and as such reinforces heterosexuality as a norm. It im- plies that people's sexual orien- tation is by nature, and therefore heterosexuality is the only con- ceivable sexuality and the only way of being 'normal'. Internalised oppression The process by which an op- pressed person comes to believe, accept, or live out the inaccurate stereotypes and misinformation about their group Intersectionality The interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race, class, sexual orientation, disability and gender as they ap- ply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. Manosexual A broad term that includes within it anyone that only expe- riences romantic and/or sexual attraction to people of one sex and/or gender. This typically includes those who identify as exclusively heterosexual, gay or lesbian. Non-binary A person whose gender iden- tity falls outside the traditional gender binary. Other terms for people whose gender identity falls outside the gender binary include gender variant, gender expansive, gender fluid gender queer, etc. Gender expression may or may not differ from a society's norms for males and females. Pansexual A person who expresses sexual- ity in all its forms, or is romanti- cally, emotionally and/or sexual- ly attracted to people regardless of their gender. A person may experience this attraction in dif- fering ways and degrees over a lifetime. Polyamorous The simultaneous participation in more than one romantic, emo- tional and/or sexual relationship with the knowledge and consent of all involved partners. Pomosexual A term used to describe per- sons who reject the idea of la- belling their sexuality, or do not identify with any label. Pomo- sexual itself is not necessarily seen as an identity but rather a rejection of one. Pronouns This is an expression used to describe the third-person per- sonal pronouns that people want others to use when talking about them. You may have come across preferred pronouns on name tags or on social media. Typically, pronouns are written as follows: • he/him • she/her • they/them Sapiosexual A term used to refer to persons who experience romantic and/ or sexual attraction based on a partner's intelligence together with, or rather than sex and/or gender. Skoliosexual A term used to describe persons who are attracted to those with a non-cisgender gender identity, typically including anyone in the trans community (trans men, trans women, non-binary, gen- derqueer, etc.). Transitioning Refers to a series of steps a person may choose to take to live in the gender they identify with. Transitioning can be social and/or medical, and steps may include coming out to family, friends and colleagues; dressing and acting according to one's gender; changing one's name and/or sex/gender on legal doc- uments; medical treatments including hormone therapies and possibly one or more types of surgery. There is no one set timeframe or mandatory steps a person has to take to have one's gender recognised or legitimised. Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) Describes members of the many varied communities glob- ally of people with gender iden- tities or expressions that differ from the gender socially attrib- uted to the sex assigned to them at birth. This includes people who have culturally specific and/ or language-specific experiences, identities or expressions, and/or that are not based on or encom- passed by Western conceptualis- ations of gender, or the language used to describe it. Transmisogyny The intersection of transpho- bia and misogyny. It can be expressed through negative at- titudes, expressed through cul- tural hate, individual and state violence, and discrimination di- rected toward trans women and trans and gender non-conform- ing people on the feminine end of the gender spectrum. Source: www.lgbtiq.gov.mt The 2022 queer dictionary – from allosexual to transmisogyny Malta's new Queer Dictonary comes late in the day but the Human Rights Directorate's handy manual helps ease out the modern-day linguistic minefield on sex and gender The flag representing skoliosexual persons within the LGBTIQ+ community