In the dictionary, we have entries for many iterations of the acronym that represents the diverse range of the rainbow community. The acronym started as LGB, which stood for lesbian, gay and bisexual. Over the decades, it has been added to many times to become LGBTQIA for which the letters stand for the following words.
These abbreviations are sometimes followed by a plus sign (+) to represent inclusiveness of all minority gender identities and sexual orientations.
We have also discussed binary and non-binary words for gender on our blog and would love to hear of any words we may have missed.
The community is also represented by the rainbow flag, a flag combining six horizontal stripes of colour: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, flown with the red stripe on top as occurs in a natural rainbow; the symbol of the LGBTIQ movement.
| lesbian | a female homosexual. |
| gay | (especially of a male) homosexual. |
| bisexual | a person sexually attracted to people of two particular genders, especially as of males and females. |
| transgender | of or relating to a person whose gender identity is different from their physiological gender as designated at birth. |
| queer (or questioning) | a person who identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex, transgender, or otherwise not heterosexual. |
| intersex | an individual possessing both male and female physical characteristics. |
| asexual | a person who does not experience sexual desire or attraction to others. |
| + | including but not limited to ally and pansexual. |
