an alternate term to homosexual or gay that rose to prominence in the early start of the gay rights movement – used as preferred term as homosexual was deemed as too clinical, with connotations of being a psychiatric disorder. However, it fell out of favour by the early 1970s, when gay, lesbian and bisexual became […]

An individual who is exclusively, or predominantly, romantically attracted to people of the same sex or gender. People who are homoromantic may not be homosexual; for example, a bisexual/homoromantic person may be sexually attracted to more than one gender, but only romantically attracted to members of the same gender. The term is particularly useful to […]

More commonly known as gay or lesbian, a homosexual is somebody who is attracted to exclusively, or predominantly, towards people of the same gender or sex. Many people choose not to use the term homosexual, due to its negative connotations in the past (such as homosexuality being seen as a medical/psychological disorder), and its usage […]

a slang term for lesbians who are closeted and present themselves as heterosexual during the week (such as at work, or to family and friends) but frequent lesbian venues at the weekend.

Sapphic (derived from Sappho, the Ancient Greek poet famed for her love poems towards women) is an umbrella term used to describe lesbians and bisexual+ women, an alternative to terms such as women who have sex with woman (WSW), or woman loving woman (WLW). an umbrella term for same-gender loving women or woman-aligned people, such […]

Queer slang for a lesbian and/or Queer (sapphic) woman who is sporty and athletic, as opposed to a lipstick lesbian; a sapphic woman who prefers the natural look over make-up.

short for lesbian, it has been used pejoratively in the past but has also been embraced by lesbians in much the same way dyke has. When used prejoratively, it is often applied to any sapphic  woman, or someone who is perceived to be a sapphic woman.

a portmanteau of celebrity and lesbian, celesbian is a slang term for a female celebrity known or reputed to be a lesbian that is popular in the Queer community.

an abbreviation of homosexual, referring to people who have sex with people of the same gender – as a result, bisexuals may also be referred to as a “homo“. The term is problematic due to the term having been used in a pejorative sense against the gay community; however, the term has been reclaimed to […]