an umbrella term for individuals who attracted in some way to people of the same gender. Including, but not limited to, gay and lesbian people, bisexual+ people, and those on the asexual spectrum who are romantically attracted to people of the same gender, e.g. homoromantic, biromantic. An alternative to same-sex attracted.

often intialised to WSW, it is often used in medical terminology to describe female individuals who engage in intimate behaviour with other women. It is preferred to using sexuality labels because it is inclusive of the vast array of sexual identities within the sexuality spectrum, and avoids making assumptions of somebody’s sexual orientation (e.g. by […]

The range of negative attitudes, intolerance and resentment of homosexuals, homosexuality and therefore, by extension, anyone associated or perceived as being homosexual (and, as such, may include biphobia and transphobia). Discrimination against gay and Queer people is deep-rooted in society; in much of the world, such attitudes tend to stem from religious teachings, which has […]

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 […]

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.

initialism of same-gender loving, used as an umbrella term for individuals/communities that are homosexual, bisexual+, homo/biromantic, etc; essentially, those who are Queer in sexuality, and may or may not include asexual people.

initialism for women who have sex with women.