Table 1 List of terms and abbreviations related to LGBT health*

Bisexual

Refers to people who are emotionally, physically and sexually attracted to people of both sexes.

Gay

Refers to men who are emotionally, physically and sexually attracted to men.

Gender

Is a socially constructed system of classification that ascribes qualities of masculinity and femininity to people. Gender characteristics can change over time and are different between cultures.

Gender identity

Is one’s basic sense of being male or female or another gender. It usually, but not always, matches the sex based on the external genitalia present at birth.

Heterosexism

Is the assumption or belief that everyone is and should be heterosexual and that other sexual orientations are unhealthy, unnatural and a threat.

Heterosexual

Refers to people who are emotionally, physically and sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex.

Homophobia

Is the irrational fear of, hatred against, or disgust towards homosexuals or homosexuality.

Homosexual

Refers to people who are emotionally, physically and sexually attracted to people of the same sex.

Lesbian

Refers to women who are emotionally, physically and sexually attracted to women.

MSM

Is an abbreviation for men who have sex with men, a term often used in public health. MSM do not necessarily identify as gay or bisexual.

Sex

Is commonly understood as the classification of a person as male or female at birth, based on bodily characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive organs, and genitalia.

Sexual orientation

Refers to whom people are intimately attracted to. People can be attracted to members of the same sex, of the opposite sex, or both. Western society tends to think of sexual orientation as expressing itself in three forms: homosexual (gay or lesbian), heterosexual (sometimes referred to as ‘straight’) or bisexual (having both homosexual and heterosexual feelings). People also identify as queer (refusing to fit into any category) and asexual (not being sexually attracted to people).

Transgender

Refers to people whose gender identity is different from the sex assigned at birth. A transgender person may choose to adhere to the gender role with which that person identifies. A person who does not adhere to gender roles is called gender non-conforming. It is important to recognise that the gender binary (the view that people are either male or female) does not describe the identity of many people.

WSW

Is an abbreviation for women who have sex with women, a term often used in public health. WSW do not necessarily identify as lesbian or bisexual.

Excerpts from: Understanding the Challenges facing Gay and Lesbian South Africans , available from OUT LGBT Pretoria and Guidelines for primary care workers providing care for transgender patients , available from Gender Dynamix, Cape Town