Basic Definitions

Gay

A man or woman who is physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and sexually attracted to members of the same sex.
More commonly this refers to men, but it is an umbrella term, which means it encompasses the whole community.
Instead of saying the gay lesbian bisexual two-spirited transidentified queer and questioning community... we just say the gay community.

Lesbian

A woman who is physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and sexually attracted to other women.

Bisexual

A man or woman who can be physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and sexually attracted to members of either sex.
Many bisexual people say that gender is not a factor and they fall in love with the person and not their bits.

Queer

A term that was used negatively in the past to describe members of the gay community. In recent years it has become reclaimed and embraced and is often used as an umbrella term by gay, lesbian, bisexual, two-spirited and transidentified people.

Two-Spirited

A term used in aboriginal communities for someone they believe possessed both the male and female spirit. It was a revered title and often people who identified as two-spirited were given important roles in their community.

Transgendered / Transidentified

An umbrella term for people who feel they do not fit into what it means to be a "man" or a "woman". This includes people who push gender boundaries. Ie, a woman with short hair; a man wearing a skirt; people who cross-dress to "pass" in society; and people who are born with the physical characteristics of one sex but feel emotionally, spiritually and mentally like the opposite sex.
If a person lives as the opposite sex and goes through with transitional surgery, they will often refer to themselves as transsexual.
When someone is born with whole or partial reproductive organs of both sexes it is known as intersexed.

Questioning

A person exploring their sexual or gender orientation.

Heterosexism

The belief that everyone is or should be heterosexual.
This is noticed most often in the media. Next time you watch a commercial or a TV show, notice how many characters are heterosexual. How many of them ask heterosexist questions? Ie, (to a female) "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Homophobia

The fear and hatred of gay people, stemming from heterosexism.
Most often this is the result of ignorance. Ignorance isn’t stupidity, it is the complete lack of knowledge about something. When people are told that everyone is or should be heterosexual, and differences are never talked about, homophobia is inevitable.