The Garden :: Petals and Thorns

Gender and Sexuality Glossary I-L

This glossary is, by definition and nature, incomplete due to ever evolving definitions and separation of gender and orientation. The Garden is aware that there are many genders and orientations are not represented here due to population concentration and space available. However, if members wish specific definitions added, please send us a note and we will add it.

Iculasexual	being asexual but open to having sex
Idemromantic	being able to categorize others as having either a platonic or romantic attraction based on outside factors yet feeling no difference in the type of attraction
Identity Sphere	The idea that gender identities and expressions do not fit on a linear scale, but rather on a sphere that allows room for all expression without weighting any one expression as better or more important than another.
Imperigender	a fluid gender that can be controlled by the individual
in the closet / downlow / DL	Refers to a homosexual, bisexual, transperson or intersex person who will not or cannot disclose their sex, sexuality, sexual orientation or gender identity to their friends, family, co-workers, or society. An intersex person may be closeted due to ignorance about their status since standard medical practice is to "correct," whenever possible, intersex conditions early in childhood and to hide the medical history from the patient. There are varying degrees of being "in the closet"; for example, a person can be out in their social life, but in the closet at work, or with their family.
IngenDer	As IngenDerism is about the unity of humanity, rather than separating people by their differences, a white flag is used, as all colors are merely part of white.
Institutional Oppression	Arrangements of a society used to benefit one group at the expense of another through the use of language, media, education, religion, economics, etc.
Intergender	the feeling of gender falling somewhere on the spectrum between masculine and feminine; note: do not confuse with intersex
Internalized Oppression	The process by which a member of an oppressed group comes to accept and live out the inaccurate stereotypes applied to the oppressed group.
intersex	The condition of being born with genitalia that is difficult to label as male or female, and/or developing secondary sex characteristics of indeterminate sex, or which combine features of both sexes. The term "hermaphrodite" had been used in the past to refer to intersex persons, but that term is now considered negative and inaccurate. Some intersex people are also transgender, but intersex is not typically considered a subset of transgender, nor transgender a subset of intersex. Many intersex infants and children are subjected to numerous genital surgeries and hormone treatments in order to conform their bodies to the standard of either "male" or "female." There is a growing movement to prevent such surgeries in children. Intersex people are those who do not exhibit all the biological characteristics of male or female, or exhibit a combination of characteristics, at birth. Between 0.05% and 1.7% of the population is estimated to have intersex traits
Intersex Flag	The intersex pride flag was created by Intersex Human Rights Australia in July 2013 to create a flag "that is not derivative, but is yet firmly grounded in meaning". The organization describes yellow and purple as "hermaphrodite" colors. The organization describes the circle as "unbroken and unornamented, symbolizing wholeness and completeness, and our potentialities. Flags representing the intersex community might use the circle symbol or the Mercury symbol. Some intersex people have adopted the colors of the transgender flag. The Mercury symbol is from Greek mythology, in which Aphrodite (Venus) had a child with Mercury (Hermes). The child was named Hermaphroditus and possessed both male and female genitalia. Thus the origin of the word hermaphrodite. Since Hermaphroditus didn't have a specific symbol, the symbol for Mercury was borrowed in this instance to represent an intersex person. Mercury's symbol has a cross extending down to represent femininity and a crescent moon at the top to represent masculinity. The two are placed at opposite ends of the circle to strike a balance between the male and female parts.
Intersex Symbol	From the symbol of Mercury (U+263F ☿). This symbol is used to indicate a virgin female (for example, in genetic analysis). Also used in botany to indicate flower with both male and female reproductive organs. ☿ can also be used as a unisex symbol since intersex Hermaphroditus was a child of Hermes and Aphrodite (Mercury and Venus).
Jock	A muscular and athletic gay male whose fitness is associated with sports
Juxera	a feminine gender similar to girl, but on a separate plane and off to itself
Kalossexual	the desire to have a sexual relationship yet never feeling sexual attraction; part of the ace spectrum
Kathoey / Lady Boy	A transgender woman in Thailand.
keyhole	A type of FTM chest surgery procedure that is effective for individuals with small amounts of breast tissue. In the keyhole method, a small incision is made along the border of the areola (usually along the bottom), and the breast tissue is removed via a liposuction needle through the incision. The nipple is left attached to the body via a pedicle (a stalk of tissue) in order to maintain sensation. Once the breast tissue has been removed, the incision is closed. The nipple is usually not resized or repositioned.
Lambda	In 1970, graphic designer Tom Doerr selected the lower-case Greek letter lambda to be the symbol of the New York chapter of the Gay Activists Alliance. The alliance's literature states that Doerr chose the symbol specifically for its denotative meaning in the context of chemistry and physics: "a complete exchange of energy-that moment or span of time witness to absolute activity". In December 1974, it was officially declared the international symbol for gay and lesbian rights by the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Lamvano-	feeling no desire to do sexual/romantic things to someone, but wanting to be on the receiving end
Leather Community	A community which encompasses those who are into leather, sado-masochism, bondage and domination, uniform, cowboys, rubber, and other fetishes. Although the leather community is often associated with the queer community, it is not a "gay-only" community.
Leather Flag	Also known as "black and blue with love," the leather pride ﬂag is not associated with any particular sexual orientation (though it's used most commonly by gay men) but instead indicates an interest in kink. The "leather subculture" is somewhat hard to deﬁne as it encompasses a wide variety of activities. In general they all involve two things: leather and sex, although in modern times it's also used for BDSM (which doesn't necessarily include leather).
lesbian	Term used to describe female-identified people attracted romantically, erotically, and/or emotionally to other female-identified people. The term lesbian is derived from the name of the Greek island of Lesbos and as such is sometimes considered a Eurocentric category that does not necessarily represent the identities of African-Americans and other non-European ethnic groups. This being said, individual female-identified people from diverse ethnic groups, including African-Americans, embrace the term ‘lesbian' as an identity label.
lesbian baiting	The heterosexist notion that any woman who prefers the company of woman, or who does not have a male partner, is a lesbian.
Lesbian Pride Flag	A lesbian pride flag design often seen at pride festivals and marches is the rainbow flag with two interlocked Venus symbols.
Lesbian Pride Flag	The labrys lesbian flag, created in 1999, involves a labrys superimposed on the inverted black triangle, set against a violet hue background. The labrys was used as an ancient religious symbol and for other various purposes. It was adopted as a symbol of empowerment by the lesbian feminist community in the 1970s. Women considered asocial by the Third Reich because they did not conform to the Nazi ideal of a woman, which included homosexual females, were condemned to concentration camps and wore an inverted black triangle badge to identify them.
Lesbian until Graduation/ LUG	a woman who experiments with women during her college years, but eventually decides she is straight and marries a man.
Lesbophile	A lesbophile is someone who loves or appreciates lesbians.
LGBTQ	A common abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning people. The acronym is used as an umbrella term when talking about non heterosexual and non-cisgender identities, and does not always reflect members of the community. The acronym may be expanded to LGBTQIA to include intersex individuals, allies, and/or asexual people, or shortened to LGBQ when discussing only sexual orientation.
LGBTQI	A common abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersexed community
LGBTTQQIAAP	lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, pansexual
Libidoist Asexual	An asexual person with an active sex drive
Libragender	a gender that feels agender but has a strong connection to another gender
Limerence	A strong desire for, longing for, or preoccupation with another person, accompanied by a sometimes overwhelming desire for reciprocation. Limerence may be accompanied by idealization of the person so desired. Etymology: The term limerence was coined by Dr. Dorothy Tennov, who described it in her book Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love (Scarborough House, 1979, ISBN 0812862864). Commentary: Limerence is distinct from new relationship energy in that it is more akin to what people commonly call a "crush," and may not be associated with a relationship at all. Some researchers have linked limerence to quantifiable physiological processes in the brain, particularly to depressed levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Some people in the polyamory community use the word limerence as a synonym for new relationship energy, though this usage is not technically correct.
Limno-	experiencing attraction towards depictions of attraction (writing or drawings) but not the physical acts
Lipstick Lesbian	Usually refers to a lesbian with a feminine gender expression. Can be used in a positive or a derogatory way, depending on who is using it. Is sometimes also used to refer to a lesbian who is seen as automatically passing for heterosexual.
lipstick lesbian flag	The lipstick lesbian flag with a red kiss superimposed on six shades of red and pink colors and a white bar in the center originated in a weblog, This Lesbian Life, in 2010. It was later modified with the removal of the kiss, but the designer responsible for the bars-only version has not been identified. The lipstick flag represents "homosexual women who have a more feminine gender expression". The version without a kiss was meant to be more universal. No designs are considered an "official" lesbian pride flag.
Lithiosexal	attraction to anyone that is not attracted to you
Lone Star Lesbian	A Lone Star Lesbian is not a lesbian from Texas. A Lone Star Lesbian is someone who has only had sex with one person in their life. Straight and bisexual people can be Lone Stars too.
Lovestyle	Relationship orientation. Usage: Most common in New Age or tantra communities.