Boston's LGBTQ+ History: Other BPL Resources and Research Guides

Michael Tercha, Chicago Tribune, June 24, 2012

Keep an eye on the BPL's Pride page for our "We Are Pride" booklist and related booklists. Physical copies will also be available at all BPL locations. The Pride booklist is a list of select books released within the last year that feature LGBTQ+ characters and experiences.

The terms below are a partial list of some of the orientations and identities that people may have, but is not a comprehensive list. Identity and orientations are very personal things, and their related terms are changing and evolving to suit the people who utilize them. For more terms and definitions, you can visit TSER, the APA (PDF), and the HRC.

​Asexual/"Ace": A person that does not experience sexual attraction to any gender. 
Agender: A term used to describe someone who does not identity with any gender. 
Bisexual: Anyone who is attracted to men, women, and/or other genders. 
Cisgender/"Cis": A person whose gender identity and expression matches the one they were assigned at birth. 
Demisexual: A person on the asexuality spectrum that experiences sexual attraction as a byproduct of a strong emotional connection with their partner.
Gay: A synonym for homosexual. A person who is attracted to someone of the same gender.
Genderqueer: A person who does not conform to either masculine or feminine gender roles or expression. 
Gray Asexual/"Gray A": A person that does not normally experience sexual attraction to either gender, but does occasionally experience it. 
Heteroromantic: A person that is romantically attracted to people of the opposite gender.
Heterosexual: A person that is sexually attracted to people of the opposite gender. 
Homoromantic: A person that is romantically attracted to people of the same gender.
Homosexual: A person that is sexually attracted to people of the same gender. 
Intersex: A term used to describe those considered to be between male and female. Previously called hermaphroditism.
Lesbian: A woman who is attracted to other women.
Monogamous/"Mono": A person that experiences or desires a relationship (both romantic and sexual) with one partner.
Non-Binary: Someone whose gender identity does not fit within the binary of male and female. Similar to genderqueer.
Pansexual: A person whose sexual attraction is not limited by gender identity or expression. 
Polyamorous/"Poly": A person that experiences or desires relationships (both romantic and sexual) with multiple partners concurrently. 
Queer: A blanket or umbrella term for any gender expression or sexual orientation considered to be outside the cisgender, heterosexual "norm." Although the term has been reclaimed by some in the community, this term is also still seen as a pejorative by some.
​​Questioning: A person that is unsure of or exploring their gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or romantic orientation. ​
Straight: A synonym for heterosexual.
Third Gender: A term describing a person whose gender expression or identity does not conform to what is generally considered to be masculine or feminine. 
Transgender: A person whose gender identity does not match the one they were assigned at birth. 

The Gender Unicorn was developed to help people visualize gender identity/expression, orientation, sex, and attraction. This is just one way to look at it, but there are lots of other scales, spectrums, and images out there too.