LGBTQ: A Safe Space to Learn and Connect

LGBTQ Group

Welcome to this opportunity to attend a group for students who want to talk about and explore LGBTQ issues.  These include coming out, sexual identity, and other concerns that might arise for questioning, gay, lesbian and bisexual students.

This group will offer a safe and supportive environment to work through these issues.  Examples of topics we may cover are:

• Managing heterosexist and homophobic attitudes and messages
• Making decisions around coming out to family and friends
• Developing a positive support network
• Self-esteem, assertiveness and confidence-building
• Exploring intimate relationship issues and challenges

Please contact Counselling Services at 519 756-8228 ext. 5889 or...
Send an email to csbrantford@wlu.ca

We will get back to you with details regarding dates and times for this group.

Transgender Resource Guide

 

Vocabulary

 

Gender - A social construct based on a group of emotional and psychological characteristics that classify an individual as feminine, masculine, androgynous, or other.

 

Sex - A term used historically and within the medical field to identify genetic/biological/ hormonal/physical characteristics, including genitalia, which are used to classify an individual as female, male, or intersex.

 

Transphobia - The irrational fear of those who are perceived to break or blur stereotypical gender roles; expressed as negative feelings, attitudes, actions, and institutional discrimination.

 

**The following is from the National Center for Transgender Equality “Trans Terminology” worksheet**

 

Gender Expression - How a person represents or expresses one’s gender identity to others, often through behavior clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics.

 

Gender Identity -  An individual’s internal sense of being male, female, or something else. Since gender identity is internal, one’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others.

 

Transgender - An umbrella term for people whose gender identity, expression or behavior is different from those typically associated with their assigned sex at birth, including but not limited to transsexuals, cross dressers, androgynous people, genderqueers, and gender non-conforming people. Transgender is a broad term and is good for non-transgender people to use. "Trans" is shorthand for "transgender.".

 

Transsexual - A term for people whose gender identity is different from their assigned sex at birth. Often transsexual people alter or wish to alter their bodies through hormones or surgery in order to make it match their gender identity

 

Cross-Dressing - A term for people who dress in clothing traditionally or stereotypically worn by the other sex, but who generally have no intent to live full-time as the other gender

 

Drag Queen- Generally used to accurately refer to men who dress as women (often celebrity women) for the purpose of entertaining others at bars, clubs, or other events. It is also used as slang, sometimes in a derogatory manner, to refer to all transgender women.

 

Drag King - Used to refer to women who dress as men for the purpose of entertaining others at bars, clubs, or other events.

 

Genderqueer - A term used by some individuals who identify as neither as entirely male nor entirely female.

 

FTM -  A person who transitions from "female-to-male," meaning a person who was assigned female at birth, but identifies and lives as a male, also known as a "transgender man."

 

MTF -  A person who transitions from "male-to-female," meaning a person who was assigned male at birth, but identifies and lives as a female, also known as a "transgender woman."

 

Two-Spirit - A contemporary term that references historical multiple-gender traditions in many First Nations cultures. Many Native/First Nations people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming identity as Two-Spirit; in many Nations, being Two-Spirit carries both great respect and additional commitments and responsibilities to one’s community.

 

Intersex - A term used for people who are born with external genitalia chromosomes, or internal reproductive systems that are not traditionally associated with either a "standard" male or female. For more information regarding intersex issues, contact the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA).