by Leyya Sattar

Welcome to our February round-up of the Diversity Dictionary™ Word of the Week.  

You might have noticed we’ve been exploring a Word of the Week every Monday on our social profiles over the past month.

February marked the annual month-long observance of LGBT+ history in the UK, so that was our theme for our inaugural month. These are the associated words we shared each week:

LGBTQIA+

What does LGBT+ stand for? And what do the other letters mean? LGBTQIA+ is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, with the '+' signifying Aromantic, Pansexual, Polysexual and any other identity along the gender and sexuality spectrum. It's an umbrella term that's sometimes abbreviated to LGBT or LGBTQ+ and encompasses both gender and sexuality.⁣⁣

NON-BINARY

Non-binary is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine‍ – they sit outside of the gender binary of female/male. People who identify as such, don’t conform to traditional gender norms, and may go by pronouns ‘they/them’. Asking someone their preferred pronouns – and stating your own – is one way to be inclusive of all gender identities. Alternative identities along the gender spectrum include ‘genderqueer’, ‘gender non-conforming’ (GNC) and/or ‘Agender’ (although these don’t mean the same thing).

QUEER

The word ‘Queer’ is a contested term with a complex history which is why we cover it in Diversity Dictionary™. The Q in LGBTQIA+ can stand for ‘queer’ or ‘questioning’. Originally meaning 'strange' or 'peculiar', the word queer was used throughout the 20th century as an insult towards people who had same-sex desires or relationships. ⁣

For many, it still carries the weight of that adverse history. Whereas, for others, it has been reclaimed, especially since the queer rights movements of the 1980s.  Today, more often than not, ‘queer’ is seen as a positive identifier for those within LGBT+ communities.⁣

QTIBPOC

QTIBPOC is an acronym that stands for Queer, Transgender and Intersex Black people and People of Colour. ⁣It is a term coined by people of colour (POC) to reflect the realities and differences of Queer, Trans, Intersex and Bisexual experiences of people who identify as POC - bringing in a much needed racial aspect to the spectrum of LBGTQIA+ experience. ⁣

The distinction between ‘B’ (Black people) and ‘POC’  people of colour) speaks to the nuance and difference in experience between black people and non-black people of colour.

Educating as many people as possible to become more fluent in the language of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is part of our mission at The Other Box. On all our social channels, we’ll be sharing our monthly theme supported by weekly words and their definitions. The terms are a taster and have been taken from our CPD-certified Diversity Dictionary™ module in our Know Your Bias™ course. If you'd like to learn more, check out our courses page and fill in the contact form. 

Header image:  Margaux Bellott on Unsplash