A flag is a sign of community and belonging, and no flags are as eye-catching as the rainbow of banners representing Pride and all of its aspects and identities. The classic ROYGBV flag may be the most well-known, but it is not the only one that represents members of the LGBTQIA+ community. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most prominent Pride flags, their …
When addressing strangers, authority figures, and in formal situations, it is considered polite to use an honorific, or title, to address them. The most frequently used honorifics are gendered male or female, which may not always be appropriate. In this article, we are going to review the most common honorifics, the alternative Mx., and how and when to use these titles. The most commonly used …
The terms we use to refer to other people—and ourselves—can communicate a lot about identity, and sometimes even a single letter can make a big difference. Perhaps you know the words Latino and Latina. But have you encountered Latinx or Latine? Even if you have, you might still be confused about why they’re used and whether there’s a difference. In this article, we’ll explain the …
Listen up, everyone: we know you all have questions, so let’s talk about the terms guys and you guys. You may be asking if there are any good substitutes for such useful terms. The answer is yes, and we have suggestions for each and every one of you. (Including some that we just used without y’all even noticing it). For years, the term guys and expressions …
by Rory Gory Many people are raised to believe that gender and sex are the same thing, and that there are two options available to us: male or female. But neither sex nor gender is inherently binary—the belief that people must be classified into one of these two categories. When something can’t be placed in two boxes, we call it nonbinary, meaning “not consisting of, …
by Rory Gory March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual occasion dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of transgender people as well as raising awareness of and advocating for the transgender community. Created in 2009 by Rachel Crandall, Executive Director of Transgender Michigan, Transgender Day of Visibility is a time for recognizing transgender people in a positive light, rather than only centering the conversation …
When two words have the same meaning, we call them synonyms. When two words have different meanings but people use them interchangeably, we write articles about what those words actually mean. Take gender and sex. While people substitute one for the other on the regular, their meaning and usage are significantly—and consequentially—different. Because we’re most often talking about human beings when we use these terms, …
It used to be that when we spoke of allies, it was most likely in a military sense, referring to countries formally banded together, usually by treaty, to fight against their enemies. Today, though, the word is used more broadly. What does ally mean today? An ally, ultimately from a Latin verb meaning “to bind to,” is used to describe “someone who supports disenfranchised and underrepresented groups …
It. If you’re anything like us, this two-letter word makes you think of a Stephen King novel or, maybe, a certain cousin from the Addams Family. That’s most likely because It in King’s novel (and the horror movies it spawned) was the word used to describe Pennywise the Clown. And, Cousin Itt was a rather hairy human … yup, Cousin Itt was human. And these …
We've collected some of the terms and phrases that make up social justice, which is itself a catch-all phrase for movements that work toward greater equality.
