Social Justice Terminology
Discrimination - Differential treatment that favors one individual or group over another based on prejudice.
Institutional Oppression - Societal processes and expectations that benefit one group at the expense of another through the use of language, media, education, religion, economics, etc.
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.
Oppression - The systematic exploitation of social groups by another for its own benefit. It involves institutional control, ideological domination, and the promulgation of the dominant group's culture on the oppressed. Oppression = Prejudice + Power.
Prejudice - A conscious or unconscious negative belief about a whole group of people and its individual members.
Stereotype - A preconceived or oversimplified generalization about an entire group of people without regard for their individual differences. Though often negative, can also be complimentary. Even positive stereotypes can have a negative impact, however, simply because they involve broad generalizations that ignore individual realities.
 
Experiential Terminology (People’s Experiences)
Ally - a person who supports and honors LGBTQIA+ diversity, acts accordingly to challenge homophobic/transphobic and heterosexist/cisgender centric remarks and behaviors, and is willing to explore and understand these forms of bias within themselves.
Closet - Being "in the closet" means keeping your gender identity and/or sexual orientation a secret. Many LGTBQIA+ people remain in the closet because of fear of rejection, harassment, and anti-gay violence. Many LGBTQIA+ people find that being in the closet can be an isolated, confining experience.
Coming Out - The developmental process in which a person acknowledges, accepts, and appreciates their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Coming out is a lifelong process, starting with coming out to oneself and then to others.
Outing - Exposing someone's gender identity and/or sexual orientation to others, usually without their permission.
Partner - Gender-inclusive term for someone with whom one is involved, usually in a primary relationship. Avoids assumption of gender identity or sexual orientation. Also, a person's partner in marriage, life, dating. Can be used by all couples regardless of identities.
Passing - A person's ability to be perceived as a dominant gender/sex or sexual orientation that they might not hold (i.e. a trans woman who one would not question being trans)
Queer – (1) an umbrella term to describe individuals who don't identify as straight and/or cisgender. Individuals who identify as queer might or might not begin using a different term at a later date.
(2) A slur used to refer to someone who isn't straight and/or cisgender. Due to its historical use as a derogatory term, and how it is still used as a slur many communities, it is not embraced or used by all LGBTQ people.
(3) Often be used interchangeably with LGBTQ (e.g., "queer people" instead of "LGBTQ people").
Questioning - The process of exploring one's own gender identity, gender expression, and/or sexual orientation. Some folks may also use this term to name their identity within the LGBTQIA community.