the age at which an individual is legally able to give their consent; for example, the age at which an individual is legally able to consent to sex.

The age of consent has been a particular part of the Queer rights debate, as many countries and states within them have had differing ages of consent for homosexual and heterosexual acts, and at which age transgender youth should be allowed to navigate and seek medical therapies (e.g. hormonal) without parental permission.

It also may relate to the various laws in which transgender and nonbinary individuals may access medical treatment.

An abbreviation for Acquired immunodeficiency/immune deficiency syndrome. It is a syndrome caused by HIV. However, not everybody who is HIV+ has AIDS.

AIDS causes the body’s immune system to be damaged, and as a result, compromises the body’s ability to fight off diseases and keep the body healthy, and thus can cause severe, life-threatening complications.

There is no cure for AIDS, but there are treatments to keep people with AIDS more healthy. This is why HIV prevention, such as safe sex, is important.

a young or recently out Queer person.

an individual who is ‘Queer’ (not straight or cisgender) but is currently not open to everybody (or anybody) about their identity. There are a number of reasons for being “in the closet” for example, a fear of rejection or one’s safety, disapproval from friends/family, or discrimination.

the act of accepting one’s identity as gender or sexually diverse (not straight or cisgender; Queer); the process in which one shares their sexual or gender identity with others – for example, coming out to friends or family as gay.

See also: in the closet, out and proud.

simply put, consent is the act of giving permission, voluntarily, to the proposals or desires of another human being. A primary example of consent is the permission given between two or more individuals to engage in physically intimate behaviour with each other. Without consent, such acts are rape.

Both legally, and morally, consent can be subject to outside influences and legislation; for example, although a person under a certain age may give their permission, the law may determine that they are too young to consent (as they have not yet reached the age of consent). It is important to note, too, that permission given after coercion (that is by force or threat, or through manipulation or emotional blackmail), is not consent.

In Queer contexts, consent has an important role in Queer history and modern-day rights issues facing the Queer community.

Particularly in regards to sexuality, the age of consent has been a pressing LGBTQIA+ rights issue, as many countries and states have differing ages of consent for heterosexual and homosexual acts.

Various acts related to “conversion therapy“, particularly those performed on people under the age of eighteen who may be homosexual, bisexual+, asexual or transgender, have also come into the spotlight as a human rights issue, particularly as individuals may be there against their will or due to coercion (that is, without consent).

Consent is a particularly prevalent rights issue regarding intersex individuals, as often infants with an intersex variation may have been victim to “corrective surgery” – where no consent from the individual themselves could possibly have been given for surgery that is cosmetic or unnecessarily, rather than medically required.

Consent laws, particularly surrounding age, have become issues regarding to transgender youth, as seeking medical therapies to navigate their transgender identity may be subject to the permission of their parents, leading to discussions about what ages are appropriate for certain medical, non-surgical therapies (e.g. hormone therapy).

Informed consent is also an important factor to consent: that is, for consent to be given, one must be fully informed of the circumstances, consequences and conditions of the activity in which consent is given. This is particularly pertinent when it comes to accessing medical treatments.

the unjust and/or prejudicial treatment of people based on a particular trait; for example, race, age, sex/gender identity, disability, sexual identity.

This can take many forms, such as exclusion or being treated less favourably. Discrimination may be indirect: that is, that there is a policy or rule that applies to everyone, but it has the effect of disadvantaging some people more due to a characteristic they share.

Increasingly, laws have been passed to prevent discrimination in areas of public life, such as employment, education and services – although exemptions apply – typically, but not exclusively, for religious organisations.

often initalised to GSM, it is an umbrella term for Queer identified people; those who are not cishet.