a slang term originating in the US for someone who is “obviously” Queer – that is, they are ‘visible from a 100 feet away’.

a slang term for someone who is bisexual.

A term for those on the asexual spectrum, and the asexual spectrum itself.

a slang term for someone who is asexual, but alloromantic (not aromantic)

a slang term for someone who is both asexual and aromantic.

an umbrella term for same-gender loving men or man-aligned people, such as gay men and bisexual+ men; an alternative to terms such as men who have sex with men, and used to describe the topics, activities and ideas around it: for example, achillean relations, achillean people, achillean literature.

It arose in the mid-2010s as a masculine equivalent to the term sapphic. It is named after Achilles, a Greek mythological figure who has been interpreted as having a close romantic or sexual relationship with his close wartime comrade, Patroclus.

a gay (or indeed, a desirable straight) man who is currently a pilot or serving in the Air Force.

an abbreviation of aromantic.

an individual who is asexual, aromantic – (aro–ace).

gay slang term for a middle-aged or older Queer man – typically, but not exclusively, a homosexual one.

in gay slang, somebody who is young or recently out – e.g. baby gay, baby dyke, baby Queer, baby bi.

a young or recently out bisexual person.

a slang term for a young, boyish lesbian or bisexual (sapphic) woman.

a young, or recently out lesbian or bisexual woman.

a young, or recently out, gay person.

a young or recently out Queer person.

a term used in the Queer community to describe butch – that is, muscular, beefy or chunky – men with an abundance of body hair, beards, etc.; a look that would be described as very, and stereotypically, masculine.

The opposite to a bear is a twink.

gay slang for a man who pursues bears (the people, not the animal!).

a pejorative slang term for men who have sex with men, but, by connotation, extended to all Queer people. However, the term has been reclaimed, somewhat successfully, particularly by gay men.

Related: bent.

a slang term, generally considered problematic and a slur when used by non-Queer people, to describe Queer people, particularly men who have sex with men. The opposite to ‘bent’ is straight, the common-use term for heterosexual.

Related: bender.

abbreviation of bisexual.

a modern Queer slang term that is the bisexual equivalent of gaydar: that is, the intuitive ability to spot a bisexual+ person.

gay slang for an iconic bisexual+ individual.

a boyish lesbian or bisexual (sapphic) woman.

a Queer slang term for a heterosexual. Considered problematic.

in gay slang, a hunky, muscular bodybuilder to the extreme.

Queer slang for a butch or masculine woman, typically one who is lesbian.

an individual who identifies themselves as being masculine – physically, mentally and/or emotionally (as opposed to femme). Although it has often be used in a derogatory way to describe lesbians, many lesbians embrace the label as an affirmative identity label and a term of pride.

Butch is a Polari term, which also had the meaning of ‘upfront, strong’. 

a Polari term, meaning “funny, flamboyant”, that is now used in both Queer and popular culture, referring to kitsch, flamboyant, exaggerated, theatrical, deliberately ironic and/or outrageous styles – which as a result, has come to describe many activities within the Queer community; for example, due to her outfits, Cher would be described as a camp icon.

It also used to describe effeminate, flamboyant men – typically those who are outrageous and theatrical in their mannerisms.

a term often used on dating apps targeted towards men who have sex with men, where individuals stipulate that they are not able to ‘host’ the sexual encounter at their place of residence. Typically for reasons related to being in the closet to housemates or neighbours, living with family who may not accept such encounters happening, or because the individual has a live-in partner.

Typically used by individuals looking for discreet sexual encounters.

a portmanteau of celebrity and lesbian, celesbian is a slang term for a female celebrity known or reputed to be a lesbian that is popular in the Queer community.

Queer slang for a lesbian and/or Queer (sapphic) woman who is sporty and athletic, as opposed to a lipstick lesbian; a sapphic woman who prefers the natural look over make-up.

gay slang for a younger twink.

See also: chickenhawk.

gay slang for males that pursue and are into twinks, twunks and chickens.

used in the gay community to describe a young bear. That is, large, hairy guys in their teens or twenties, who will one day grow into bears.

a slang term describing gay and bisexual men who are not out of the closet and not planning to be; on dating apps such as Grindr, individuals describing themselves as ‘discreet’ are generally looking for or offering sexual encounters that are casual, one-off and/or taking place without any romantic interest that will be kept secret – for example, a man who may be in a heterosexual relationship looking for no strings attached sex with another man; or a heterosexual-identified person who may be bicurious and looking to explore that side of their sexuality without people knowing.

Discreet may also be used by people in same-sex relationships who are looking for sexual encounters behind their partner’s back.

a homosexual or bisexual male dishonorably discharged from the Navy due to their sexuality.

South African Queer slang for Gay Pride; e.g. “We’ll march on Doris Day”.

a slang term referring to men who identify as heterosexual but secretly have sex with men. Typically used in communities of colour.

a slang term for lesbian (and by connotation, anyone perceived to be one – including bisexual+ women), and commonly a particularly masculine or butch one. Although originally, and still often used in a derogatory manner, it has been reclaimed by many lesbians and sapphic women as a positive term; for example, the lesbian motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes, and various Dyke Marches that take place during Pride events.

a slang term for a nonbinary person, taken from the initials ‘n’ and ‘b’.

an old antigay slur against (particularly, not exclusively) effeminate gay and bisexual men. It has, however, been reclaimed by many in the Queer community, and it isn’t uncommon to see people dressed as fairies at Pride parades.

Gay slang term for a gay male employed in the hospitality industry.

a celebrity who claims to be Queer or plays on Queer sexuality or identity in order to court publicity; for example, a straight, female musician that will engage in same-sex erotic activity in a music video to court controversy or publicity, and in the process trivialising Queer identity as being an “outrageous” novelty, rather than a lived experience.

Using Queerness as a marketing ploy is known as Queerbaiting.

a description for someone identifies themselves to be feminine in some aspect, e.g. physically, mentally or emotionally. Some lesbian and bisexual women will describe themselves as femme rather than butch; similarly, with gay and bisexual men as an alternative to effeminate.

Originated as a Polari term.

a pejorative gay slang term for the children of a closeted, gay male that is married to a woman.

Related: beard

a derogatory slur for homosexuals chiefly used in the United States of America that shares its meaning and origin with the highly-divisive term faggot used against effeminate men. However, the term has also been reclaimed; and is used by flamboyant, out-and-proud effeminate men. Also used as flaming (e.g. a flaming gay).

a term describing effeminate, gay men – related to flamer. By extension, this has become a term describing out-and-proud, flamboyant men who have sex with men.

Originally a pejorative slur, it has also been reclaimed by those it seeked to demonise.

a gay slang term for a gay man, and more broadly, any Queer-identified person. A euphemism that originates as far back as World War II in the United States, when homosexual acts were illegal – thus, a way of asking about someone’s sexual orientation without being explicit.

used chiefly in America to describe effeminate men, either by calling them “a fruit”, or describing them as fruity.

a predominantly North American slang term for effeminate men, particularly those who are men that have sex with men.

Related: fruit

the intuitive ability to spot another gay person.

gay slang for an extraordinarily tall guy. (Especially pertinent as male giraffes often engage in same-sex sexual behaviours).

gay slang term for an aging homosexual male.

Related: fairy, aunty.

gay slang for a guy who is obsessed or continuously preoccupied with the gym and working out; somebody who is either at the gym or talking about having gone or going to the gym.

gay slang term for a heterosexual.

an abbreviation of homosexual, referring to people who have sex with people of the same gender – as a result, bisexuals may also be referred to as a “homo“.

The term is problematic due to the term having been used in a pejorative sense against the gay community; however, the term has been reclaimed to some extent and is in use in common Queer parlance.

a term used to describe bisexual males; used in the late 19th century based on a term used at Oxford amongst Lord Byron and his compatriots.

a term referring to a tomboy, or a boisterous, wild and/or untameable woman.

a slang term for two effeminate gay/bisexual men who share a close, non-sexual relationship, e.g. best friends.

somebody who has not come out; an individual who has not fully acknowledged their sexual or gender identity publicly. Some people may be in the closet to one group of people (e.g. coworkers), but out to others (e.g. friends and family).

an individual so far in the closet that it is made of iron; someone who is in deep denial about their sexuality or gender identity that they may never come out.

a gay slang term for an effeminate male.

short for lesbian, it has been used pejoratively in the past but has also been embraced by lesbians in much the same way dyke has. When used prejoratively, it is often applied to any sapphic  woman, or someone who is perceived to be a sapphic woman.

a term to describe lesbians who are feminine, or possess traditionally feminine attributes.

a term that describes a dainty, effeminate walk, stereotypically associated with gay men.

a pejorative term in gay slang to describe a bitchy and unlikable homosexual male.

a gay slang term for an older, but wise or experienced, gay man; somebody who has ” been around the block a few times”.

See also: aunty.

a gay slang term based on the term, “queerer than a three-dollar bill”, meaning someone that is extremely and outwardly gay or queer; that is, three times as queerer than the proverbial three-dollar bill.

in general parlance, it refers to an offer or opportunity made without special conditions or restrictions; in the world of Queer dating, it refers to offers of sexual encounters without any expectations – that is, a casual or one-off hook-up.

an initialism for ‘no strings attached‘.

in Queer contexts, an individual who is not on a particular spectrum; an asexual individual is ‘off the sexuality spectrum‘, an agender person is ‘off the gender spectrum‘.

a gay slang term for somebody who is looking for a sexual partner.

In other common parlance, it also refers to somebody who is intent on making money via corrupt or unscrupulous means.

in gay slang, an orphan is an individual who has recently been made single.

in the gay community, an otter is someone who is in between a twink and a bear. Typically, a guy who maintains their body hair but leaves some so as not to be classified as a twink.

an individual who is out; that is, someone who does not keep their Queer gender identity or sexuality a secret from others.

This is the opposite to someone who is “in the closet“.

a slang term to describe someone who is out of the closet; that is, someone who is open about their Queer sexuality or gender identity, typically with connotations of being completely unashamed with it, and/or more “open” or expressive about it than the average person may be.

a rather long euphemism for gay sex.

an acronym of “older, wiser lesbian”.

an old Hollywood term for a straight-acting, traditionally masculine homosexual or bisexual male.

a form of gay slang and terminology chiefly used in the United Kingdom between members of the Queer community during the 1960s and earlier when homosexuality was illegal; a secretive lexicon of words used by the Queer community. Many of these terms would later enter general slang (such as cottaging), but the vast language in itself has come close to dying out.

a gay slang term for a homosexual male – it was once considered pejorative but has been completely reclaimed, and is often used in combination with other words to describe subcommunities: e.g. drag queens, gym queens, size queens, etc.

The abhorrent act of targeted violence or abuse against Queer/LGBTQIA+ people; these targeted acts are the result of homophobia, biphobia and/or transphobia. Also known as gay bashing or fag bashing.

slang for condom, also used separately as ‘rubbers’ or ‘johnnies’.

an umbrella term for same-gender loving women or woman-aligned people, such as lesbians and bisexual+ women; an alternative to terms such as women who have sex with women, and used to describe the topics, activities and ideas around it: for example, sapphic relations, sapphic people, sapphic literature. 

Queer slang term for homosexual or bisexual men that enjoy the company of lesbians.

a slang term for lesbians who are closeted and present themselves as heterosexual during the week (such as at work, or to family and friends) but frequent lesbian venues at the weekend.

in gay slang, an alternative term for a “twink“, albeit with a more pejorative twinge, implying a bitchy demeanour.

Acronym for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Change Efforts, also known as “conversion therapy“.

a slang term that emerged to describe highly-masculine, butch lesbian women. Emerged from the 1993 novel Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg, herself a butch lesbian.

A cishet person who is a straight ally; a play-on-words that means one is straight, but not narrow minded.

a female person who enjoys the activities typically associated with boys or men, or girls who have a boyish appearance.

used in the gay community to describe guys who are skinny, hairless and on the more feminine side. The opposite to a bear.

See also: twunk.

a muscular twink; that is, a more femme-than-butch guy with muscles (although not to the extent of being a body-builder).

the imagery of the unicorn has been closely associated with Queer culture for a long time, particularly unicorns with rainbow manes and tails.

In Queer slang, a unicorn is also a bisexual person – typically female – that is willing to join an existing couple (predominantly an opposite-sex couple) for sex and fun (either together, or both singularly) without causing any inconvenience to, or having demands of, their relationship. So-called because they “do not, or rarely, exist”. Couples who seek unicorns are known as unicorn hunters.

Queer slang for predominantly opposite-sex couples who seek out bisexuals (typically women) that will engage in sexual activity with both partners, together and/or both singularly, without placing any demands or inconvenience on the relationship.

So called “unicorn hunters” because, apparently, such bisexuals are mythical or rare (like unicorns).

a Queer woman who enjoys hanging out with bears.

Queer slang for Queer men who go out late at night looking for hookups.

in the gay community, a wolf is a guy who is lean and muscular in build, with maintained body hair and a high sex drive.