Ableism

Prejudice or discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

Affirmative Action

Policies and practices designed to promote equal opportunity and reduce discrimination, often in employment and education.

Ageism

Prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on their age, often resulting in negative stereotypes, assumptions, or attitudes towards older or younger people.

Ally

A person who actively supports and advocates for individuals or groups who experience social, economic, or political disadvantage or discrimination, often by using their own privilege or power to amplify marginalized voices and effect positive change.

Allyship

The active and ongoing support of marginalized groups by those who hold more privilege and power.

Asexual

A sexual orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction or interest in sexual activity.

Bias

Prejudice or favoritism towards or against individuals or groups based on personal opinions or beliefs.

Bigot

A person who holds intolerant and prejudiced views towards individuals or groups based on their race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.

BIPOC

Acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Bisexual

A sexual orientation characterized by attraction to both men and women.

Cancellation

The practice of publicly calling out or boycotting individuals or entities, typically on social media, for their perceived harmful or offensive behavior or beliefs. This can involve withholding support, removing endorsements or sponsorships, or advocating for the individual or entity to be “canceled” or removed from public platforms. The term can also refer to the social media-driven process of disavowing someone who has been accused of inappropriate or offensive behavior.

Cisgender

Referring to individuals whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Classism

Prejudice or discrimination based on social class, often manifested in beliefs about the inferiority or superiority of individuals or groups based on their socioeconomic status.

Colorblindness

The belief or practice of ignoring or downplaying differences based on race or ethnicity.

Colorism

Prejudice or discrimination against individuals with darker skin tones, often within the same racial or ethnic group.

Coming Out

The process of revealing one’s LGBTQIA+ identity to others.

Cultural Appropriation

The adoption or use of elements of another culture without respect for its origins or meaning.

Cultural Competence

The ability to understand and interact effectively with people from diverse cultures.

Cultural Humility

A willingness to recognize and challenge one’s own biases and assumptions in order to work effectively with diverse groups.

Cultural Sensitivity

The ability to understand and respect cultural differences and to avoid behavior or language that could be offensive or disrespectful to individuals from different cultural backgrounds.

Culturally Responsive Teaching

An approach to education that recognizes and values the cultural backgrounds and experiences of students.

Decolonization

The process of undoing the effects of colonization and colonialism on culture, identity, and power.

Demisexual

A sexual orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction until a deep emotional connection is formed.

Disability

A physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities, such as mobility, communication, or daily living tasks.

Discrimination

Unfair treatment or behavior towards individuals or groups based on their race, gender, religion, nationality, age, disability, or other characteristics, often resulting in disadvantage, exclusion, or marginalization.

Diversity

The recognition and acceptance of differences within a society or organization.

Equity

The concept of fairness and justice in the distribution of resources and opportunities, regardless of differences.

Equity Lens

A framework for examining policies and practices to identify and address potential inequities.

Ethnicity

A social identity that is based on shared cultural traditions, ancestry, language, and/or religion. Ethnicity is often used to describe individuals or groups who share a common cultural heritage or experience.

Gender Dysphoria

The distress experienced by some individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Gender Expression

The way in which an individual expresses their gender identity through appearance, behavior, and other means.

Gender Non-Conforming

Referring to individuals who do not conform to traditional gender expectations or norms, often through their appearance, behavior, or self-expression. They may identify as neither exclusively male nor female, or may identify as a combination of genders.

Harassment

Unwelcome or unwanted behavior, often of a sexual or discriminatory nature, that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for individuals or groups.

Heteronormativity

The assumption that heterosexuality is the only normal or natural sexual orientation.

Heterosexism

The assumption or belief that heterosexuality is the only valid or natural sexual orientation.

Implicit Bias

Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect behavior and decision-making.

Inclusion

The practice of ensuring that all individuals feel valued, respected, and included in a community or organization.

Inclusive Language

Language that avoids marginalizing or offending groups of people based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.

Institutional Racism

The systemic and institutionalized patterns of discrimination, disadvantage, and inequality that perpetuate racial hierarchies and disparities within organizations, institutions, and societies.

Intersectional Feminism

A feminist approach that acknowledges and addresses the intersection of different forms of oppression.

Intersectionality

The interconnectedness of different forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and ableism.

LGBTQIA+

Acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual/aromantic/agender, representing a diverse range of sexual and gender identities.

Marginalized Groups

Groups of people who experience social, economic, or political disadvantage or discrimination.

Microaggressions

Subtle or indirect expressions of discrimination, often unintentional, that communicate negative messages to marginalized groups.

Nationality

The status of belonging to a particular country or nation, often determined by factors such as place of birth, ancestry, or citizenship.

Non-Binary

An umbrella term for gender identities that do not fit within the traditional binary of male or female.

Non-Traditional Parenting

The practice of raising children in family structures that do not fit the traditional nuclear family model, such as single-parent households, same-sex parent households, or blended families.

Oppression

The systemic and institutionalized patterns of discrimination, disadvantage, and inequality that result in the marginalization, subordination, and exploitation of individuals or groups.

Pansexual

A sexual orientation characterized by attraction to people regardless of their gender identity.

Patriarchy

A social system in which men hold primary power and authority, often resulting in the marginalization, subordination, and oppression of women and other gender minorities.

People of Color (POC)

A term used to describe individuals who identify as non-white or who belong to racial or ethnic minority groups.

Pinkwashing

The practice of companies or organizations using support for LGBTQIA+ causes as a marketing tactic, without making meaningful efforts to address discrimination or support LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Prejudice

Preconceived opinions or attitudes towards individuals or groups, often based on stereotypes, that are not based on reason or actual experience.

Privilege

Unearned benefits or advantages that individuals or groups receive as a result of their social, economic, or political status, often at the expense of others.

Pronouns

The words used to refer to an individual’s gender identity, such as he/him, she/her, they/them.

Queer

An umbrella term for sexual and gender identities that do not fit within traditional heterosexual or cisgender norms.

Queerbaiting

The practice of hinting at or teasing the possibility of LGBTQIA+ representation or content in media, without actually delivering on that representation. This can be done as a marketing tactic to attract LGBTQIA+ audiences, without taking the risk of including authentic representation.

Race

A social construct that categorizes individuals into groups based on physical characteristics, often resulting in social, economic, and political hierarchies and inequalities.

Restorative Justice

An approach to justice that prioritizes repairing harm and restoring relationships, rather than punishment.

Safe Space

A physical or virtual environment where individuals feel free to express themselves without fear of judgment, discrimination, or harassment.

Sexual Orientation

A person's emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction to individuals of the same gender, opposite gender, or both.

Social Identity

The characteristics, such as race, gender, and sexual orientation, that shape an individual’s sense of self and social experiences.

Social Justice

The pursuit of equal rights and opportunities for all individuals, regardless of race, gender, or other characteristics.

Stereotype

A widely-held and oversimplified idea or image of a particular group of people, often based on limited or inaccurate information.

Structural Inequality

The ways in which social, economic, and political structures and institutions create and perpetuate disparities and inequalities based on factors such as race, gender, class, or other characteristics.

Structural Racism

The ways in which social, economic, and political structures and institutions perpetuate racial inequities and discrimination, often through policies and practices that disadvantage people of color.

System of Oppression

The systemic and institutionalized patterns of discrimination, disadvantage, and inequality that perpetuate social, economic, and political hierarchies and marginalization of individuals or groups.

Systemic Oppression

The ways in which societal structures and institutions perpetuate inequalities and discrimination.

Systemic Racism

The institutionalized and pervasive practices, policies, and beliefs that perpetuate racial inequalities and discrimination.

Tokenism

The practice of including one or a few members of a marginalized group to give the appearance of diversity.

Transgender

Referring to individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Transphobia

Prejudice or discrimination against transgender or gender non-conforming individuals.

Two-Spirit

A term used by some Indigenous peoples to describe individuals who embody both male and female spirits.

White Privilege

The unearned benefits and advantages that come with being white in a society that privileges whiteness.

White Supremacy

A social and political ideology that promotes and reinforces the belief in the inherent superiority of white people over other racial or ethnic groups, often resulting in discrimination, marginalization, and violence against people of color.

Xenophobia

The fear or hatred of people from different countries or cultures, often accompanied by a belief in the superiority of one’s own culture or nation.