GLOSSARY

We thought it might be useful to provide a glossary. Please feel free to share with us any alternative terms or definitions that you have found to be useful.

Ally

A (typically) straight and/or cis person who supports members of the LGBT community.**

Bi (sexual)

Bi is an umbrella term used to describe an emotional, romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.
Bi people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, bisexual, pan, bi-curious, queer, and other non-monosexual identities.**

Extra Care

Extra Care offers housing for people aged 55 and over. It gives you the opportunity to live in a home of your own with 24/7 support on hand, should you need it. Living in Extra Care housing will give you or your loved one independence and choice over their own lives.

Gay

Refers to a man who has an emotional, romantic and/or sexual orientation towards men. Also a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality - some women define themselves as gay rather than lesbian.**

Lesbian

Refers to a woman who has an emotional, romantic and/or sexual orientation towards women.**

LGBT+

Tonic uses these initials and the plus sign to refer to anyone who identifies within the wide spectrum of sexual and gender minorities and while various organisations use different initials we hope this choice resonates with our communities.

LGBT+ affirming

We believe that our services and support should not only be “LGBT+-friendly” but genuinely affirming of the lives, histories, needs and desires of LGBT+ people. The term does not imply exclusion of those who do not identify as LGBT+ but actively values those who respect and celebrate LGBT+ people.

Non-binary

An umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.**

Pan (sexual)

Refers to a person whose emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction towards others is not limited by sex or gender.**

Person with a Trans history

Someone who identifies as male or female or a man or a woman, but was assigned the opposite sex at birth. This is increasingly used by people to acknowledge a trans past.**

Queer

In the past a derogatory term for LGBT individuals. The term has now been reclaimed by LGBT young people in particular who don’t identify with traditional categories around gender identity and sexual orientation but is still viewed to be derogatory by some.**

Questioning

The process of exploring your own sexual orientation and/or gender identity.**

Retirement Community

Retirement Communities combine high quality housing options for older people with tailored support services. They allow residents to rent or own a property and to maintain their privacy and independence, with the reassurance of 24-hour on-site staff, communal facilities, and optional care and support as needed. Retirement Communities may also be referred to as retirement villages, extra care housing, housing-with-care, assisted living, close care apartments, or independent living settings.

Sexual Orientation

A person’s emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction to another person.**

Trans*

Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, crossdresser, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, two-spirit, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman,trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois.** Tonic uses the term “Trans*” to cover the various terms that stem from the prefix trans which is an umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.

** Denotes a definition used by Stonewall.