Terminology

The Australian Human Rights Commission recognises that respect for individuality impacts on a person's self-worth and inherent dignity. The use of inclusive terminology respects individuality and enables visibility of important issues.

The Commission supports the right of people to choose their own language to describe their sexual orientation, gender identity or variation of sex characteristics. The Commission also recognises that some terminology is strongly contested.

Language and Terminology

• Brotherboy is a term some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use to describe gender diverse First People who have a man’s spirit and may take on men’s roles within their community.
• Cisgender, often abbreviated as 'cis', refers to people whose gender identify aligns with their sex recorded at birth (see Transgender). The prefix 'cis-' is Latin and means 'on this side of'.
• Endosex Refers to people whose sex characteristics meet medical and social norms for typically ‘male' or ‘female' bodies (see Intersex).
• Gender refers to the social and cultural norms, behaviours, and
  identities that societies associate with being male, female, or non
  binary.
• Gender expression is the way a person expresses their gender. A person's gender expression may also vary depending on the context, for instance expressing different genders at work and home.
• Gender identity refers to how a person feels about themselves in their gender. This may be expressed in many ways, such as clothing and behaviour. Some people identify their gender in a way that is consistent with the sex they were assigned at birth. Others do not.
• Intersex refers to people born with variations of genetic, hormonal or physical sex characteristics that do not conform to medical norms for ‘male' or ‘female' bodies. People with intersex variations have a diversity of bodies and identities. Some people refer to themselves as intersex, and some do not.
• LGBTIQA+ An abbreviation which is used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex, queer and asexual people collectively.
• Sex is based on a person's sex characteristics, such as their chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs. While typically based upon the sex characteristics observed and recorded at birth or infancy, a person's reported sex can change over the course of their lifetime and may differ from their sex recorded at birth.
• Sex characteristics refers to a person's primary and secondary sex characteristics, for example an individual's sex chromosomes, hormones, reproductive organs, genitals, and breast and hair development.
• Sexual orientation refers to a person's romantic and/or sexual attraction to another person, including, amongst others, the following: straight/heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, queer, asexual
• Sistergirl is a term some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use to describe gender diverse First People who have a woman’s spirit and may take on women’s roles within their community.
• SOGIESC An abbreviation used to describe sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics collectively for the purposes of law and policy, most often in human rights and anti-discrimination law. The Commission has also used SOGII (sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex).
• SOGIESC rights refers to the equal application of human rights to everyone regardless of an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics.
• Transgender, often abbreviated as ‘trans’, refers to people whose gender identity differs from their sex recorded at birth. The prefix 'trans' is Latin and means 'across from' or 'on the other side of'. This term encompasses a diverse range of identities and experiences, including those who transition socially, medically or both. (see Transition)
• Trans and gender diverse is an umbrella term for people whose gender
  identity or expression differs from societal expectations based on their sex recorded at birth. It recognises a broad spectrum of gender experiences, including transgender, non-binary and other gender diverse identities. Around the world, various cultures similarly have words and cultural roles for gender diverse people. Because language and culture are intertwined, these words do not translate directly to Western words, binaries or understandings of gender.
• Transition Transition may involve social, medical and/or legal processes to affirm a person's gender identity.

The Commission recognises that terminology is constantly evolving and language used in past Commission reports and older web pages may no longer be accurate or reflect current best practice.