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asexual
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not engaging in sexual thoughts or activities.
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bisexual
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engaging in sexual thoughts or activities involving persons of one’s own sex/gender category as well as a different sex/gender category (or multiple other such categories).
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essentialism
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a sense that some trait is so profoundly deep and consequential that it creates a common identity for everyone who has that trait.
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gay
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people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional attractions are to people of the same sex or gender; usually refers to men who are attracted to other men, but may include women who are attracted to other women.
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gender
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a set of cultural identities, expressions and roles that are assigned to people, often based upon the interpretation of their bodies, and in some cases, their sexual and reproductive anatomy.
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gender ideology
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a coordinated set of ideas about gender categories, relations, behaviors, norms, and ideals.
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gender nonbinary
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rejecting strict male and female gender categories in favor of a more flexible and contextual expression of gender.
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gynocentric
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woman-centered.
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heteronormativity
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the notion that heterosexuality is the most natural and normal form of sexuality.
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heterosexual
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engaging in sexual thoughts or activities involving persons of a different sex/gender category.
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intersectionality
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the recognition that gender, race, class, ethnicity, age, sexuality, and physical ability all intersect to make the experiences of a person in any category diverse and complex
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intersex
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born with differences in sex characteristics or chromosomes that do not fall within typical conceptions of male or female.
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lesbian
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a woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women.
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matriarchy
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a hypothetical gender ideology that positions women as rulers of private and public life.
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multiple gender
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a gender system that goes beyond male and female, adding one or more other categories.
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pansexual
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engaging in sexual thoughts or activities with others without regard to biological sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, meaning that sex and gender are not determining factors in their erotic relations.
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patriarchy
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a widespread gender ideology that positions men as rulers of private and public life.
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queer
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originally a pejorative term in American culture for people who did not conform to the rigid norms of heterosexuality; now used as a term of pride among many members of the LGBTQIA+ community to highlight the fluid, constantly changing, and contextual nature of gender and sexuality.
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queer anthropology
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a subfield of anthropology that focuses on areas of sociocultural activity distinguished from the presumed norms of heterosexuality and gender identities.
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sex
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biological categories of male, female, and intersex.
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sexual dimorphism
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a size difference between males and females of a species.
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sexual orientation
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sociocultural identities associated with specific forms of sexuality.
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sexuality
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erotic thoughts, desires, and practices and the sociocultural identities associated with them.
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sociobiology
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a subfield of biology that attempts to explain human behavior by considering evolutionary processes.
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variant female
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a category of persons who are ascribed female at birth but adopt a masculine identity later on.
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variant gender
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a category of gender other than male or female.
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variant male
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a category of persons who are ascribed male at birth but adopt a feminine identity later on.