ableism: discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities. This can be pervasive in all parts of culture, from media (portraying disabled people as villains), to social interactions (making jokes about someone who is developmentally disabled), to policy (not requiring public schools to be accessible to people who use wheelchairs).
abortion: the deliberate ending of a pregnancy
asexuality: also called ace; a sexual orientation used to describe people who do not experience sexual attraction. Asexuality is a spectrum, so it describes a range of identities, from people who are sexually attracted only to a very small number of people over their lives to those who never experience sexual attraction.
birth control: the practice of preventing unwanted pregnancies, especially with contraception, such as condoms, pills, and implants containing hormones
birth control pill: also called the Pill; a daily hormonal pill that prevents pregnancy. The pill can be progestin or both progestin and estrogen. Birth control pills stop ovulation so that the female body does not release an egg.
bisexual: also called bi; people who experience enduring physical and sexual attractions to people of their same gender and other genders (regardless of whether they’ve ever acted on those attractions)
body positive: the belief that all human beings should be able to celebrate and appreciate their own bodies and the bodies of others, regardless of weight, height, size, and other physical features
cisgender: also called cis; someone who identities with the gender their family and doctors assigned them at birth based on an assessment of biological anatomy. Cis is a Latin prefix meaning “on the same side.”
clitoris: this organ, which is both inside and outside the body, is the highly sensitive pleasure center of the vulva
come: a slang term for orgasm or ejaculation. It is often spelled cum.
consent: an agreement to do something or to give permission for something to happen. All sexual activity—kissing, touching, and intercourse—requires the enthusiastic consent of each person involved. Consent is a verbal exchange that happens when someone is sober, awake, conscious, and able to make a reasoned decision.
ejaculation: a quick discharge of genital fluid, like semen or vaginal fluid. It often, but not always, occurs with an orgasm.
gender expression: external or verbal cues to someone’s gender that are shown by their clothes, makeup, hairstyle, name, pronouns, and the many other physical characteristics that shape how we present ourselves to and are perceived by others
gender fluid: also called genderqueer; a form of gender identity where someone does not identify with a single gender, moving naturally among genders
gender identity: a person’s internal, deeply held sense of their gender, regardless of anatomical features
gender transition: moving from one gender to another. Depending on the person’s individual identity and goals, gender transition can occur through changes to gender expression with no medical intervention at all, by taking the hormones estrogen or testosterone, through gender confirmation surgeries, or through some combination of various options. Hormonal and surgical procedures take place with the guidance of a doctor.
genitalia: human reproductive and sexual organs. Genitalia varies significantly in size, shape, and sensitivity.
harassment: being treated in an unwanted way because of your identity. Unwanted remarks about your body, clothes, or sexual activity, for example, are a form of sexual harassment.
heterosexism: discrimination in culture and the law based on the belief that heterosexuality is the only normal and acceptable sexual orientation
heterosexual: usually referred to as straight, heterosexual people feel physically and emotionally attracted to people of a gender other than their own. This includes a woman who is attracted exclusively to men or men who are exclusively attracted to women.
homophobia: dislike of or prejudice against people who do not identify as heterosexual
homosexual: a person who feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of their same gender
intersex: an umbrella term describing people born with reproductive and sexual anatomy, a chromosome pattern that doesn’t seem to fit the clinical, medical definitions of male, female, or both
labia: part of the vulva, these flaps of sensitive skin have lots of nerve endings and surround the vaginal opening
LGBTQ: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning. People sometimes add A (for asexual, allies, or both) and I (for intersex).
masturbation: the act of a person bringing themselves sexual pleasure
menstruation: also called a period, this is the shedding of the uterine lining that happens roughly every month. The liquid released during menstruation includes blood, mucus, and other fluids.
misgender: the act of referring to a person using a word, pronoun, or title that does not accurately describe their gender. For example, calling a woman “sir,” or calling someone who uses they/them pronouns “he” or “she.”
nonbinary: also called NB, or enby; technically meaning “not composed of just two things,” this term describes the gender identity of people who fall outside the categories of male and female. Many nonbinary people use the pronouns they/them.
oral sex: use of the mouth or tongue for sexual stimulation. Common types of oral sex include cunnilingus (a mouth on the vulva), fellatio (a mouth on the penis), and anilingus (a mouth on the anus).
orgasm: an intense physical and mental experience of pleasure that is the result of physical stimulation or sexual fantasy. Orgasms typically involve muscle spasms and a delicious feeling of a release of tension.
ovulation: the day about once a month in the human fertility cycle where the ovary releases an egg. This day and roughly the five days beforehand are when someone is most likely to get pregnant if the egg contacts sperm.
polyamory: people who are attracted to multiple people at one time and have consensual relationships that involve multiple partners
pregnancy: when an egg cell (ovum) has been fertilized by sperm, the egg cell divides into multiple cells, and the fertilized egg implants in the lining of the uterus. If the process continues, the cells will continue to divide until they form an embryo.
premenstrual syndrome (PMS): mood swings, bloating, headaches, and other symptoms that some women experience before the onset of their period
puberty: the wide range of physical, emotional, and sexual changes that happen as humans’ bodies change from childhood to adulthood. The changes are caused by fluctuating hormones, and the process lasts several years.
queer: a term people use to describe themselves when their sexual orientation is not exclusively heterosexual
racism: prejudice or discrimination directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. Racism includes both individual acts and society-wide systems that create inequality.
rape: when someone does a sexual act to someone else who does not freely consent to the act. Rape can happen to anyone of any age and gender.
sexism: prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of their sex
sexual assault: any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. This can include touching, groping, kissing, or any other unwanted activity.
sexually transmitted infection (STI): diseases that can be spread through sexual contact when one person’s body fluids, like semen, come into contact with another person’s mouth, vulva, or anus
sexual orientation: a person’s sexual identity in relation to the gender they are attracted to. For example, a woman whose sexual orientation is lesbian is attracted to other women.
transgender: also called trans; someone whose gender does not match the gender their family and doctor assigned to them at birth
tubal ligation: a form of permanent birth control where the fallopian tubes are cut, blocked, or tied by a doctor to prevent fertilization
vasectomy: a form of permanent birth control in which a surgeon cuts the vas deferens tube in the penis to prevent sperm from being in semen
virginity: the state of never having experienced sexual activity. Virginity is different for each person, since everyone determines what they consider to be sex for themselves.