2SLGBTQI+ stands for 2Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex. The plus (+) ensures that further identities are included and indicates that nobody is left out.

About one in every ten people is 2SLGBTQI+.

While the acronym has many variations, the five-letter version of the acronym – LGBTQ – is the most commonly used term within the community. Often LGBTQ is used to mean all of the communities included in the “2SLGBTQI+”.

You may also hear the terms “queer community”, or “rainbow community”. There are various terms, but the most important thing to remember is to be respectful and to use the terms that people prefer.

• Two-spirit is a modern term used among some Indigenous people to describe gender-variant individuals; seen as having both male and female spirits within them.
• A lesbian is a female whose primary sexual attraction is toward females.
• Gay refers to a homosexual person. While gay is often used to describe males whose primary sexual attraction is toward males, lesbians may also be referred to as gay.
• Bisexual refers to a male or female who is sexually attracted to both males and females.
• Transgender is a gender identity. We go into more detail in the Gender Identity section.
• Queer is an umbrella term for anyone who is not heterosexual and/or does not identify as the gender they were assigned at birth (the latter is known as cisgender: people who have a gender identity that matches their assigned sex).
• Intersex is an umbrella term for people born with sex characteristics that don’t fit typical binary notions of male or female.