LGBTI
LGBTI is an abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex. After a decision by the Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality, this term is now used in official Nordic cooperation so as to correspond to the term used by other international organisations. The collective term is used throughout this report, except when referencing studies where other terms are used. It may be that parts of this group are studied, such as LGBT, LGBTQ or LBTQ. LGBT is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The Q refers to those who identify as queer, and the L is sometimes used to make lesbians visible. Although LGBTI is used consistently, it is with an awareness that there is no equilibrium in the groups encompassed by this acronym; for example, intersex is rarely highlighted in the research.
Transperson
An umbrella term for individuals who experience that their gender identity does not match the legal gender assigned to them at birth.
Non-binary
A person who feels themselves to be neither woman nor man, but instead as both, midway between, floating, or completely beyond gender categories.
Intersex variations
Intersex variation, which may also be called variation in sex characteristics, is a collective term for describing many different conditions where a person is born with an internal or external anatomy that does not correspond to what a typical female or typical male body is expected to be. An intersex variation can be a difference in external anatomy, but may also be a hormonal or genetic difference that is not expressed in an obvious anatomical difference. There is a wide range of intersex variations, some of which are treated medically and others not. Some intersex variations are detected during pregnancy or birth, while others become noticeable during puberty, when trying to become pregnant, or are detected randomly.
Queer
Queer can have multiple meanings. It can be used as an identity in which case it represents a desire to avoid identifying with something and a desire to question gender and/or sexuality norms. Queer is also a concept that can describe a critical approach to norms in which case it relates to both gender and sexual orientation.
Cis person
A person who identifies with the legal gender assigned to them at birth. Cisnormativity is a term for identifying the norms that assume that there are only two genders, and that everyone is a cis person. These norms give cis persons privileges and benefits that trans people may lack.
Heteronormativity
Norms based on the assumption that there are two separate genders woman and man, which are understood to be opposite to each other, and are based on an expectation concerning these sexes should demand of each other. Heteronormativity involves the assumption that everyone is heterosexual and creates notions of heterosexuality, and a certain type of heterosexual life, as natural, self-evident and given.
Legal gender or legal gender assignment
The gender assigned to a person in the population registers in the Nordic countries. Legal gender is assigned in the absolute majority of all cases based on the appearance of the external genitals of the newborn baby.
Gender identity
A person’s self-perceived gender, that is, the gender with which the person identifies. Gender identity is sometimes also called psychological or mental gender.
Gender-affirming care and treatment
A collective term for different ways of changing the body so that it more closely matches the individual’s gender identity.