Alliance to English Dictionary

A glossary of terms for those not obsessed with lexicography, like our webmaster.

ally, ASMSU, BDSM, bisexual, COPS, CORES, dyke, gay, heterosexual, homosexual, intersex, LBGT, LBGTA, lesbian, monosexual, omnisexual, pansexual, queer, transgender, reclaim, RHA, rock, the, sexual orientation, sexual preference.

ally

Somebody who aligns zirself with the lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgendered community's goals is called an ally. There are levels of comfort with allies, and there is a coming out process for allies as well. An ally is intrinsically interested in and fights for the issues of the LBGT community, and is not merely someone who does not "have a problem with gay people".

ASMSU

Acronym: The Associated Students of Michigan State University. ASMSU is the student government for all undergraduate students at MSU. There are two assemblies: the student assembly and the academic assembly. If you are interested in sitting on either of these as an apprentice, e-mail the alliance.

BDSM

Acronym: Bondage and Domination, Sadism and Masochism.

bisexual

A bisexual is a person who is emotional and physically attracted to members of any sex. For more information, read our bisexual FAQ.

COPS

Acronym: Council of Progressive Students. The five COPS groups are student groups (including the Alliance) that are recognized by ASMSU and have voting seats. The also share the COPS resource center in the attic of the Union. They include:

1. The Alliance
2. Arab Cultural Society
3. Council for Students with Disabilities
4. International Students Association
5. Womyn's Council

CORES

Acronym: Council of Racial and Ethnic Students. The four CORES groups and student groups that are recognized by ASMSU and have voting seats. They also share the Multicultural Center in the basement of the Union. They include:

1. Asian Pacific American Student Organization
2. Black Student Alliance
3. Culturas de las Razas Unidas
4. North American Indian Student Organization

dyke

Lesbian. The term dyke is traditionally derogatory, but many lesbians are attempting a reclamation of the term. There is great disagreement over whether this is wise.

gay

Term meaning a homosexual male. Sometimes it is extended to include lesbians as well, as a synonym for "homosexual", as in "gay men and women." Often the mainstream media will speak of the "gay community" or "gay movement," meaning lesbians, bisexuals, and gay men, but there is question as to whether they include people with different gender expressions.

heterosexual

A person who is primarily emotionally and physically attracted to people of the other gender.

homosexual

A person who is primarily emotionally and physically attracted to people of the same gender.

intersex

Not everyone is born strictly male or female, in fact an estimated 1 in 100 babies are sexually ambiguous at birth, and 1 to 2 in 1000 are surgically altered to one sex or the other. These people are called intersexed. For more information, try the Intersexed Society of North America.

LBGT

Acronym: Lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgendered.

LBGTA

Acronym: Lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgendered and ally.

lesbian

A female who is primarily emotionally and physically attracted to women.

monosexual

A person who is emotionally and physically attracted to people of a single gender, i.e., heterosexuals and homosexuals.

omnisexual

1. Of or relating to any gender.
2. (rare) A person who is attracted to people of all genders, but does not believe in a dichotomous sense of gender.

pansexual

1. A person who is attracted to people of all genders, but does not believe in a dichotomous sense of gender.
2. (rare) A person who participates in BDSM.

queer

The term queer is traditionally derogatory, but many people are attempting a reclamation of the term. There is great disagreement over whether this is wise. For an explanation of why some choose to use it, see usQueers.com.

transgender

A person who identifies as transgendered believes that society's answer to the question of gender is too limited for zir identity. For more information, see our transgender faq.

reclaim

To reclaim a word means to use it within a marginalized community in order to steal away its power. This has happened historically with varying degrees of success to many terms, including black, queer, dyke, bitch, disability/disAbility, and others. There is great disagreement over whether this is a wise action, and which terms exactly are appropriate to reclaim.

RHA

Acronym: The Residence Halls Association. RHA is a student government for all on-campus students. If you are interested are interested in being an apprentice representative, e-mail the alliance.

rock, the

Not the wrestler, but rather a nice centralized place on campus. There is a decent amount of traffic that passes here during class. The rock has tradition: anybody may paint it after sundown as long as they "control" it. As soon as you leave the rock, you lose "control" of it. After sunup, you are not allowed to paint it until the next sundown. Many student organizations, fraternities, and clubs set up tag teams to watch over the rock on the nights they paint it. The Alliance tends to start most of its marches from this point.

sexual orientation

Sexual orientation is the generally accepted way to describe the set of genders that a given individual is emotionally and physically attracted to.

sexual preference

Sexual preference has been discarded by many people in favor of sexual orientation in order to convey a lack of choice. However, the term sexual preference is also recently being reclaimed by a minority within the community, precisely in order to indicate that they do feel they have a choice. For more information, try Queer by Choice.