GLOSSARY 

» Advocacy: The deliberate process, based on demonstrated evidence, of directly and indirectly influencing decision makers, stakeholders, and relevant audiences to support and implement actions which contribute to the fulfilment of women’s rights. (Source: UNICEF)

» All levels: Includes all employee levels—from top management to entry level to operational functions. 

» Commitment/Policy: Policies or commitments can also be reflected in collective arrangements which regulate the terms and conditions between an employer and employee or group of employees.

» Due Diligence and Human Rights Impact Assessments: The Guiding Principles state that companies should have policies and processes appropriate to their size and circumstances, to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for how they address their potential and actual impacts on human rights. These practices should be integrated into a company’s management systems and broader strategy. They should extend to all business relationships, including potential suppliers and vendors, to ensure these business relationships do not violate the company’s commitment to responsible business. Due diligence on suppliers and vendors could include: human rights impact assessments, worker surveys, sustainability ratings, and reviewing information submitted to operational level grievance mechanisms. (The Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights, UN Global Compact)

» Professional Development: Refers to specialized training, formal education or advanced professional training provided to employees and funded by the company.

» Professional Networks: Professional networks refer to professional relationships or opportunities that may boost one's future business and employment prospects. The company can support internal employee networks in which members can discuss specific challenges to professional development, opportunities that foster an inclusive workplace environment, and skills needed to advance. Ensuring networks are available to women is essential to recruiting, retention, and advancement. (Source: Drawn from the definition of networks onInvestopedia)

» Public Statement: A public statement or commitment can include a letter to stakeholders, signing the CEO Statement of Support, a written blog or editorial piece. The public statement can set the tone, vision, culture, and values of a company. (Source: UN Women’s Private Sector Accountability Framework)

» Respect vs. Support of Human Rights: Business Enterprises have the responsibility to respect human rights. This means that companies should avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved. These rights are defined in international standards and conventions. All companies have a minimum obligation to respect human rights. Support refers to other commitments or activities that business enterprises may undertake to support and promote human rights, which may contribute to the enjoyment of rights. But this does not (and should not) offset a failure to respect human rights throughout their operations. (The Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights)

» Responsible Marketing: Responsible marketing practices are those that some companies adopt to acknowledge the larger social and environmental impacts of their products and services. In the context of LGBTIQ+ rights, responsible marketing refers to marketing practices that do not perpetuate harmful or negative stereotypes about the LGBTIQ+ community, as well as to use marketing practices that convey support for the LGBTIQ+ community by promoting positive images of the LGBTIQ+ community that can, in turn, help to dismantle negative stereotypes.

» Stakeholders: A person, group, or organization that has interest or concern in an organization. Stakeholders can affect or be affected by the organization's actions, objectives, and policies. Stakeholders can include: investors, consumers, civil society, governments, and local communities. When engaging stakeholders it is important to engage both male and female members of the affected/involved party. (Sources: Business Dictionary, UN Global Compact)

» Supply Chain: Supply Chain refers to cross-border organization of the activities required to produce goods or services and bring them to consumers through inputs and various phases of development, production, and delivery. (Source: ILO)

» Talent Pipeline: A talent pipeline is a pool of candidates who are qualified and prepared to fill a position. These can be employees who are prospects for advancement or external candidates partially or fully prequalified to take an opening. 

» The Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights: The Guiding Principles seek to provide an authoritative global standard for preventing and addressing the risk of adverse human rights impacts linked to business activity. They stress the importance of integrating a gender perspective into human rights risk management. (The Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights)

» Value Chain: A business enterprise’s value chain encompasses the activities that convey input into output by adding value. It includes entities with which it has a direct or indirect business relationship and which either (a) supply products or services that contribute to the enterprise’s own products or services, or (b) receive products or services from the enterprise. (The Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights)

Additional Terms | From: Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Glossary of Terms 

» Asexual:  The lack of a sexual attraction or desire for other people. 

» Biphobia: The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, people who love and are sexually attracted to more than one gender. 

» Bisexual: A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. Sometimes used interchangeably with pansexual. 

» Cisgender: A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth. 

» Coming Out: The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts and appreciates their sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with others. 

» Gay: A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves. 

» Gender binary: A system in which gender is constructed into two strict categories of male or female. Gender identity is expected to align with the sex assigned at birth and gender expressions and roles fit traditional expectations. 

» Gender dysphoria: Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. 

» Gender-expansive: A person with a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system. Often used as an umbrella term when referring to young people still exploring the possibilities of their gender expression and/or gender identity.

» Gender expression: External appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine. 

» Gender-fluid: A person who does not identify with a single fixed gender or has a fluid or unfixed gender identity. 

» Gender identity: One’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth. 

» Gender non-conforming: A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category. While many also identify as transgender, not all gender non-conforming people do. 

» Genderqueer: Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as "genderqueer" may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories. 

» Homophobia: The fear and hatred of or discomfort with people who are attracted to members of the same sex. 

» Intersex: Intersex people are born with a variety of differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy. There is a wide variety of difference among intersex variations, including differences in genitalia, chromosomes, gonads, internal sex organs, hormone production, hormone response, and/or secondary sex traits. 

» Lesbian: A woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves. 

» LGBTIQ+: An acronym for “lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, and queer” people. 

» Non-binary: An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do. Non-binary can also be used as an umbrella term encompassing identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer or gender-fluid. 

» Outing: Exposing someone’s lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, queer or gender non-binary identity to others without their permission. Outing someone can have serious repercussions on employment, economic stability, personal safety or religious or family situations. 

» Pansexual: Describes someone who has the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. Sometimes used interchangeably with bisexual. 

» Queer: A term people often use to express a spectrum of identities and orientations that are counter to the mainstream. Queer is often used as a catch-all to include many people, including those who do not identify as exclusively straight and/or folks who have non-binary or gender-expansive identities. This term was previously used as a slur, but has been reclaimed by many parts of the LGBTIQ+ movement.

» Questioning: A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

» Same-gender loving: A term some prefer to use instead of lesbian, gay or bisexual to express attraction to and love of people of the same gender. 

» Sex assigned at birth: The sex, male, female or intersex, that a doctor or midwife uses to describe a child at birth based on their external anatomy. 

» Sexual orientation: An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people. Note: an individual’s sexual orientation is independent of their gender identity. 

» Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc. 

»  Transitioning: A series of processes that some transgender people may undergo in order to live more fully as their true gender. This typically includes social transition, such as changing name and pronouns, medical transition, which may include hormone therapy or gender affirming surgeries, and legal transition, which may include changing legal name and sex on government identity documents. Transgender people may choose to undergo some, all or none of these processes. 

 LGBTIQ+ Equality FAQs | From: UN Free & Equal 

What does LGBTIQ+ mean?

LGBTIQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer. While these terms have increasing global resonance, in different cultures other terms are often used to refer to people who are attracted to people of the same gender, people with gender identities that differ from the sex assigned at birth, people with non- binary identities and people whose sex characteristics do not fit typical definitions of male and female (such as hijra, meti, lala, skesana, motsoalle, mithli, kuchu, kawein, travesty, muxé, fa’afafine, fakaleiti, hamjensgara and Two-Spirit). In a human rights context, lesbian, gay, bi, and trans people face both common and distinct challenges. Intersex people (those born with atypical sex characteristics) suffer some of the same kinds of human rights violations as lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people, as indicated below.

What does LGBTIQ+ mean?

LGBTIQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer. The “+” is added to encompass the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities that may not be represented by those preceding.

What is LGBTIQ+ inclusive language?

Inclusive language is a way of acknowledging and respecting the diversity of bodies, genders and relationships. People express their gender and sexuality in different ways. People can have different biological sex characteristics. Language used to describe different LGBTIQ+ people and by different parts of LGBTIQ+ communities changes over time and can differ across cultures and generations.

Inclusive language ensures we don’t leave people out of our conversations or our work. This includes both when we are communicating directly with someone, and when describing someone who isn’t present. Inclusive language acknowledges the diversity of people we work with and serve.

Inclusive Language Guide: https://www.vic.gov.au/inclusive-language-guide 

What is sexual orientation?

Sexual orientation refers to a person’s physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction towards other people. Everyone has a sexual orientation, which is integral to a person’s identity. Gay men and lesbian women are attracted to individuals of the same sex as themselves. Heterosexual people (sometimes known as “straight”) are attracted to individuals of a different sex from themselves. Bisexual people may be attracted to individuals of the same or different sex. Sexual orientation is not related to gender identity.

What is gender identity?

Gender identity reflects a deeply felt and experienced sense of one’s own gender. A person’s gender identity is often aligned with the sex assigned to them at birth. Transgender people have a gender identity that is different from the sex that they were assigned at birth.

What does transgender mean?

Transgender (sometimes shortened to “trans”) is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of identities —including transsexual people, cross-dressers (sometimes referred to as “transvestites”), people who identify as third gender or other non-binary terms, and others whose appearance and characteristics are perceived as gender atypical. Transwomen identify as women but were classified as male when they were born. Transmen identify as men but were classified female when they were born. Some transgender people seek surgery or take hormones to bring their body into alignment with their gender identity; others do not.

What is intersex?

An intersex person is born with sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, hormone and/or chromosome patterns that do not fit the typical definition of male or female. This may be apparent at birth or become so later in life. An intersex person may identify as male, female, both, neither or something else. Intersex people can have any sexual orientation and gender identity.

What are homophobia, biphobia and transphobia?

Homophobia is an irrational fear of, hatred or aversion towards lesbian and gay people; biphobia is an irrational fear of, hatred or aversion towards bisexual people; transphobia denotes an irrational fear, hatred or aversion towards transgender people. The term homophobia is sometimes used to refer to fear, hatred and aversion towards lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex and queer people in general.

What kind of human rights violations are LGBTIQ+ people exposed to?

Lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, and queer people of all ages and in all regions of the world suffer from violations of their human rights. They are physically attacked, kidnapped, raped and murdered. In more than a third of the world’s countries, people may be arrested and jailed (and in at least five countries executed) for engaging in private, consensual, same- sex relationships. Transgender people are often denied identity papers that reflect their preferred gender, without which they cannot work, travel, open a bank account or access services. Intersex children may be subjected to violence based on their appearance, including harmful practices such as medically unnecessary surgical and other interventions without their informed consent, and as adults are also vulnerable to violence and discrimination.

LGBTIQ+ children and adolescents face bullying and discrimination in school. Young people may also be thrown out of their homes by their parents, forced into psychiatric institutions or forced to marry based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. States often fail to adequately protect LGBTIQ+ people from discriminatory treatment in the private sphere, including in the workplace, housing, education and healthcare.

Is there any reason to criminalize same-sex relationships and transgender people?

No. Criminalizing private sexual relationships between consenting adults, whether the relationships are same- sex or different-sex, is a violation of the right to privacy. Laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relationships are also discriminatory, and where enforced, violate rights to freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention. More than 70 countries have laws in effect that criminalize private, consensual same-sex relationships, and in at least five countries conviction may carry the death penalty. Criminalizing transgender people on the basis of such laws or other laws that specifically ban “cross-dressing” also violates fundamental rights to non-discrimination, freedom of expression and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention. In addition to violating basic rights, these discriminatory laws lead to and exacerbate hostile attitudes towards gay, lesbian, bi, trans, intersex and queer people, feeding violence and discrimination. They also hamper efforts to halt the spread of HIV by deterring people from coming forward for testing and treatment for fear of stigma, discrimination and abuse.

Is same-sex attraction or being transgender a Western phenomenon?

No. Lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, and queer people exist everywhere, in all countries, among all ethnic groups, at all socioeconomic levels and in all communities. Claims that same-sex attraction and transgender identity are Western are false. However, many of the criminal laws used today to punish lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex and queer people are Western in origin. In most cases, they were imposed on the countries concerned in the 19th Century by the colonial powers of the day.

Have LGBTIQ+ people always existed?

Yes. People attracted to others of the same sex, people with gender identities and expressions that are different from the sex assigned at birth and intersex people have always been a part of our communities. There are examples from every locality and time- period, from prehistoric rock paintings in South Africa to drawings in Egyptian tombs, ancient Indian medical texts and early Ottoman literature. Many societies have traditionally been open towards LGBTIQ+ people, including several Asian societies that have traditionally recognized a third gender.

Is it possible to change a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity?

No. Attempts to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity often involve human rights violations and can cause severe trauma. Examples include forced psychiatric therapies intended to “cure” (sick) individuals of their same-sex attraction or transgender identity, as well as the so-called “corrective” rape of lesbians perpetrated with the declared aim of “turning them straight.” What must change are the negative social attitudes that stigmatize lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, and queer people and contribute to violence and discrimination against them.

Does having access to information about LGBTIQ+ people endanger the wellbeing of children?

No. Learning about or spending time with people who are LGBTIQ+ does not influence the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors nor can it harm their wellbeing. Rather, it is vital that all youth have access to age-appropriate sexuality education to ensure that they have healthy, respectful physical relationships and can protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections. Denial of this kind of information contributes to stigma and can cause young LGBTIQ+ people to feel isolated, depressed, forcing some to drop out of school and contributing to higher rates of suicide.

Are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or queer people dangerous to children?

No. There is no link of any kind between same-sex attraction or transgender identity and child abuse. Lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, or queer people all over the world can be good parents, teachers and role models for young people. Portraying them as “paedophiles” or dangerous to children is wholly inaccurate, offensive and a distraction from the need for serious and appropriate measures to protect all children, including those coming to terms with their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Does international human rights law apply to LGBTIQ+ people?

Yes, it applies to every person. International human rights law establishes legal obligations on States to make sure that everyone, without distinction, can enjoy their human rights. A person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics is a status, like race, sex, colour or religion. United Nations human rights experts have confirmed that international law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics.

Can depriving LGBTIQ+ people of their human rights be justified on grounds of religion, culture or tradition?

No. Human rights are universal: every human being is entitled to the same rights, no matter who they are or where they live. While history, culture and religion are contextually important, all States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, have a legal duty to promote and protect the human rights of all persons without discrimination.