Allonormativity: Sexual Attraction as a Social Expectation
Allonormativity is the assumption that everyone naturally experiences sexual attraction and should want sexual relationships or become sexually active.
Family Rejection: LGBTQ+ Identity, Minority Stress, and Support
Family rejection is the withdrawal of acceptance, support, or belonging because of a person’s identity, relationships, or self-expression, including LGBTQ+ identities.
Family Affirmation: LGBTQ+ Support, Acceptance, and Belonging
Family affirmation means actively supporting and respecting a person’s identity, relationships, privacy, and self-expression through acceptance, care, and inclusive behavior.
Identity Concealment: Privacy, Minority Stress, and LGBTQ+ Identity
Identity concealment is the act of hiding or limiting disclosure of a personal identity, often to protect privacy or reduce risks of stigma, rejection, or discrimination.
Identity Disclosure: Privacy, Coming Out, and Personal Choice
Identity disclosure is the act of sharing personal identity information, such as sexual orientation or gender identity, with others while balancing privacy, safety, and personal choice.
Chosen Community: Belonging, Support, and LGBTQ+ Connection
A chosen community is a voluntarily formed network of people who provide belonging, support, identity affirmation, friendship, and mutual care beyond traditional family structures.
Queer Kinship: Chosen Family, Care, and LGBTQ+ Belonging
Queer kinship describes family-like bonds and care networks created through friendship, partnership, community, co-parenting, and chosen family beyond traditional family structures.
Internalized Acephobia: Stigma, Self-Doubt, and Ace Acceptance
Internalized acephobia occurs when asexual or ace-spectrum people absorb negative beliefs about asexuality and apply those stereotypes or judgments to themselves.
Coming In: LGBTQ+ Self-Recognition and Identity Acceptance
Coming in is an inward LGBTQ+ process of recognizing, exploring, or accepting one’s own sexual orientation or gender identity, often before any public disclosure.
Internalized Biphobia: Stigma, Erasure, and Bisexual Self-Acceptance
Internalized biphobia occurs when bisexual or bi+ people absorb negative beliefs about bisexuality and apply those stereotypes or judgments to themselves or others.