The Office of Student Life at Evergreen Valley College is committed to enhancing the quality of life of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning EVC students in an environment that is welcoming, positive, and safe. We are committed to ensuring a space for students, community members, and allies to come together to share resources, support, and discussion about topics relevant to the LGBTQ community such as:
The Office of Student Life is located on the second level of the Gullo I Student Center in G-203. The offices can be found directly above the cafeteria inside the student lounge area.
Ally – Someone who confronts heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, heterosexual and gender-straight privilege in themselves and others; a concern for the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and intersex people; a belief that heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are social constructs.
Androgynous - An appearance and/or identification that is neither man nor woman, presenting a gender either mixed or neutral.
Asexual/Nonsexual – A person who is not physically/sexually attracted to another person. Unlike celibacy, which people choose, asexuality is an intrinsic part of who they are. Asexual people still have the same emotional needs, as anyone else, and experience attraction. However, they feel no need to physically act out on that attraction.
Assigned Sex - When all of us are born, a doctor or other official surveys the evidence and assigns us one of two sexes: “male” and “female.” If the available physical evidence at birth is unclear, many times the evidence is “fixed” surgically to conform to one of those two boxes.
Bisexual – A person emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to men and women. This attraction does not have to be equally split between genders and there may be a preference for one gender over others.
Cisgender – A person whose assigned sex at birth matches their gender identity and/or expression. Literally “not transgender.” This is a less problematic term for people who are not transgender – preferred over terms like “real man/woman,” “biological man/woman,” or “natural man/woman.”
Coming Out – May refer to the process by which one accepts one’s own sexuality, gender identity, or status as an intersexed person (to “come out” to oneself). May also refer to the process by which one shares one’s sexuality, gender identity, or intersexed status with others (to “come out” to friends, etc.). This can be a continual, life-long process for homosexual, bisexual, transgendered, and intersexed individuals.
Gay – A man, who identifies as male, who desires and/or is drawn to another man, who identifies as male. “Gay” is often used to refer to both men and women who are attracted to people of the same gender identity. Many object to the universal use of “gay” because of the sexist implications.
Gender Binary – The idea there are only two genders – male/female or man/woman and that a person must be strictly gendered as either/or.
Gender Expression - The gender everyone see; the way in which an individual externally represents their gender identity and presents it to the world.
Gender Identity – A person’s internal sense of being masculine, feminine, or other gendered. The way an individual identifies their unique gender; this does not always align with their sex.
Gender Normative / Gender Straight – A person who either by nature or by choice conforms to gender-based expectations of society.
Gender Queer – A person who redefines, plays with or refuses gender all together. It is an identity taken up by many people who bend/break the rules of gender and blur the boundaries of gender identity/expression.
Gender Variant / Gender Non-Conforming – A person who either by nature or choice does not conform to gender-based expectations of society (e.g. transgender, transsexual, intersex, gender-queer, cross-dresser, etc.).
Heterosexual – A person who desires and is drawn to another person of the opposite gender.
Homophobia – The irrational fear or hatred of homosexuals, homosexuality, or any behavior or belief that does not conform to rigid sex role stereotypes. It is this fear that enforces sexism as well as heterosexism.
In the Closet – Refers to a person within the queer community who will not or cannot disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to their friends, family, co-workers, or society. There are varying degrees of being “in the closet”; for example, a person can be out in their social life, but in the closet at work, or with their family.
Intersex – A term used to describe a person whose chromosomes, genitalia, and/or secondary sex characteristics are determined to be neither exclusively male nor female.
Lesbian – A woman, who identifies as female, who desires and/or is drawn to another woman, who identifies as female. The term lesbian is derived from the name of the Greek island of Lesbos and as such is sometimes considered a Eurocentric category.
LGBTQ+ – A common abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersexed, asexual, ally, and pansexual community.
Outing – When a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status is disclosed by someone other than the individual. Outing a person can lead to both emotional and potentially physical harm.
Pansexual – A person who recognizes more than two genders and can be drawn to a person of any gender identity or expression.
Polyamory – Not synonymous with polygamy (polygamy includes a power differential and a possible lack of consent) Polyamory refers to having honest, usually non-possessive, open communicative, relationships with more than one partner, not necessarily all at once.
Queer – Once used primarily as a pejorative term, queer is being reclaimed by many LBGTQ+ people in an attempt to disband rigid labels. This umbrella term is used to be more inclusive of the broad diversity of race, class, and gender that are often under-represented in the LBGTQ+ community.
Questioning – Someone who is questioning their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. These individuals may be exploring their feelings or unsure of their own sexuality. They may not identify as LGBTQ+ because they have yet to determine how to best identify themselves.
Sexual Orientation – "Sexual orientation" is the preferred term used when referring to an individual's physical and/or emotional attraction to the same and/or opposite gender. "Gay," "lesbian," "bisexual" and "straight" are all examples of sexual orientations. A person's sexual orientation is distinct from a person's gender identity and expression.
Straight – A term used to describe a person who identifies as heterosexual.
Transgender or Trans*– An umbrella term for people who, for any number of reasons, have a gender identity/expression not commonly associated with their assigned birth. A person who lives as a member of a gender other than that expected based on anatomical sex or assigned sex. Sexual orientation varies and is not dependent on gender identity.
Transsexual – a person whose gender identity/expression is not commonly associated with their assigned sex at birth. Transsexuals may wish to transform their bodies hormonally and/or surgically to be more congruent with their inner sense of gender/sex. The term is now considered largely disparaging.
Two Spirited/Māhū – Are indigenous definitions which believe in a third gender. Individuals naturally possess male and female gender/spirit simultaneously. They are sometimes valued as tribal spiritual leaders and/or healers.
Ze / Hir – Alternate pronouns that are gender neutral and preferred by some gender variant persons. Pronounced /zee/ and /here/ they replace “he” and “she” and “his” and “hers” respectively.
