Heternormativity is the belief that heterosexuality, predicated on the gender binary of male-female, is not only the norm or default sexual orientation but also the only acceptable sexual orientation.

Preference for straight relationships and view that same-sex relationships are unnatural.

The practice of using the former name of a transgender person—the name they were given at birth rather than the name they have chosen for themselves.

Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex.

Someone who is educating themselves about anti-racism and actively working to educate others about anti-racism and who works to end racism and other forms of intersectional oppression.

This gradual shift in terminology is motivated by the fact that the term survivor denotes a sense of empowerment and strength in recovery to some, while the term victim may denote a sense of helplessness to others. However, some people identify as a victim, while others may prefer the term survivor. At Repose, the best way for us to honor your therapeutic journey is to ask for your preference.

Gender refers to the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex.

The acronym POC stands for Person of Color. This denotes a person who is not white. Although this term is increasingly common, it may still not be acceptable to all audiences and excludes the experiences of some marginalized communities within the substrata of racial and ethnic identities.

The acronym BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, People of Color. This term seeks to unite all POC in the work for freedom and liberation while acknowledging that not all people of color face the same level of oppression and injustice. This conscious awareness allows us to recognize that Black and Indigenous bodies face some of the worst injustices in society as a consequence of racism, classism, and settler colonialism.

LGBTQIA++ is an umbrella term that seeks to encompass all identities of the gender and sexuality minority. Some but not all of the identities include: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Demisexual, Pansexual, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming, Graysexual, and more.

The term Womxn is a powerful encompassing of a broader range of gender identities other than “woman”. It seeks to foreground transgender, nonbinary, and womxn of color.