Inclusivity - Reading Materials - Chapter 09: Glossary of Terms

2SLGBTQI+: An initialism that stands for Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional people who identify as part of a sexual or gender diverse community who may use another term to self-describe. This may include more, less, or different letters depending on the culture and community of choice. It should be noted that the Government of Canada changed the initialism to include 2S at the front, recognizing that Two Spirit people are the first 2SLGBTQI+ community (Government of Canada, Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan 2022).  This initialism may also be seen as 2SLGBTQIA+, EHRC has opted to use the initialism by the Government of Canada at the time of publishing.

Able-bodied: The functional and conceptual expectation that a person can meet the standards of what a human is thought to be capable of doing without support (N.A. Davis).  Society treats those who are non-disabled as both standard and normative and functions in a way that suggests that to be successful in society one must be able-bodied. 

Ableism: Relying on a culture of autonomy and independence, ableism is the institutionalized and structural form of oppression against persons with disabilities (D. Goodley). Similar to racism and sexism, it relies on the societal belief in the inferiority of persons with disabilities when compared to their contextualized non-disabled counterparts. 

Accessibility: Accessibility is the act of designing services, environments, buildings, websites, products, and devices for barrier-free ease of use and equitable and successful access to persons with disabilities (Accessibility Services Canada).

Ageism: Discrimination, prejudice, stereotyping and bias towards individuals on the grounds of their age. It is a socially constructed way of thinking about the older population and has resulted in a discriminatory systemic design of services and programs (Ontario Human Rights Commission).

Apparent: Apparent disabilities are impairments or functional limitations that are visually discernable to others. These may be mental, physical, communication or learning related, or cognitive and directly impact a person’s ability to fully and equally participate in society under what is deemed “normal” circumstances. Note that the concept of normal, like the concept of disability, is conceptual, everchanging, and unclear (E. Griffiths). 

Bamboo Ceiling: The bamboo ceiling specifically refers to the significant representation of Asian individuals in white-collar careers but their severe underrepresentation in executive leadership positions (J. Hyun). 

Belonging: This involves feeling like one can be their true self at work and still feel accepted, preventing micro and macro-aggressions, creating and maintaining a safe space to provide feedback, and making sure employees feel that their voice is heard (Cornell University). This differs from inclusion in that inclusion focuses on the organization or workplace’s willingness to include diverse perspectives, whereas belonging suggests that diverse individuals feel included and like their voice matters at work.

Bias: Rooted in stereotypes, prejudices, and racism, biases are conscious or unconscious thoughts, behaviours, and actions that are based on a prejudgment of habits, abilities, or expectations and directed towards or against a certain group (J. Moule). 

Bisexual: Bisexuality refers to someone who is sexually and/or romantically attracted to more than one gender. At the time the word was created there were limited understandings of gender identity, suggesting the bi- takes a binary approach to gender. However, the term bisexuality should be interpreted as recognizing that gender is not binary (The Trevor Project). Pansexual is sometimes used interchangeably with bisexual. 

Cisgender: People who live their lives as the biological sex and corresponding gender identity they were assigned at birth. Understanding the historically homogeneous Euro-Western definition of gender as binary categories of men and women, a cisgender person would refer to a female-bodied woman or a male-bodied man (K. Schilt, L. Westbrook). 

Class: Class can be defined as a group’s social or economic status based on their relationship to the exploitation of labour (R. Hogan). This is often divided into three sub-categories: lower-, middle-, and upper-class. 

Disability: An individual who has atypical modes of embodied functioning when in comparison to social norms, attributes, and expected activities throughout daily life (B. Almassi). This takes the form of any impairment or functional limitation, such as physical, mental, cognitive, learning, communication, or sensory impairment, that, due to culturally accepted barriers, impedes an individual’s ability to fully participate in society (Accessible Canada Act). These may be temporary, permanent, or episodic.

Discrimination: An action or decision that treats a person or a group badly for reasons such as age, race, ethnicity, gender, class, or disability (Canadian Human Rights Commission). This may be the denial of services, accommodations, or goods, and is prohibited under the Canadian Human Rights Act. 

Diversity: This refers to who is represented in the workforce (McKinsey). Diversity in the workplace relates to representations of gender, ethnicity, race, ability and disability, age, religion, and other characteristics and traits that make up a person’s identity. 

Equality: Equality refers to the same and equal treatment of all individuals regardless of barriers and societal inequities that individuals face.

Equity: Equity considers how different people face different levels of oppression that result in unique circumstances and suggests that to achieve true equality, one must adjust treatment according to the needs of the individual and the barriers that they face (McKinsey).

Ethnicity: A social construct refers to differences in cultural geography or culture of belonging and place, whereas race refers to physical and behavioural (P. Wade). 

Gaslighting: This is a type of psychological abuse that’s goal is to make recipients of gaslighting feel or seem “crazy”. It involves the undermining of one’s sense of self, with the intention of confusing and distorting reality, to the point that a person does not trust their own version of events or feelings in a situation (P. L. Sweet). 

Gay: This term refers to man-identifying persons who are romantically and sexually attracted to other man-identifying people. However, this term has also been used to describe anyone who is sexually or romantically attracted to someone who is the same gender. 

Gender Non-conforming: Gender non-conforming is a broader umbrella term that refers to cisgender women and men who do not conform to traditional cultural expectations of gender norms and identity traits (Human Rights Campaign). It should be noted that some gender non-conforming people may also identify as transgender. 

Gender: The social, cultural, psychological, and behavioural stylized repetition of acts typically associated with a given sex (J. Butler). These are socially constructed through norms, clothing and hair choices, and roles that may vary depending on culture or period. 

Gender-based harassment and violence: According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission, gender-based harassment and violence is a form of sexual harassment and violence that reinforces and polices traditional gender norms. Generally, gender-based harassment is based on hostility and used as a bullying tactic with the intention of forcing individuals to follow heterosexual and homogenous gender roles. 

Glass Ceiling: The glass ceiling is defined by the United States Department of Labor as the manifestation of bias, both professional and personal, that has resulted in barriers that prevent qualified women and other marginalized communities from entering the executive and management levels within organizations.  

Immigrant: According to the Government of Canada, an immigrant is a person who has ever been, or who is, a landed immigrant or permanent resident and has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by Canadian immigration authorities. 

Inclusion: Referring to how an organization supports its employees, regardless of identity, ensuring they can confidently and comfortably make contributions. Inclusion suggests everyone gets a voice, and that an organization is willing to listen to diverse perspectives (Glassdoor).

Indigenous Peoples: A collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. Often, “Aboriginal peoples” is also used. The Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal peoples: Indians (more commonly referred to as First Nations), Inuit and Métis. Culturally distinctive groups of people whose ancestors were the original inhabitants of lands now colonized by others of primarily Euro-Western descent (S.J. Anaya). Indigenous peoples are amongst the most disadvantaged groups in the world, experiencing femicide, genocide, language oppression and other practices of erasure. It should be noted that there are many bands and separate communities amongst the Indigenous population in Canada and that, when possible, an individual should refer to the specific society or group in discussion.

Intersectionality: Intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, recognizes the intersectional identities that contribute to layers of one’s oppression. It considers how an individual, for example, a Black woman, faces discrimination on the grounds of her race and her gender. Intersectionality challenges dominant understandings of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism and demonstrates how an individual may be marginalized by all aspects of their identity that go against the cisgender-heterosexual dominant society. 

Intersex: Intersex people are those born with various sex traits and reproductive anatomy that do not fit binary definitions of male or female. This may take the form of hormones, chromosomes, internal sex organs, and hormone production and makes up about 1.7% of the population (Human Rights Campaign).

Lesbian: A woman-identifying person who is romantically and sexually attracted to other woman-identifying people. 

Migrant: This is an umbrella term for all movements of a person away from their place of origin, whether within a country or across national borders. This may be either permanent or temporary, and for a variety of reasons such as war, persecution, or migrant work. 

Misogynoir: Coined by Moya Bailey, misogynoir refers to the way that racism, anti-Blackness, and misogyny work to police the bodies of Black women and girls living in a white hetero-patriarchal society. This takes an intersectional approach to racism and sexism, putting a name to the hatred and prejudice faced by Black women and girls.

Misogyny: This refers to the specific hatred and prejudice against women in a hetero-patriarchal society. While sexism and misogyny are both grounded in the belief in women’s inferiority to men, misogyny is an emotional, personalized and often sexualized abhorrence of women that may lead to violence.

MMIWG: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is a Canadian epidemic stemming from a long history of colonial and gendered violence that has been the foundation of Canadian society, culture, law enforcement, and policing. It refers to the feminicide of Indigenous Women and Girls, which has relied on Canada delegitimizing, dehumanizing, and sexualizing their bodies in violent, and often lethal ways, to continue the domination and exploitation of land and those who live off it. The National Inquiry into MMIWG in Canada launched in 2016, with the Final Report coming out in 2019. While the Government of Canada has acknowledged and accepted responsibility publicly, there remains a lot to be done in changing Canadian consciousness systemically and institutionally.

Non-apparent: Non-apparent disabilities are impairments or functional limitations recognized in the definition of disability, but that are not readily discernable to others (N.A. Davis). This may take the form of depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, or seizure disorders, amongst other modes of functioning that impacts their access to a barrier-free society. It should be noted that persons with non-apparent disabilities have more difficulties securing assistance or accommodations to succeed.

Non-binary: This is an umbrella term used by people whose gender identity does not exclusively fall under man or woman and is often different from what was assigned to them, based on their biological sex, at birth (The Rainbow Project). It should be noted that not all non-binary people identify as transgender, and that non-binary people may identify as both a man and a woman, neither a man nor a woman, or somewhere in between. 

Other(ing): Using the term “other” is ingrained into the concept of binary identities, with power and “self” being the homogenous white patriarchal structures of identity (Rowe, N). It puts “other” identities in a category of automatic opposition with that of traditionally Euro-Western cisgender-heterosexual identities. It can be tied to not fitting in with the norms of a social group, and attributes negative characteristics to those that differentiate from “the norm”.

Permanent Resident: A permanent resident in Canada is a person who is not a Canadian citizen, but has been given permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada. Permanent residents have the right to live, work, and study in Canada, receive health care coverage, apply for citizenship, and have protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter or Rights and Freedoms. However, they do not have the right to vote, run for political office, or hold some high-level security clearance jobs (Government of Canada). 

Queer: Previously used as a slur, the term queer has generally been reclaimed by the 2SLGBTI+ movement and community. It is used as an all-encompassing or umbrella term to describe a plethora of identities that challenge or are counter to normative or dominant identities and expressions of self (K. Whittington). 

Race: A social construct developed based on the idea that humans can be reduced to definable disparities in physical and behavioural characteristics, thus creating a social system of ranking based on signifiers primarily of skin colour, hair type, and facial features (P. Wade). 

Racism: A global system of oppression based on the societal belief that one or more races are inferior to those who are of Euro-Western descent. This leads to the determination of a group’s social, economic, civil, and human standing and provides the grounds for dehumanization and othering (B. Fields). 

Refugee: Canada has defined refugee, at its most basic, to mean a person who flees, or is forced to flee, the country of their nationality due to fear of persecution or abuse on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sex, war, violence, political opinion, sexual orientation, or membership in another oppressed group (Government of Canada). 

Resettlement: According to the United Nations, resettlement is when refugees are transferred from their country of asylum to another country that has agreed to admit them and provide them with permanent residency. 

Sex: Biological attributes associated with generally male and female humans and animals. It is primarily related to physical and physiological features such as reproductive/sexual anatomy, hormone levels, and functions (Canadian Institute of Health Research). 

Sexism: The process by which patriarchal attitudes and behaviours are institutionalized and systemic, integrated into the structure of society, with the intention of keeping women and gender-diverse individuals devalued in comparison to their male counterparts (P.B. Bart). It may take the form of discrimination, prejudice, stereotyping, and bias towards persons who do not identify as cisgender men, typically women, and is based on the belief that women and gender-diverse people are inferior to cisgender men (B.C. Postow). 

Sexual Assault: This is any form of unwanted sexual contact without explicit consent. The Supreme Court of Canada recognizes that the act does not depend explicitly on contact with a specific part of the human body, but an act of sexual nature that violates the sexual integrity of the victim. Sexual assault is not limited to a specific sex or gender of the victim or of the attacker. 

Sexual Harassment: The Ontario Human Rights Commission recognizes sexual harassment as comments or conduct that is known to be unwelcome, whether a gesture or action, and that is sexual in nature. This differs from sexual assault, which is the unwanted physical touching of sexual body parts. 

Sexual Violence: This refers to an umbrella term that encompasses both sexual assault and sexual harassment but may also include any form of non-consensual sexual behaviours. It includes, but is not limited to, sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, and sexual violence through technology (Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton).

Stereotype: An oversimplified, universal generalization or distorted truth about a group or individual (E. Beeghly). Stereotypes can be factual, however, are often used to make claims about a social, racial, or ethnic group that leads to explicit bias and racism.

Toxic Masculinity: This refers to the societal pressure men and boys face to act in ways that are mentally and physically harmful, both to themselves and others. It is the notion that men and boys should be muscular, strong, aggressive, obtain power at all costs, and never lose. It also suggests that characteristics that are traditionally feminine should be avoided, such as emotionality, asking for help, and communication needs (Katz, J.). 

Transgender: This is used as an umbrella term to describe people whose gender identity is different from the gender they were assigned at birth (The Trevor Project). Transgender is both a standalone identity or can be used to encompass many gender identities. The term “trans” is often used as a short form for transgender. It should be noted “transgender person” (i.e., “X is a transgender person/woman/man.”) is the respectful and inclusive singular form to refer to transgender people, with “trans” (i.e., “X is trans.”) serving as a more casual and colloquial alternative.

Two Spirit: This term, at its most basic, refers to someone with both a male and female spirit, who is predominantly homosexual. As a cautionary note, Two Spirit partners may not be of the same biological sex, and a Two Spirit person may have a partner of mixed-gender status (G.D. Smithers).

Unconscious Bias: Unconscious biases are immediate and automatic reactions and associations that appear before the conscious mind has time to process or think in a situation (J. Moule). These are often based on societal and cultural expectations and norms about those deemed other, and may be opposite of our stated and conscious values.

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https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/history.html

https://www.unhcr.org/resettlement.html 

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-diversity-equity-and-inclusion 

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https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-preventing-sexual-and-gender-based-harassment-summary-fact-sheet 

Final Report: The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls 

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