A
- Ableism
- Discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities, often by treating people without disabilities as the norm or ideal. Ableism can be intentional (e.g. overt slurs or exclusion) or unintentional (e.g. designing spaces only for the non-disabled). It conveys the false notion that people with disabilities are inferior or that having a disability is a negative abnormality.
- Ableist language
- Words or phrases that by their literal meaning or connotation demean people with disabilities. This includes insults derived from disability terms as well as metaphors like “blind to the truth,” “deaf ears,” “wheelchair-bound”.
- Anti-racism
- Strategies, theories, actions, and practices that actively oppose racism and promote racial equity. In language, an anti-racist approach means choosing words that do not reinforce racial hierarchies and being mindful of how different racial groups are described.
Usage:
Often in phrases like “anti-racism training,” “anti-racist language practices.” It implies not just being “not racist” but actively working to counteract racism in systems and communication.
- Analytical Activism (in FCDA)
- Research and practice that diagnose power in language and then work with communities to change texts, policies, procedures, and training. Knowing is tied to doing.
Show how findings alter forms, outreach, eligibility rules, budgets, or staff practice. Avoid critique with no path to change.
B
- BIPOC
- An acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. It was popularised to centre the distinct experiences of Black and Indigenous people while also including other racialized groups. The aim is to acknowledge that not all people of colour experience racism in the same way.
Usage:
Use in contexts about collective action, representation, or data where grouping makes sense, for example “BIPOC communities” or “BIPOC artists.” Define it on first use in public-facing text. Capitalize Black and Indigenous. Use people of colour in lower case. Treat it as an adjective or collective noun, for example “a BIPOC-led event” meaning led by Black, Indigenous, or people of colour.
Canadian notes
Some Canadian organisations prefer racialized or name the specific group, for example Black communities, Indigenous peoples, South Asian communities. IBPOC is also used in some arts and academic contexts. Avoid using BIPOC to label an individual person. The term is contested. Critics argue it can flatten different histories, sovereignties, and forms of oppression into one category and can obscure anti-Black racism and Indigenous rights if used carelessly. When precision matters, name the specific community.
Common mistakes to avoid:
BIPOC’s not BIPOCs when referring to the acronym. Do not say “a BIPOC” for one person. Do not use BIPOC when the concern is specific to Indigenous rights or to a particular racialized group.
C
- Cisgender:
- Describes a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth canada.ca. For example, if someone is assigned female at birth and identifies as a woman, she is cisgender. Often abbreviated as “cis.” Usage: Used in contexts where you need to specify that someone is not transgender. For instance, “cisgender women” to mean women who are not trans women. Many times you do not need to specify this; it’s usually relevant in contrast (e.g., discussing healthcare needs of cisgender vs transgender patients). Don’t use “normal” or “biological” as euphemisms for cisgender – cisgender is the inclusive, respectful term.
- Class
- A person’s position in the economic and social order, shaped by how they make a living and how much control they have over resources and decisions at work. Class includes wealth and debt, job security or precarity, benefits, ownership or lack of it, education and credentials, housing stability, and the networks that open doors. It also shows up culturally in what is treated as “professional” or “credible”, who gets the interview, who gets believed, who can risk unpaid time.
Class interacts with race, Indigeneity, gender, disability, and other intersectional factors. Because of this intersection, two people earning the same wage can experience class differently if one, for rexample, carries student debt, supports family abroad or lacks affordable childcare..
E
- Equity-deserving (or equity-denied) groups
- Terms used in Canadian inclusion discourse to refer to groups that due to systemic barriers do not have equal access or outcomes in society, and therefore deserve equitable treatment and opportunities. These could include racialized groups, women, 2SLGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, etc. The term equity-seeking was used but is falling out of favour because it implies these groups are asking for equity – equity-deserving or equity-denied (focusing on the fact that equity has been denied to them historically) are more empowering choices.
Usage:
“Our hiring strategy focuses on equity-deserving groups such as Indigenous and racialized candidates.” It’s a more positive framing than “marginalized groups,” which centers the status of marginalization rather than cause or the agency of people.
G
- Gender identity
- A person’s internal, deeply-felt sense of being female, male, both, neither, or somewhere along the gender spectrum. This is independent of their biological sex characteristics.
Usage:
“Gender identity is not visible. You have to ask a person how they identify.” In inclusion contexts, you’ll hear “people of all gender identities are welcome” meaning it’s open to men, women, non-binary people, etc. Gender identity is a protected ground under Canadian human rights law (often phrased as gender identity and expression). Always respect how people describe their own gender identity (man, woman, non-binary, genderfluid, etc.).
- Gender expression
- The outward display of one’s gender identity, how one dresses, behaves, styles their hair, speaks, etc., which may align or not align with societal expectations of gender.
Usage:
“His gender expression is masculine, but he actually identifies as non-binary.” It’s important to note you cannot always know someone’s identity from their expression; a person with a masculine expression might not be a man, for instance. Inclusive communications avoid judging or restricting acceptable gender expression (e.g., dress codes that allow all genders similar options).
- Gaze
- A way of seeing shaped by power. It frames people and places from a particular standpoint, deciding who is centred, who is objectified, and what counts as normal. The gaze is not neutral. It sets whose stories are told, how bodies are depicted, and which details are highlighted or erased.
Common forms include:
– Male gaze: Presents women as objects for heterosexual men’s pleasure.
– Colonial gaze: Exoticizes or belittles peoples and cultures outside the dominant norm.
– Charity gaze: Casts communities as needy and passive, positioning outsiders as saviours.
– Tourist gaze: Treats cultures as spectacle to be consumed.
Usage:
Always name whose gaze is operating, where it appears, and its effects. Replace vague phrases like “how people are seen” with specifics such as “the ad centres a male gaze that turns vendors into background props.”
- Gender-fluid
- A gender identity in which a person’s sense of gender shifts over time (e.g., between woman, man, both, neither, or along the spectrum). The change may be day-to-day, seasonally, or context-specific. Being gender-fluid is about identity, not clothing or presentation alone; some gender-fluid people also vary their expression, others don’t. It is distinct from sexual orientation.
Usage:
Use as an adjective: “a gender-fluid person.” Don’t assume pronouns. Ask or use the person’s stated pronouns. In forms or policies, include options beyond woman/man and allow self-describe; separate gender identity from sex assigned at birth only when necessary and explain why. Avoid phrases like “identifies as both genders at once” unless that’s how the person describes themself.
I
- Intersectionality
- An analytical framework showing how a person’s social locations, for example race, gender, Indigeneity, class, disability, sexuality, immigration status,intersect to shape distinct patterns of power, discrimination, and advantage. The term was introduced by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, first to expose how Black women’s experiences were erased by single-axis race-only or gender-only approaches to law and policy, and then to analyse violence against women of colour.
In Canada, intersectionality is embedded in the federal GBA Plus approach, which instructs analysts to consider multiple identity factors and systemic discrimination across all stages of policy and program design, implementation, and evaluation.
Usage:
“Our policy takes an intersectional approach, recognizing the needs of people at the intersection of multiple identity factors.” In language, being aware of intersectionality means not treating groups as monoliths and recognizing diversity within groups (e.g., talking about LGBTQ2+ issues should consider race, disability, etc., among queer people).
- Identity-first language
- An approach to describing someone that puts the identity or condition first, as an integral part of who they are. For example, “Autistic person” or “Deaf person” are identity-first (as opposed to “person with autism” or “person who is deaf”.
Usage:
Some communities explicitly prefer identity-first language. The capital-D Deaf community, for instance, often prefers “Deaf person” because being Deaf is a cultural identity for them. Some autistic self-advocates prefer “Autistic person” arguing autism is inherent to who they are and not something separate. It can vary. Always check preference When writing generally, you might say, “Some people use identity-first language (e.g. ‘disabled person’) to emphasize pride in that identity, while others use person-first (e.g. ‘person with a disability’).”
L
- LGBTQ2 / 2SLGBTQIA+
- Acronyms for queer communities. LGBTQ2 stood for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or Questioning), and Two-Spirit. In Canada, usage has shifted to 2SLGBTQIA+, placing Two-Spirit first and adding I for Intersex and A for Asexual (sometimes also Aromantic or Agender, depending on context). The “+” signals inclusion of other sexual and gender-diverse identities. See the 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive language section above for usage.
Usage:
Use the acronym favoured by your organization or context, but be sure to include “2S” when writing in Canadian context if appropriate. Spell out on first reference in formal writing if space allows: e.g., “We support 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual) communities.”.
N
- Newcomer
- In Canadian usage, “newcomer” typically means a recent immigrant or refugee to Canada. It’s an inclusive term that positions people as new members of the community.
Usage:
Often seen in government and NGO language: “newcomer services,” “newcomer families,” etc., referring to those who have settled in Canada in recent years. It’s a relative term (someone might be a newcomer for a few years after arrival). Not all immigrants are newcomers forever, e.g., someone who immigrated 20 years ago wouldn’t usually be called a newcomer now. Use newcomer for contexts emphasizing the initial settlement/integration period, or as a broad category in friendly terms.
- Non-binary
- A gender identity outside the woman/man binary. A non-binary person may identify as neither, both, somewhere in between, or move across the spectrum over time.
Usage:
Use as an adjective: “a non-binary person,” “non-binary staff member.” Avoid “a non-binary” as a noun.
Don’t assume pronouns; many non-binary people use they/them, some use she/they, he/they, or neopronouns. Ask or follow what they state. Don’t conflate non-binary with expression. Examples: “Jordan is a non-binary artist; they will host the panel.” / “Applications welcome from women, men, and non-binary people.”
O
- Othering
- When a dominant norm marks some people as “not us,” turning differences into deficits through labels, images, rules, data, and design. It sorts people into insiders and outsiders, often leading to stereotyping, unequal treatment, or erasure.
How it operates:
– Norm-making: Treating one group’s traits as the universal standard (e.g., “Canadian experience” as a hiring gate).
– Essentialising: Fixing complex people into single traits (“at-risk youth,” “welfare moms”).
– Exoticising / infantilising: Casting cultures as quaint, backward, or childlike (“women over there need saving”).
– Pathologising: Turning difference into disorder (“non-compliant patients,” “illegal immigrants”).
– Securitising: Framing communities as threats to be managed (extra ID checks for racialized people).
P
- Person-first language
- Describing someone by putting “person” or their name first, before any condition or category. This emphasizes their humanity over any one attribute. For example, “person living in vlulnerable conditions” instead of “vulnerable population,” “person experiencing homelessness” instead of “homeless person.”
Usage:
This is standard in many formal contexts and is the default in Canadian government for disabilities. It is meant to avoid defining people by a condition. However, some prefer identity-first for certain contexts. Always consider the individual/community preference.
- Postcolonialism
- Work that shows how colonial power continues in culture, knowledge, borders, debt, and law long after formal empire, and lifts up local voices and forms of resistance.
Usage:
Link past rule to present structures and outcomes. Avoid implying colonialism is over.
R
- Racialized
- A term used mainly in Canada to describe people who are non-white, emphasizing that race is a social construct imposed on certain groups. It replaces terms like “visible minority” or “person of colour” in many usages. Essentially it means “non-white” but said in a way that highlights the systemic nature of the label.
Usage:
“racialized communities,” “racialized students,” etc. You can also say “racialized as Black/Asian/etc.” if discussing how someone is viewed.
Note: do not say “racialized as a minority”; the term itself implies minority in context. And do not use “racialized” to mean racist (occasionally confusion arises – e.g., “racialized language” should mean language about race, not language that is racist; if you mean racist, say racist).
- Reciprocity
- Mutual exchange of value, responsibility, and recognition. It means benefits, credit, and decision-making power flow in both directions, not just from one side to the other. Reciprocity rejects extractive relationships where one party takes stories, data, labour, or prestige without giving back comparable value.
Usage:
State clearly what each side gives and receives (time, funding, authorship, data access, training, space, referrals). Build it into agreements and budgets. Thank-yous are not reciprocity if money, time, or knowledge only move one way.
- Resilience
- Capacity to adapt under stress through awareness, assets, and action. It grows from social networks, savings, skills, and supportive institutions. The term is often misused to offload responsibility onto individuals instead of fixing harmful systems.
Usage:
Pair any mention of resilience with clear duties for institutions to remove barriers. Do not use it to excuse neglect or underfunding.
- Rescue Paradigm
- In cross-border gender work, a pattern where outsiders cast local women as victims to be saved, erasing local leadership and context.
Usage:
Name who is positioned as rescuer, what gets erased, and propose community-led alternatives.
S
- Subaltern
- Groups kept outside dominant institutions and representation; their voices are dismissed or made illegible by how authority defines what counts as credible. Ask whose voice is missing and why. Create channels where those voices lead, not just get “consulted.”
- SOGEI
- Acronym for Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression. It’s an umbrella policy term used to discuss rights, inclusion, safety, and non-discrimination for people across the spectrum of orientations and gender identities/expressions. In Canada you may also see SOGI (without “expression”) and SOGIESC (adds Sex Characteristics, used in some international human-rights contexts). Two-Spirit identities are included within this spectrum, with specific cultural meaning for Indigenous peoples.
Usage:
Use SOGIE when speaking about frameworks, policies, or protections (e.g., “SOGIE-inclusive policies,” “SOGIE training”). For community naming, prefer the community’s own terms (e.g., 2SLGBTQIA+) rather than calling someone “a SOGIE person.” Be clear which variant you mean (SOGI, SOGIE, or SOGIESC) and define it on first use. Example: “Our school implemented SOGI policies to ensure students’ names, pronouns, and dress are respected.”
T
- Two-Spirit (2S)
- A culturally specific identity used by some Indigenous people to indicate a person who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits, among other aspects. It can cover gender, sexual, and spiritual identity. It’s an English umbrella term, but the concept is derived from traditions in various First Nations.
Usage:
Only use Two-Spirit for Indigenous persons who identify as such. It is not interchangeable with “trans Indigenous”, The term is holistic and spiritually rooted. If someone identifies to you as Two-Spirit, you can explain it if needed (as above) or just use it as their identity. Always capitalized, and often placed at the front of acronyms in Canada (2SLGBTQ…). Example sentence: “Alex is Two-Spirit, from the Anishinaabe community, and uses they/them pronouns.”
U
- Undocumented (person/immigrant)
- A term for someone living in a country without official authorization or valid immigration papers. It replaces terms like “illegal immigrant.”
Usage:
“undocumented immigrants often work in the informal economy.” It’s slightly U.S.-centric in usage; in Canada you might also see “non-status person” or “without status.” These mean the person doesn’t currently have a legal status (visa, permit, etc.) in the country. The key is the focus on documentation/status, not the person’s legality. Use this term when discussing migrant rights and access to services.
V
- Visible Minority
- Primarily a Canadian term that refers to persons, other than Indigenous, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour, as per the Employment Equity Act.
Usage:
It might appear in some official stats or forms (e.g., a census might ask if you are a visible minority for data purposes). However, as an inclusive language guide, we advise avoiding this term in general descriptive usage. Instead, use “racialized” (see above) or specify the group (e.g., “Black and other racialized students” rather than “visible minority students”). The term “visible minority” is problematic because it centers visibility and otherness, and as society changes, some so-called minorities are actually majorities in local contexts. Only use it when referencing specific data categories or in legal/policy discussion where it’s defined, and even then, consider explaining it or replacing it.
