200 Words to Help You Talk About Sexuality & Gender

Quick answer

Use the book 200 Words to Help You Talk About Sexuality & Gender as a reference to build your vocabulary and communicate more clearly about gender identity, sexual orientation, and inclusive language.

How to build your vocabulary with this book

1. Skim the entire glossary first: Flip through the book to get a sense of the range of terms covered. Notice categories like identity, orientation, and relationship structures. This overview helps you see what you already know and where you have gaps. Don't try to memorize everything at once. Focus on terms that are new or confusing.
2. Pick five unfamiliar terms each day: Select five words you don't fully understand. Read the definition, then write a sentence using each one in context. For example, if you look up 'demisexual,' you might write: 'She identifies as demisexual, meaning she only feels attraction after forming an emotional bond.' Common mistake: skipping the practice sentence. Writing helps you remember and clarifies any lingering confusion.
3. Use the terms in real conversations: Bring one or two new words into a low-stakes conversation with a trusted friend or partner. Say something like, 'I learned the term 'agender' today — it means someone who doesn't identify with any gender.' This reinforces your learning and normalizes the vocabulary. Checkpoint: If you feel awkward, that's normal. The goal is practice, not perfection.
4. Refer back when you encounter an unknown term: Keep the book handy during discussions, online reading, or media consumption. When you come across a term you don't know, look it up immediately. This builds your vocabulary in context and makes the learning stick. Avoid assuming you know a term from context alone — definitions can vary.
5. Teach someone else a term: Explain a term from the book to a friend or family member who is also interested in inclusive language. Teaching forces you to simplify and clarify your understanding. It also spreads accurate information in your social circle. If you can't explain it simply, you may need to revisit the definition.

Featured resource

• 200 Words to Help You Talk About Sexuality & Gender: 200 Words to Help you Talk about Sexuality & Gender by Kate Sloan is a hardcover book with 144 pages, offering definitions for two hundred words used to discuss gender and sexuality. It gives you a compact, portable reference you can turn to whenever you need to check a term or explain a concept to someone else.