Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement
GLOSSARY
Here you will find definitions of basic words and terminology related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
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Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies entire groups of people as ‘less than,’ and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations of people with disabilities.
A person of one social identity group who stands up in support of members of another group; typically a member of a dominant group standing beside member(s) of a group being discriminated against or treated unjustly. Being an ally is more than being sympathetic towards those who experience discrimination. It is more than simply believing in equality. Being an ally means being willing to act with and for others in pursuit of ending oppression and creating equality. (Note: All benefit when any of us take steps toward eliminating prejudice and discrimination in our society.)
The movement to actively engage in actions that address structural racism. "One endorses either the idea of racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an antiracist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an antiracist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist. There is no in-between safe space of 'not racist."
One who is supporting an antiracist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea. The opposite of racist isn't 'not racist.' It is 'antiracist.'
Experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others and/or a lack of interest in sexual relationships/behavior. Asexuality exists on a spectrum from people who experience no sexual attraction or have any desire for sex, to those who experience low levels or sexual attraction only under specific conditions. Many of these different places on the continuum have their own identity labels. Sometimes abbreviated to “ace.”
Steven Burton, MPH, CU Anschutz LGBTQ+ Hub
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A subjective opinion, preference, prejudice, or inclination, often formed without reasonable justification, that influences the ability of an individual or group to evaluate a situation objectively or accurately.
A range of negative attitudes (e.g., fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, erasure, or discomfort) that one may have/express towards individuals who identify as bisexual. Biphobia can come from and be seen within the queer community as well as straight society.
Steven Burton, MPH, CU Anschutz LGBTQ+ Hub
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An acronym summarizing the identities Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Having or relating to a gender identity that corresponds to one’s birth sex (i.e., the sex assigned at birth). A cisgender man or cisgender woman is thus one whose internal gender identity matches one’s sex as male or female.
Color blindness is rooted in the belief that racial group membership and race-based differences should not be taken into account when decisions are made, impressions are formed, and behaviors are enacted. The logic underlying the belief that color blindness can prevent prejudice and discrimination is straightforward: If people or institutions do not even notice race, then they cannot act in a racially biased manner. This is a well-intended belief that denies/negates the lived experiences of marginalized identities.
The preferential and favorable treatment of classes of people due to the color of their skin within a gradient spectrum of brownness. Historically, favorable treatment was showered on those who possessed a lighter hue, because they were frequently the offspring of white colonizers and slaves, whether through, rape, molestation, contractual agreement or (rarely) consensual partnership.
Covert racism is racial discrimination that is concealed or subtle rather than obvious or public (Coates & Morrison, 2011). This includes acts to subvert, distort, restrict, and deny racial minorities access to societal privileges and benefits. A key feature of covert racism is that its disguised nature allows perpetrators to claim "plausible deniability" and to essentially gaslight their victims, that is to deny that the act was racist and undermine any claim of harm. It may be implicit as a result of unconscious bias that exists within an individual, regardless of ill-will or any self-aware prejudices.
Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else's culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture's dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It's most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.
A lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique whereby the individual not only learns about another’s culture, but one starts with an examination of her/his own beliefs and cultural identities. The concept...carries meaning for any clinical researcher or social advocate who is studying and/or working with someone different from themselves – in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or geographic location – in any cultural context and in any part of the world.
A categorical display of customs, attire, language, movement, norms, and values signifying membership to a defined and recognizable group. Cultures can be grouped by nationality and ethnicity, but additionally by self-selected membership to sub-cultures within nation states. Many humans negotiate overlapping cultures and identities among several categories of belonging.
A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions). The social model of disability identifies systemic barriers, derogatory attitudes, and social exclusion (intentional or inadvertent), which make it difficult or impossible for individuals with impairments to attain their valued functionings. The social model of disability is based on a distinction between the terms impairment and disability. In this model, the word impairment is used to refer to the actual attributes (or lack of attributes) that affect a person, such as the inability to walk or breathe independently. The word disability is used to refer to the restrictions caused by society when it does not give equivalent attention and accommodation to the needs of individuals with impairments.
Actions based on conscious or unconscious prejudice that favor one group over others in the provision of goods, services or opportunities. The unequal treatment of members of various groups based on race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, and/or other categories.
Includes all the ways in which people differ and encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all-inclusive and recognizes everyone and every group as part of the diversity that should be valued. A broad definition includes not only race, ethnicity, and gender — the groups that most often come to mind when the term "diversity" is used — but also age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. It also involves different ideas, perspectives, and values.
Equality means everyone is given the same resources, in an effort to promote fairness, but it can only work if everyone starts from the same place and needs the same help.
Equity is the guarantee of fair treatment, advancement, opportunity and access for all individuals while striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups and ensuring that all community members have access to community conditions and opportunities to reach their full potential and to experience optimal well-being and quality of life. To put it simply, equity is providing what people need.
The social characteristics that people may have in common, such as language, religion, regional background, culture, foods, etc. A social construct that divides people into smaller social groups based on characteristics such as shared sense of group membership, values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history and ancestral geographical base.
Fatphobia or weight stigma, describes the negative attitudes and stereotypes surrounding and attached to larger bodies. Further, fatphobia is an abnormal and irrational fear of being fat or being around fat people.
Gender Diversity refers to the extent to which a person’s gender identity, role, or expression differs from the cultural norms prescribed for people of a particular sex. This term is becoming more popular as a way to describe people without reference to a particular cultural norm, in a manner that is more affirming and potentially less stigmatizing.
External manifestations of gender, expressed through a person's name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, and/or body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over time and varies by culture.
A person's internal, deeply held sense of their gender. For transgender people, their own internal gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Most people have a gender identity of man or woman (or boy or girl). For some people, their gender identity does not fit neatly into one of those two choices (see non-binary and/or genderqueer below.) Unlike gender expression (see below) gender identity is not visible to others.
A spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine, identities that are outside of the gender binary. Non-binary identities may fall under the transgender umbrella, as many non-binary people identify with a gender that is different from their assigned sex.
Steven Burton, MPH, CU Anschutz LGBTQ+ Hub
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Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.
The assumption, in individuals or in institutions, that everyone is heterosexual, and that heterosexuality is superior to all other sexualities. Leads to invisibility and stigmatizing of other sexualities. Often included in this concept is a level of gender normativity and gender roles, the assumption that individuals should identify as men or women, and be masculine men or feminine women, and finally that men and women are a complimentary pair.
Steven Burton, MPH, CU Anschutz LGBTQ+ Hub
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The fear, hatred, and intolerance of people who identify or are perceived as gay or lesbian.
Implicit biases are negative associations that people unknowingly hold. They are expressed automatically, without conscious awareness. Many studies have indicated that implicit biases affect individuals’ attitudes and actions, thus creating real-world implications, even though individuals may not even be aware that those biases exist within themselves. Notably, implicit biases have been shown to trump individuals’ stated commitments to equality and fairness, thereby producing behavior that diverges from the explicit attitudes that many people profess. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is often used to measure implicit biases with regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, and other topics.
Inclusion is the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure. More than simply diversity and numerical representation, inclusion involves authentic and empowered participation and a true sense of belonging.
Institutional racism is racial inequity within institutions and systems of power, such as places of employment, government agencies and social services. It can take the form of unfair policies and practices, discriminatory treatment and inequitable opportunities and outcomes. A school system that concentrates people of color in the most overcrowded and under-resourced schools with the least qualified teachers compared to the educational opportunities of white students is an example of institutional racism.
The result of people of targeted racial groups believing, acting on, or enforcing the dominant system of beliefs about themselves and members of their own racial group. Internalized racism is the phenomenon that occurs in a racist system when a racial group oppressed by racism supports the supremacy and dominance of the dominating group by maintaining or participating in the set of attitudes, behaviors, social structures and ideologies that undergird the dominating group's power. It involves four essential and interconnected elements: Decision-making, Resources, Standards, and naming the problem.
Internalized sexism refers to sexist beliefs that a person has about themselves. Usually, a person adopts these beliefs involuntarily as a result of exposure to sexist behavior or the opinions of others.
Interpersonal racism is how our private beliefs about race become public when we interact with others. When we act upon our prejudices or unconscious bias — whether intentionally, visibly, verbally or not — we engage in interpersonal racism. Interpersonal racism also can be willful and overt, taking the form of bigotry, hate speech or racial violence.
A theoretical framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities (e.g., gender, race, age, ethnicity, class, sexuality, ability, physical appearance, height, etc.) combine and compound to create unique modes of discrimination and privilege. The term was first coined in 1989 by professor Kimberlé Crenshaw.
Someone whose combination of chromosomes, gonads, hormones, internal sex organs, and/or genitals differs from the two expected patterns of male or female. In the medical fields the initialism DSD (Disorders of Sex Development) has replace the term hermaphrodite (or hermaphroditic), but these terms are now considered outdated, derogatory and stigmatizing.
Steven Burton, MPH, CU Anschutz LGBTQ+ Hub
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In simple terms, an invisible disability is a physical, mental or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside, yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities. Unfortunately, the very fact that these symptoms are invisible can lead to misunderstandings, false perceptions, and judgments.
LGBTQ2S+ is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Two-Spirit and additional sexual orientations and gender identities.
The term "low-income individual" means an individual whose family's taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount.
A macroaggression is an act of racism towards everyone of a race, gender or group. An example of a macroaggression would be individuals spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and placing blame on Asia.
A neglectful social act or communication that causes emotional harm to someone. For example: consistently misgendering an individual by not using their requested, correct pronouns.
A term created by sociologist William Peterson to describe the Japanese community, whom he saw as being able to overcome oppression because of their cultural values. In practice, this concept has been expanded to apply to other Asian communities. While individuals employing the Model Minority trope may think they are being complimentary, in fact the term is related to colorism and its root, anti-Blackness. The model minority myth creates an understanding of ethnic groups, including Asian Americans, as a monolith, or as a mass whose parts cannot be distinguished from each other. The model minority myth can be understood as a tool that white supremacy uses to pit people of color against each other in order to protect its status.
Oppression is both the unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power and the effects of domination so attained. Oppression results from: (1) the use of institutional power and privilege where one person or group benefits at the expense of another, and (2) the systematic subjugation of one social group by a more powerful social group for the social, economic, and political benefit of the more powerful social group.
Overt racism is racism that is observable and whose modus operandum is palpable, operating in unconcealed, unapologetic forms of ethnocentrism and racial discrimination.
A term for transgender people being accepted as, or able to “pass for,” a member of their self-identified gender/sex identity (regardless of birth sex) without being identified as transgender. An LGB/queer individual who is believed to be or perceived as straight.
Steven Burton, MPH, CU Anschutz LGBTQ+ Hub
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Power may be understood as the ability to influence others and impose one's beliefs. All power is relational, and the different relationships either reinforce or disrupt one another. The importance of the concept of power to anti-racism is clear: racism cannot be understood without understanding that power is not only an individual relationship but a cultural one, and that power relationships are shifting constantly. Power can be used malignantly and intentionally, but need not be, and individuals within a culture may benefit from power of which they are unaware.
How one’s signifiers of identity may lead to unearned advantages, and requires a willingness and structural understanding to recognize racism as a default system that institutionalizes an unequal distribution of resources and power (Peggy McIntosh, 1970) . “Privilege does not mean you’re rich, a bad person, have had everything handed to you or have never had challenges or struggles. Privilege just means there are some challenges and struggles you won’t experience because of who you are.” –@Chescaleigh
Used as an umbrella term to describe individuals who don’t identify as straight. Also used to describe people who have non-normative gender identity or as a political affiliation. Due to its historical use as a derogatory term, it is not embraced or used by all members of the LGBTQ+ community. The term queer can often be used interchangeably with LGBTQ+.
Steven Burton, MPH, CU Anschutz LGBTQ+ Hub
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Race is a socially constructed system of categorizing humans largely based on observable physical features (phenotypes), such as skin color, and on ancestry. There is no scientific basis for or discernible distinction between racial categories. The ideology of race has become embedded in our identities, institutions and culture and is used as a basis for discrimination and domination.
The systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all. Racial Justice [is defined] as the proactive reinforcement of policies, practices, attitudes and actions that produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment, impacts and outcomes for all. Racial justice—or racial equity—goes beyond “antiracism.” It is not just the absence of discrimination and inequities, but also the presence of deliberate systems and supports to achieve and sustain racial equity through proactive and preventative measures.
The categorical discrimination of an individual or a group of people based on aspects of their identity. This prejudice can be based on culture, biology, sexual preference, gender expression, economic class, profession, religion, ability/different ability, etc.
Used by members of a dominant group to argue they are being discriminated against when they experience members of a dominated group enacting resistance against their oppressors (evolved into usage in the U.S.A. during affirmative action lawsuits of the 1970’s).
The classification of a person as male or female. At birth, infants are assigned a sex, usually based on the appearance of their external anatomy. (This is what is written on the birth certificate.) A person's sex, however, is actually a combination of bodily characteristics including: chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics.
Social determinants of health are conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. These determinants include: healthcare access and quality, education access and quality, social and community context, economic stability, and neighborhood and built environment.
A process, not an outcome, which (1) seeks fair (re)distribution of resources, opportunities, and responsibilities; (2) challenges the roots of oppression and injustice; (3) empowers all people to exercise self-determination and realize their full potential; (4) and builds social solidarity and community capacity for collaborative action.
Blanket beliefs, unconscious associations, and expectations about members of certain groups that present an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude or uncritical judgment.
A system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. It identifies dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt over time. Structural racism is not something that a few people or institutions choose to practice. Instead it has been a feature of the social, economic and political systems in which we all exist.
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms - including transgender. Some of those terms are defined below. Use the descriptive term preferred by the person. Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon physical appearance or medical procedures.
Contemporary umbrella term that refers to the historical and current First Nations people whose individual spirits were a blend of female and male spirits. This term has been reclaimed by Native American LGBT communities in order to honor their heritage and provide an alternative to the Western labels of gay, lesbian, or transgender.
White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium. Racial stress results from an interruption to what is racially familiar.” DiAngelo’s definition and theoretical application of white fragility has been lauded and adopted into other critical theory systems such as gender studies (male fragility) and more.
The historical and contemporary benefits of access to resources and social rewards and the power to shape the norms and values of society which Whites receive, unconsciously and consciously, by virtue of their skin color in a racist society. Its existence is often invisible to the person who has it. The term refers to the unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed on people solely because they are white. Generally white people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it. The accumulated and interrelated advantages and disadvantages of white privilege that are reflected in racial/ethnic inequities in life-expectancy and other health outcomes, income and wealth and other outcomes, in part through different access to opportunities and resources: these differences are maintained in part by denying that these advantages and disadvantages exist at the structural, institutional, cultural, interpersonal and individual levels and by refusing to redress them or eliminate the systems, policies, practices, cultural norms and other behaviors and assumptions that maintain them.
The distorted belief that “white” people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society, typically to the exclusion or detriment of other ethnic groups, in particular black, brown-skinned or Jewish people. Whiteness is a constructed category and does not represent an actual ethnicity, but rather membership to a perceived group of descendants of fair-skinned ethnicities of various nations and cultures. Categories of whiteness have historically shifted to include or exclude categories of people (such as Italians and Irish immigrants to the U.S.A.) based on the economic and political manipulations advantaging their membership to whiteness. The construct of whiteness has always held close connections to classism and politics. To understand this more in the U.S.A. please begin by reading White Trash: The 400-year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg, and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson.
A system of oppression based on the fear, hatred or mistrust of that which is foreign, especially strangers or people from different countries or cultures.
