The asterisk (*) is also used as a form of gender-inclusive language, for example ‘Leser*innen’, to include non-binary people. Some people also write an * after words like "trans" or "inter" to indicate that various endings such as "-sexual", "-gendered", and "-gender" can be attached to the word.
#MeToo refers to a global social movement against sexual harassment, sexualized violence, and power abuse that has spread since 2017. The hashtag became especially known through reports from women about experiences in the film and media industry, making visible how widespread sexualized assaults and harassment are. #MeToo encourages those affected to share their experiences publicly and to question social structures that facilitate such assaults or hinder their resolution. The movement contributed to sparking debates about power relations, accountability, and dealing with sexualized violence in various societal areas.
Abolitionism emerged from movements in the 18th and 19th centuries advocating for the abolition of slavery. Today it is debated what relationship moral convictions and economic interests had as motives of historical abolitionism.
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the term was also used in relation to the demand for the abolition of state regulation and control of prostitution.
Since 1970, a broader abolitionist movement has developed, especially in the USA, Scandinavia, and Germany. It opposes forms of state authority and institutional violence, particularly against racist violence, as well as assaults and sanctions by police, judiciary, and the penal system. The focus is on criticizing social conditions where social problems are addressed through control, punishment, and exclusion. Instead, forms of coexistence based on social security, participation, support, and equal access to societal resources are sought. Today abolitionism is particularly discussed in the context of criticism of police, prisons, penal systems, and other institutions of social control. It's not just about abolishing individual institutions but also about questioning what societal functions these institutions serve and what alternatives can replace them. Abolitionist approaches ask, for example, how to respond to violence, conflicts, poverty, or mental crises without primarily relying on surveillance, punishment, or deprivation of liberty.
Abolitionist action describes a political and social practice that critically examines existing forms of control and exclusion while simultaneously developing concrete alternatives. These can include supportive community structures, community-oriented conflict resolution, social provision, or approaches to transformative and restorative justice. Abolitionist action thus combines criticism of existing power and authority relationships with the development of other forms of dealing with conflicts and social problems. The goal is to change the conditions under which violence, exclusion, and social inequality arise, instead of leaving these exclusively to state sanctions.
Absolutism can be derived from the Latin word "absolute," meaning "unrestricted" or "detached." In terms of rule, it means that a monarch or single ruler governs without regard for laws and disregards all opposition. Rulers who practice absolutism often feel chosen by a god.
Adultism is derived from the English word adult and refers to a form of age discrimination where children and adolescents are disadvantaged due to the structural power imbalance with adults. This imbalance is reinforced by social norms, institutional structures, laws, traditions, and everyday habits — such as valuing work and earnings more than the playful activities of children. In everyday life, adultism manifests in various ways: through bodily boundary violations like unasked touching, through derogatory language patterns ("We're not in kindergarten!", "Terrible twos"), by ignoring the questions and needs of young people, or even through physical violence. Even seemingly protective rules can be adultist if they exclusively apply to children and adolescents and are demanded without explanation simply because it is expected they obey. Thus, a system emerges that systematically suppresses the voices and rights of young people.
The term "Afro-German" emerged in 1984 in dialogue with the US author Audre Lorde and was a deliberate counterpart to the colonial and racist foreign designations that propagated a homogeneous, white image of Germany while simultaneously suppressing its own colonial past. By drawing on "African American" and addressing the Black Power movement, an empowering identity was intended to bring together Black people with African or African American backgrounds and a German parent. Today, it refers to individuals who identify as Germans of the African diaspora. In practice, the more general self-designation "Black Germans" is often used, recognizing both the African heritage and the diverse cultural connections of these people to Africa.
Ageism or age discrimination encompasses any disadvantage that results solely due to (often assumed) age. This affects not only older people, who might be prematurely pushed into early retirement, but also young people, whose competencies might be universally questioned, or certain interests ascribed (see Adultism). The consequences range from restricted opportunities in the labor market to general exclusion from social life. In short, treating people differently because of their age — whether in work, education, or everyday life — practices ageism.
Allyship, which literally means "being an ally," describes the conscious engagement of people from a privileged position in favor of structurally disadvantaged groups. An ally is not only someone who recognizes discrimination but also actively combats it, even if it might be personally uncomfortable or disadvantageous. The core of this attitude is the reflection on one's own privileges — those advantages many see as self-evident and "normal." In the context of racism, this means, for example, that white people use their position to make People of Color visible and strengthen their voices, such as by sharing stages and platforms. It also means exposing and fighting structural injustices. Importantly, allyship is not a permanent designation but an ongoing process. One is not a perpetual ally but must continually act concretely when the opportunity arises. Superficial self-promotion that highlights one's own privileged status contradicts the principle. Instead, genuine allyship requires courage, constant self-criticism, and a willingness to sustainably change existing structures. Fundamentally, allyship is about re-centering affected individuals and taking responsibility as a privileged person. (Source: https://niawrites.medium.com/modifying-silk-ring-theory-for-allyship-c7ae4963912d)
Anti-Asian racism refers to the discrimination and oppression of people perceived as Asian. It is based on colonial prejudices that portray Asians as foreign, uncivilized, exotic, or dangerous, and extends to language and hygiene stereotypes. Gender-wise, Asian men are often feminized, while Asian women are exoticized as mysterious, submissive sexual objects. The "model minority myth"—the idea that Asians are inherently hardworking and successful—serves to defame other marginalized groups and deny structural racism. Historically, the phenomenon ranges from the Enlightenment, through the "Yellow Peril" in the 19th century, to Nazi persecution of Chinese people. Post-World War II, acts of violence like the arson attack in Hamburg 1980 and the pogroms of Hoyerswerda (1991) and Rostock-Lichtenhagen (1992) or the Atlanta attack in 2021, which killed 8 people, followed. During the Corona pandemic, hate increased significantly as Asians were falsely branded as "virus carriers." The term is sometimes replaced by "racism against people from East and Southeast Asia" to emphasize the diversity of Asia. (Source: https://heimatkunde.boell.de/de/2021/04/01/anti-asiatischer-rassismus-atlanta-attentat-deutschland)
Anti-sex work refers to the discrimination of sex workers. Sex workers are exposed to anti-sex work attitudes due to stigma. They are discriminated against culturally, institutionally, materially, and individually through criminalization, othering, and devaluation. Culturally, anti-sex work is manifested in the use of historical and modern occupational terms for sex work as insults for non-sex workers.
Media portray sex workers derogatively and as a homogeneous group; only about 10% of articles on prostitution include a sex worker's viewpoint.
Institutional anti-sex work involves additional legal requirements and obligations that sex workers must fulfill. The basic right to the inviolability of the private residence was restricted for sex workers by the ProstSchG 2017. There are legal regulations that exclusively affect sex workers. The sex work movement refers to these as special laws. Material discrimination includes difficulties or impossibilities in obtaining loans, opening bank accounts, or getting insurance.
Individual discrimination against sex workers includes the fact that sex work is tabooed in mainstream society and not recognized as work. Many sex workers lead a double life and rely on anonymity. This structurally excludes them from society and makes them particularly vulnerable to all forms of violence.
Antifascism today in everyday language means actively opposing the concrete manifestations of right-wing extremism and fascism. This ranges from demonstrations against right-wing events to a critical engagement with their ideology—both theoretically and practically.
Antifeminism is the counter-movement to feminism, actively trying to hinder the equality of all genders. It defends the alleged rights and privileges of men and boys and discredits feminist demands and achievements. The stance is firmly rooted in right-wing populist, conservative, and far-right, Islamist, and Christian-fundamentalist worldviews.
A central feature is the deliberate ignoring of historical power imbalances between men and women. Measures such as quotas for women are presented as a disadvantage to men, although they are meant to offset structural discrimination.
In recent times, antifeminist actors have particularly focused on the "gender concept." They attack not only feminist movements but also the recognition of gender, sexual, and family diversity. Gender and queer studies, gender-sensitive language, and research are generally defamed as "gender ideology." Antifeminism promotes an anti-modern, heteronormative, and patriarchal worldview closely linked to other forms of discrimination such as racism and antisemitism.
Antisemitism manifests in various forms and has adapted to different contexts over the centuries. Antisemitism is not about the individual but the principle "Jew" (which is associated with conspiracy-theoretical and misanthropic ascriptions). Unlike other forms of discrimination, the supposed(!) power axis does not run from top to bottom, as in racist thinking patterns, but from bottom to top: a small powerful group is constructed that is supposedly responsible for the misfortune of a large community. Antisemitism includes both the explicit hatred against Jewish people and conspiracy thinking, denial and relativization of the Shoah, equating Israeli politics with Nazi crimes, or blanket/undifferentiated calls to boycott Israeli productions.
Antisintitism or Antiziganism describes a specific form of racism against Sinti and Roma. It manifests in prejudices, social exclusion, institutional discrimination, and violence, and is structurally embedded in societal power relations.
The term makes it clear that the affected group does not "naturally" exist, but is socially constructed through racist attributions. Antiziganist stereotypes portray Sinti and Roma as "uncivilized," "non-sedentary," or "not integrable" and construct them as a counter-image to the majority society. These images shaped perceptions for centuries and legitimized persecution, up to the Nazi genocide of Sinti and Roma (Porajmos). The term Antiziganism is used today in politics, academia, and state institutions and is enshrined in official documents. At the same time, the term is controversial as it is based on a racist foreign designation and can reproduce discriminatory attributions. Alternatives such as Anti-Romaism or Gadjé racism are used. Anti-Romaism is considered more precise but does not always include all Sinti. Gadjé racism shifts the perspective: it does not name the marked group, but the majority society ("Gadjé") and its role in creating and maintaining racist structures. Depending on the context, different terms are used in parallel, as none fully capture the historical and political dimensions.
Apartheid was a political system of racial segregation in South Africa in the second half of the 20th century. People were divided into eight different groups based on skin color. Although predominantly black people lived/live in South Africa, white people had political control and power over banks, businesses, and agriculture. Black people were persecuted and imprisoned. There was a strong resistance movement, one of the most famous resistance fighters was Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years for his activism. Apartheid was abolished in the early 1990s, and in 1994 all South Africans, regardless of skin color, were allowed to participate in free elections for the first time. To this day, racist structures persist.
Aromanticism is a romantic orientation where people feel little or no romantic attraction to others, temporarily or permanently. Aromanticism is both a specific romantic orientation and an umbrella term for various orientations on the aromantic spectrum. An aromantic person is not necessarily also asexual.
Asexuality is a sexual orientation where people feel little, only partial/sometimes, or no sexual attraction to others. Asexuality is a spectrum, hence there are different asexual lifestyles.
Audism describes the devaluation and disadvantage of deaf people. It is based on the belief that hearing and speaking are "normal" or more valuable, and a life without hearing is fundamentally considered inferior. This not only views deaf people as "deficient" but also devalues and marginalizes Deaf culture and sign languages.
Autonomy comes from the Greek and translates to "self-legislation." In autonomy, it refers to individuals, groups, or possibly states that can determine their own circumstances, laws, and rules and make political decisions without interference from other countries or states. Autonomy can also be a desired way of life where the goal is to live in a society free of rule, where there are no authorities.
BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The term intentionally highlights the unique experiences of Black and Indigenous people—from physical violence to cultural erasure to structural discrimination. As a political self-designation, BIPOC serves empowerment: it emerged from resistance and symbolizes the shared struggle against oppression and for greater equality.
Bisexuality refers to romantic or sexual attraction to more than one gender and includes non-binary people. It is a diverse, dynamic orientation and is often misunderstood within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Bisexual people frequently face prejudice, such as being "indecisive" or promiscuous, leading to stigma and invisibility. These anti-bi sentiments are found both in the majority society and within queer communities. Additionally, it's sometimes mistakenly assumed that bisexuality only refers to men and women (reproducing binary gender norms). It makes sense to consider the historical development of the term and understand Bi as desire for one's own and other genders—practically equivalent to pansexuality.
Bodyism refers to the discrimination against people whose bodies deviate from societal beauty and health norms. These norms—often shaped by sexism and racism and spread through media, advertising, and influencers—determine who is considered attractive, healthy, and therefore successful. Those who do not fit the ideal experience psychological and physical attacks as well as structural disadvantages on an individual, institutional, and cultural level. The term overlaps with lookism, which focuses exclusively on aesthetic evaluations, while bodyism also includes performance and productivity expectations. Both phenomena are closely linked to other forms of discrimination such as racism, sexism, ableism, fatphobia, and classism.
Braver Space (in German "mutiger Raum") is a concept developed in recent years, especially in the USA, in discrimination-critical, activist, and educational contexts in response to or as an advancement of safer-space approaches. In this sense, braver spaces are areas that encourage users to consciously step out of their comfort zones and take risks in the hope of transformative learning experiences. Braver spaces are also discrimination-critical spaces where mindful handling of discrimination should occur. However, the focus is more on actively dealing with differences or painful topics and learning in these differences with the awareness that even with the best efforts, painful mistakes can occur or painful feelings can arise without any mistakes. (Source: Saadi__Debus__2025_._Vulnerability-and-Discrimination-Safer-and-Braver-Spaces-in-Education.pdf
Bullying refers to the repeated and targeted harassment, devaluation, exclusion, or intimidation of a person or group over a prolonged period. An imbalance of power can arise, making it difficult for affected individuals to defend themselves against the behavior. Bullying can take various forms, including insults, rumors, threats, physical assaults, exclusion, cyberbullying, or the deliberate ignoring of a person.
Canceling is the systemic boycott of individuals, groups, or organizations due to their actions or statements with the aim of societal exclusion. Important here is the societal role and dominance of the canceled person, as this can significantly affect societal consequences. The term cancel culture describes the cultural practice behind it and is a collective reaction to statements or actions deemed problematic. These range from public criticism to social or professional consequences.Additionally, the term is primarily used to criticize or discuss canceling as a societal phenomenon. Supporters see it as a form of societal accountability, while critics see informal sanctions without legal procedures. The term is heavily politicized and often used normatively. (Source: https://soztheo.de/glossar/cancel-culture/)
Care work encompasses everything related to caring for, nurturing, and supporting people—from childcare and education to elderly care and daily housework. The term emerged in the 1990s from feminist discussions about reproductive work and highlighted that these activities are mostly performed by women, often unpaid and undervalued. Although roles certainly evolve, the burden still largely falls on women and other marginalized genders today, with a growing portion now taken on by migrant women from Eastern Europe and the global south—often under poor conditions and low wages. The lack of recognition for care work is a central issue in the discussion about social justice and the fair distribution of work in our society.
Catcalling involves intrusive and sexually suggestive comments, insinuations, and evaluations by men towards often female-perceived individuals in public spaces. Catcalls are not compliments but rather intrusive behavior, devaluation, and a gesture of male dominance. (Source: https://www.fes.de/wissen/gender-glossar/catcalling)
The prefix "cis" is used to express that a person identifies with the gender assigned to them at birth based on the classification of their genitals by a doctor. Cis is thus the counterpart to "trans." A cis woman is a person who was assigned the female gender at birth and also identifies as a woman. A cis man is a person who was assigned the male gender at birth and also identifies as a man. (Source: https://queer-lexikon.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/GlossarDez2019.pdf)
Civil courage describes the intervention of individuals or groups who, in situations with a clear power imbalance, take the side of the disadvantaged—often without first considering possible risks to themselves.
Classism refers to discrimination based on social origin or economic position. It is manifested through prejudices and disadvantages, such as in access to education, housing, and societal participation. The myth that anyone can rise through their effort often renders classism invisible.
The term Colorism was coined in 1982 by Alice Walker and refers to the hierarchy that favors people with lighter skin—those closer to white beauty standards—within communities of People of Color. It is not only about skin tone but can also include facial features, hair texture, and other outward characteristics. Colorism reinforces racist structures because being perceived as "lighter" contributes to white privileges and makes people with darker skin face greater discrimination and less visibility worldwide. Similar color hierarchies are also found in South Asia, Southwest Asia, and other regions where lighter skin is considered a societal ideal.
Community accountability was mainly developed by FLINTA* of Color in the USA to find a way to deal with sexualized violence outside of a structurally racist law enforcement system. It means taking responsibility as a community and attempts to resolve forms of violence within environments and communities. A community can be, for example, a circle of friends, family, a neighborhood, or living or working communities. In this community, a process is developed that enables the development and implementation of shared values and practices aimed at counteracting sexualized violence and oppression. This focuses on safety, support, and taking responsibility. This also includes the protection and preservation of the self-determination of affected individuals, a responsible approach to those who commit violence, as well as processes that promote their taking of responsibility and behavioral change. The foundation is the continued examination and further education of the community in order to change the social and political conditions that enable violence and oppression.
Compulsory heterosexuality refers to the societal expectation that heterosexuality is the only "normal" or legitimate form of sexuality, while other orientations are devalued or rendered invisible. The term was coined by Adrienne Rich to criticize the deeply rooted heteronormativity that systematically excludes queer lifestyles.
Consent means that all parties have freely decided, for example, on a sexual action and can stop it at any time. Consent has no general validity and should be obtained before each new action. This means if a person consented to sex one day, consent must still be sought again for the next time. In physical actions, consent distinguishes between sex and an assault/sexualized violence. Consent cannot be obtained from sleeping or unconscious people. Consent requires communication; only yes means yes.
Critical Whiteness directs the analytical focus on "whiteness" as a social category. In addition to considering the experiences of BIPoC, this approach examines how white privileges and norms—such as the ubiquitous representation of white people in media and education—shape and reproduce the perception of racism. The research, originating from the USA and now taught at German universities, links this analysis with migration pedagogy and demands that criticism of antisemitism be included because the German white self-concept is historically linked with Christian socialization and the exclusion of Jewish people. The critical reflection of white positions is an important tool to make racist power structures visible and actively hold white people accountable.
Critique of domination as a social theoretical concept examines the significance of power and domination in a society. Existing relations of domination and power by institutions like the state or socially existing structures are critically questioned. The power relationship should not be taken for granted but questioned as to why power is distributed in such a way and who is structurally disadvantaged.
Cultural appropriation refers to the adoption of cultural elements by other groups, often without knowledge of their meaning and history. Particularly during colonialism, cultural assets were stolen and traditions suppressed. When symbols, clothing, or hairstyles are adopted unreflectively, colonial power relations can persist. Therefore, a conscious and respectful approach, along with interest in the origin and meaning of cultural elements, is important (see IDA e.V.).
Disability refers to limitations on social participation that arise from the interaction of physical, psychological, cognitive, or sensory conditions and societal barriers. These barriers can be structural, institutional, social, or communicative in nature. Therefore, disability is not solely to be understood as a (medical) impairment but also as a result of societal structures and conditions that enable or hinder participation.
Literally translated from Latin, dissent means "difference of opinion" or "disagreement." People have different perceptions, opinions, needs, assessments, and boundaries in situations and evaluate the experienced situation accordingly. Through dissent, different opinions can be heard and considered. Nevertheless, one's own perception is not always the correct one.
Drag is an art form whose origin can be attributed to various theories. The term Drag is an abbreviation for "dressed resembling a girl/guy." A strong influence comes from the so-called "Ballroom Culture", in doing so Afro-American and Latin American individuals of the queer scene mostly met and meet underground and held balls. For many, especially young people, the ballroom scene became a refuge from discrimination and violence and a safer space. Drag is diverse, political, and a rebellion against gender stereotypes, sexism, and discrimination. Gender roles and norms are played with, parodied, and it attempts to override societal power structures. (Source: https://www.rnd.de/lifestyle/was-ist-drag-dast-steckt-hinter-der-kunstform-IAABS2SXQNCHPPP3TDQTZXBBUU.html)
Common terms are "drag queens" or "drag kings"; to not categorize performing people into a binary system, today we rather talk about drag artists or drag performers. (Source: https://awareness-akademie.de/glossar/)
The word comes from Latin and means something like "becoming independent." Originally, in antiquity, emancipation referred to the release of a slave from the hand of the master. Then in the 18th and 19th centuries, emancipation became a buzzword in the struggle of marginalized social groups (slaves, Jewish people, women) for political and social equality. In today's general usage, emancipation is mostly applied in relation to women's rights. It is demanded that women receive more rights in society, economy, and politics. The equality between men and women, which is enshrined in the constitution, should finally be realized. A project of emancipation is therefore the establishment of a domination-free society based on mutual care and solidarity and that People or groups freeing themselves from oppression. (Source: https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/lexika/das-junge-politik-lexikon/320196/emanzipation/)
The concept of empowerment comes from the USA, where it has been inextricably linked with the civil rights movements since the 1950s. Empowerment describes a method of strengthening collective and individual agency. It is about promoting resources, knowledge, self-confidence, and solidarity so that marginalized groups can represent their own interests. Empowerment is not "help from above," but aims at self-empowerment.
People who are not intersex are endo(sexual). This means that they can clearly be categorized into the medical-social norm of physical sexual characteristics. In practice, for example, this means that at birth they can supposedly be clearly assigned to one of two binary genders through the common process of visual examination of primary sexual characteristics by a doctor.
Fatphobia refers to the societal devaluation and stigma against fat people. This attitude is not new but has developed over a long time from a combination of historical, medical, economic, and cultural developments. In its current form, it is the result of these centuries-old ideas and structures. Fatphobia and racism also have significant overlaps. It involves the construction of the white,, slim, cis body as a colonial norm.
A femicide is a form of patriarchal and sexualized violence and refers to the killing of women or female-perceived individuals because of their gender. The term highlights that such acts are not isolated incidents but expressions of patriarchal power and violence.
Feminism describes a political and social movement advocating for equality and the improvement of living conditions for women, queer people, and/or FLINTA*. The goal of feminism is to dismantle patriarchal structures in society and to completely overcome patriarchy. Patriarchy means "rule of the father" or "rule of the fathers" and describes a social structure in which men hold a favored position over other genders. Today, there is not just one feminism, but different approaches, and these various forms are also referred to as feminist movements or feminisms.
The acronym FLINTA* stands for women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender people. Similar to the acronym LGBTQI+, those who feel they belong to the FLINTA* community experience oppression and discrimination due to their gender and/or sexuality, with a particular focus on oppression by patriarchal structures. It is important, for one, that due to the history of the feminist movement, the L explicitly includes lesbians in the acronym (such as FLINTA* spaces emerging from FL (women-lesbian) spaces). FLINTA* spaces can be an opportunity to make spaces safer or more empowering – often, however, other options exist, or the designation as a FLINTA* space is explicitly not the right or is an ambiguous option (e.g., in the case of toilets).
Gaslighting refers to a manipulative form of emotional abuse in which the affected person is systematically led to doubt their own feelings, thoughts, and perceptions – even their sanity. The term comes from Patrick Hamilton's play Gas Light from the 1940s, in which a man tries to convince his wife that she has lost her mind.
In gatekeeping, people decide to exploit their (power) position and thus determine access to and resources of others, thereby excluding them. It often involves controlled access to information.
Gay refers to men or non-binary individuals identifying with masculinity who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to men or male individuals. Being gay is part of homosexuality, where people are attracted to the same gender. In German, the terms "schwul" or "schwuchtel" are often used derogatively to insult gay individuals or men behaving femininely. feminine behaving men.
The term "gender" refers, in contrast to the German "Geschlecht," to the social dimension of gender – i.e., culturally and historically shaped roles, expectations, and norms. While "Geschlecht" in German can mean many things, "gender" precisely describes the socially created understanding of what is considered female, male, or beyond. This understanding is changeable and context-dependent, as Simone de Beauvoir already emphasized: Gender is not simply "given" but constructed.
Often "sex (eng.)" as physical, birth-assigned gender is contrasted with the social gender "gender." However, historical research shows that "sex" is also culturally interpreted and not purely biologically readable. The separation of sex and gender – biological and social gender – is thus somewhat outdated. Material bodies do exist and differ, but their binary classification into male and female is a social production. Also based on this social construction, patriarchy exists as a far-reaching system of dominance with real material consequences.
Hate speech is a generic term for racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, transphobic, and other discriminatory comments on the internet and social media. The goal of the authors of such comments is to intimidate, exclude, or degrade the affected individuals. The anonymity of the internet can lead to the disinhibition of hate speakers and result in extreme hate, while the affected individuals are often helplessly exposed to the dehumanizing comments.
Heteronormativity is the societal framework that forces gender and sexuality into a strict binary model: it accepts only man and woman, ranks them hierarchically (with male dominance), and recognizes only the desire between man and woman. Trans, intersex, and homosexuality are not provided for. This system makes heterosexuality the "normal" expectation, excluding, stigmatizing, and often disadvantaging people who do not fit into this binary, trans-exclusive, and hetero grid – such as lesbians, gays, bisexuals, potentially trans persons, and other non-binary identities. The consequences are evident in stereotypical roles, gender-specific labor market segmentation, or the systematic marginalization of all who deviate from the heteronormative standard.
Hierarchy implies a strict order of rank, in which each person has firmly assigned rights, powers, and responsibilities. In organizations that are hierarchically structured, higher-ranking people usually can give orders to lower ranks. These instructions or commands must then be carried out.
Incel (abbreviation frominvoluntarily celibate, literally: "involuntarily celibate") is the self-designation of a US-originated internet subculture of heterosexual men who, according to their own statements, involuntarily have no sex or romantic relationships and adhere to the ideology of hegemonic masculinity. The men organize themselves on the internet, affirming each other's worldviews in their forums, exchanging videos and fantasies of violence. The focal point is their hatred of women. By devaluing women, they increase their own value. The Incel movement is closely related to toxic masculinity and masculinism. Incels often see feminism as the reason for their rejection: "Feminism is blamed for their lack of success with women." In recent years, there have been repeated deadly terrorist attacks by Incels, with the perpetrators' ideology often barely addressed in the media.
Inclusion comes from the Latin inclusio – "inclusion" – and means the natural belonging of every person to society and unrestricted participation in all areas of life. The concept opposes any form of exclusion, whether due to religion, worldview, gender, social status, age, cultural origin, skin color, sexual orientation, or physical and mental disabilities. Diversity is understood as an enriching part of normality. The term has a special significance in the fight for the rights and participation of disabled people.
Institutional racism describes racism as a phenomenon that arises not only through individual misconduct but through societal and state institutions that reproduce rules, norms, and practices. As a result, certain groups can be systematically disadvantaged, marginalized, or criminalized and unequally equipped with resources and opportunities, such as in the education, labor, housing, health, or justice system.
Integration describes the opportunities and possibilities for participation in key social areas like the labor market, education system, social contacts, or housing market. It involves how different people can be integrated into society and participate equally in life. Integration often involves prolonged, negotiation of economic, political, religious, or legal participation in the immigration/migration society, characterized by cooperation and conflict. Sometimes integration is contrasted with inclusion as an alternative (see Inclusion).
The term appears in various fields. In sociology, internalization means internalizing mechanisms; people learn something externally, adopt it, and make it part of their own thinking and acting.
Examples:
- Internalized racism: When white people must approve work that is better than that of other BIPOC, it is internalized racism.
- Internalized transphobia: When trans people think they are not a "real" man/woman/non-binary person, it is internalized transphobia.
The term was coined in the 1980s and 1990s by American legal scholar and Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, who demonstrated that Black women often experience specific discrimination not represented by white women or Black men. Intersectionality thus means that various social structures are interconnected, such as gender, sexuality, origin, culture, religion, and social status. This means that different forms of discrimination, like racism and ableism, are interconnected and must be considered within these contexts. For example, women who wear headscarves experience a specific, intertwined form of racism, Islamophobia, and sexism. The term summarises the interactions of multiple mechanisms of oppression.
Lesbian primarily refers to the romantic or sexual attraction of women or girls to women, girls, or to femininity. At the same time, some queer or trans people, who do not identify as women, use the term because it aptly describes their form of queerness.
The term can also encompass various identities: Some lesbian people describe themselves as Butch, Dyke ("Dyke" comes from English and stands for lesbian. Previously (and still today) often used as a homophobic and misogynistic insult for masculine, butch, or androgynous women, the term Dyke is now considered reclaimed and positively connoted by lesbians through active self-definition with this term.
It is also important that the term plays a significant role as a starting point for feminist practice: Lesbians have partially argued that lesbians are not women at all, since being a woman without being embedded in heterosexual desire is completely different or unthinkable.
Lookism refers to the devaluation or disadvantage of people based on their appearance. Those who do not conform to (Western) societal beauty ideals often experience exclusion, ridicule, or open discrimination. Beauty standards are created by media, trends, advertising, and cultural ideas and are constantly changing. It becomes problematic when external attractiveness is viewed as a measure of a person's worth. Lookism manifests in all areas of life, such as insults in online debates or in the workplace where "more attractive" applicants are demonstrably preferred. This discrimination affects all genders and works in different directions, for example, when people are judged as "too unattractive" or—conversely—as "too beautiful and therefore less competent."
Male Gaze, in English "male gaze," describes a pattern of representation in which women, in particular, are portrayed from a heterosexual male perspective.
The term originally comes from film theory and criticizes the objectification and sexualization of female bodies in media.
Manipulation refers to the attempt to deliberately influence a person's thoughts, feelings, decisions, or behavior. The influence often occurs in a covert or unfair manner, so the affected person may not realize they are being influenced. Manipulation can occur in various ways, such as deliberately creating guilt, applying pressure, distorting facts, making threats, emotional blackmail, or deliberately withholding important information.
Generally, mansplaining is understood as condescending, patronizing remarks and explanations by a man who ignores the experiences and knowledge of (mostly) female-perceived persons or assumes he knows more than the other person. This communication pattern is closely linked to societal role images. Studies show that in larger groups, cis men tend to speak more, while women vanish from the conversation. Or women experience that the ideas and facts they present are only recognized as important when repeated by a cis man. To their dismay, the authorship of the ideas is attributed to the man.
Gender researcher Paul Scheibelhofer sees deeply rooted gender roles in manspreading. Men are used to claiming space and ignoring the space claims of others. They do not reflect on this automated claim of power, but women do. Sports sociologist Prof. Ina Hunger believes that sitting with legs spread communicates presence. Even in childhood, girls and boys are raised with different movement patterns. Boys are allowed to behave dominantly and expansively, while girls have to control their movement needs. (Source: https://www.fes.de/wissen/gender-glossar/manspreading)
Another word for marginalization is social exclusion. This is closely linked to structural discrimination. Social and societal barriers make it difficult for people to access basic services, promote limited participation, lower visibility, and reduce political or economic power.
Mental load refers to invisible thinking, planning, and organizational work in everyday life. This includes, for example, recognizing upcoming tasks, planning, remembering, coordinating, and making decisions. Studies show that mental load is often unequally distributed along gender lines (see care work).
Microaggressions refer to the consequences of conscious and unconscious acts that repeatedly and needle-like injure discriminated people by portraying them as deviating from the dominant norm, stereotyping, degrading, and (symbolically) excluding them. Examples of microaggressions areeveryday racisms . (Source: https://www.idaev.de/recherchetools/glossar/)Microaggressions
Migration refers to the geographic movement of people associated with a long-term shift of their primary place of residence across a national border. It can involve the migration of individuals, families, or groups. The reasons for migration are varied and individual. The decision or necessity to migrate often involves several interconnected personal, social, political, and economic factors but can also be coerced through the exercise or threat of violence.
Misgendering means that a person, usually based on external stereotypical characteristics, is assigned to the wrong gender and/or addressed with the wrong pronouns. Misgendering can happen unintentionally, especially with strangers. However, it can also happen intentionally and then be meant as devaluation, exclusion, or intentional queer-/transphobia. Most affected are non-binary or trans people.
misein (to hate) and gyne (woman). (Woman) – means the fundamental devaluation of women and the assumption that they are inherently inferior. It not only affects individual behavior but is also rooted in institutions and social structures, often excluding women from power, influence, and resources. Philosophy professor Kate Manne distinguishes between sexism, which ideologically justifies the patriarchal system, and misogyny, which actively maintains this system through concrete actions and norms.
Multiple discrimination arises when various levels of oppression—such as oppression based on skin color, gender, disability, or sexual orientation—act simultaneously. The resulting discrimination can rarely be attributed to a single characteristic; it arises instead from the interaction of various forms of discrimination (see intersectionality). Therefore, one must consider the intertwined experiences rather than understanding them as a mere sum of individual identities and their oppression.
Neurodivergence describes people whose way of thinking, feeling, or processing stimuli deviates from socially established norms. The term offers a way to name one's experiences without automatically categorizing them as a medical "disorder." This includes autism, ADHD, high sensitivity, dyslexia, dyscalculia, trauma-related disorders, and more. The opposite is called neurotypical – together, the two terms mark the diversity of neurological experiences.
Non-binary describes a gender identity that does not fit into the traditional male/female schema. People who identify as non-binary see themselves as entirely or partially outside or between these two categories.
Outing means "coming out" in English and refers to queer people revealing their identity or sexual orientation. Being outed is fundamentally different from coming out; in forced outing, someone reveals another person's gender identity or sexual or romantic orientation to third parties or the public without consent. It often happens involuntarily and constitutes a breach of privacy and possibly violence. A coming-out, on the other hand, is a self-determined step belonging solely to the person who wants to share their identity.
Panic can be triggered by high emotional or physical stress, previous conditions, and crises, occurring in various situations. Extreme panic and/or fear can unpredictably lead to a panic attack, with physical reactions such as shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, trembling, or palpitations often felt as life-threatening. However, there are also silent panic attacks with no external symptoms. To help someone during an acute panic attack, breathing exercises can be useful. It's important to take the person seriously, not leave them alone, and call an ambulance if necessary. If the situation allows, a calm place, simple conversations, muscle tensing and relaxing, drinking, and distraction can also be helpful.
Pansexuality describes a sexual orientation where people feel emotionally and/or sexually attracted to others regardless of gender. Like omni- or bisexuality, this desire can be directed towards people with a variety of gender identities, although pansexual people focus clearly on the individual rather than their gender. The three concepts overlap significantly and are often used almost interchangeably.
Taking a position, but standing in solidarity with marginalized and affected individuals. In the awareness context, partisanship is acted upon in favor of the affected person. This involves creating a protected and appreciative environment where affected individuals can share their experiences and perceptions without facing doubts, evaluations, or blame. Their experiences are not questioned or judged but are initially accepted as perceived and experienced by the affected person. Partisanship does not mean hastily judging situations or making decisions over the affected person. Rather, it involves taking their perspective seriously, respecting boundaries, and supporting the person in their further actions.
Passing describes how and whether a person is perceived and recognized as belonging to a certain category. For trans* people, passing can mean being addressed with the correct pronouns or being read as cis by others.For many, this is important because it facilitates their daily lives and protects them from discrimination, although it is by no means a standard for "how trans*" someone is.
In the context of race, passing also plays a role: Some people are incorrectly assigned to a more privileged group based on certain external characteristics. This racial passing can bring social advantages but often comes with pressure, invisibility, or internal conflicts. In both cases, passing describes how external perception and personal identity – sometimes helpful, sometimes burdensome – intertwine.
Affected individuals define for themselves what they have experienced and what form of violence they had to endure. This does not mean that affected individuals have to do this (alone) or that they cannot change their assessment of what they experienced over time. It is important that affected individuals do not feel pressured to justify themselves and are always taken seriously in their statements, without these being questioned, evaluated, or doubted.
A power relation describes the distribution and/or dynamics of power and influence between individuals or actors. Power relations can be established for the long term, thereby shaping social rules and orders accordingly.
Pushbacks are state measures where fleeing and migrating people are forced back across a border immediately after crossing, without the opportunity to apply for asylum or have the legality reviewed by a court. Pushbacks violate, among other things, the prohibition of collective expulsion enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.
Queer is understood as a description of a sexual orientation or gender that deviates from the dominant norm. Originally used as an insult, it is now often used as a self-designation. Since the 1980s, the so-called Queer Theory has developed in research, which is closely linked to Gender Studies.
Queer feminism has its roots in the women's movement and the lesbian and gay movement, which have been fighting for more rights and visibility since the 1960s. In queer feminism, gender, sexuality, and social power relations are considered together. It involves not only criticizing sexism but also questioning heteronormative and cis-normative ideas as well as rigid identity concepts.
Queer hostility—also known as LGBTQIA* hostility—refers to the devaluation or discrimination of people whose gender identity or sexual orientation does not fit into the binary or heteronormative understanding. This includes, among others, trans- and homophobic attitudes. Such stances often appear in right-wing ideologies or certain religious groups, such as Christian fundamentalism, but are fundamentally found in all areas of society.
Racial Profiling (also "Ethnic Profiling") describes police measures and actions by other security, immigration, and customs officials that are not based on concrete suspicion or risk but solely on physical characteristics or assumed origin of the person. The term racial profiling originates from the USA and dates far back to the time of slavery.
Random (person) checks based solely on appearance violate the Basic Law (Art. 3 Abs. 3 GG), the General Equal Treatment Act, and the prohibition of racial discrimination in the European Convention on Human Rights and the international Anti-Racism Convention. Even though theoretically illegal, racial profiling is part of everyday practice in Germany.
Rape Culture describes societal attitudes and structures that trivialize, normalize, or justify sexualized violence. This includes victim blaming, sexist jokes, the objectification of women, and so-called rape myths. The term comes from feminist analyses of the 1970s and does not imply that violence is generally accepted, but that certain narratives favor violence or distort its perception.
The term safer sex refers to sexual intercourse where partners use condoms or dental dams to reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
Safer use involves developing strategies to make drug consumption less risky. This includes avoiding unwanted effects and overdoses, as well as reducing the risk of infection transmission. Drug use is never completely risk-free, but certain safer use practices can significantly reduce the associated risks.
Sexism means the disadvantage, devaluation, violation, oppression, and discrimination of a person or group based on their gender, accompanied by existing societal oppression. Sexism also influences the notion of a hierarchy or ranking of genders. The manifestations of sexism are culturally and historically determined. Sexism is particularly evident in the marginalization of women, trans, non-binary, and intersex people and occurs in jobs, sports, shopping, driving, and everyday life.
Sexual violence refers to acts where power is abused. It is not about expressing sexual desire but about violent acts with a gendered aspect that occur without the consent or ability to consent of the affected individuals. These acts are not limited to physical violence and can occur without physical contact. Sexual violence is often systematically used to humiliate.
The acronym TIAN* stands for Trans, Intersex, Non-binary, and Agender individuals. Sometimes, only TIN* is used.
The term token refers to a person from a discriminated group whose visibility merely serves to suggest diversity or to confirm existing prejudices. For instance, a single Black employee might be prominently placed in company photos, or Black actors receive mostly minor roles. In such cases, they serve as a "showcase" without actual equality. In the German context, derogatory terms like "quota migrants," "quota Blacks," or "quota women" are sometimes used.
The term originates from the American sociologist Rosabeth Moss Kanter, who coined it in the late 1970s. It describes the role of a marginalized person who is involuntarily used as an alibi for diversity. This person is not perceived as an individual but is reduced to perceived group traits and instrumentalized. Institutions present themselves as modern and diverse, yet leave existing power structures and privileges unchanged. This can impose significant burdens on those affected, as they are forced into stereotypical expectations and consequently feel dehumanized.
The tolerance paradox, as formulated by Karl Popper, describes that complete tolerance can eventually destroy its own foundation. If an open society tolerates intolerant positions without limits, the freedoms of the tolerant are jeopardized. To prevent intolerance from gaining the upper hand and undermining democratic values, the principle applies: "No tolerance for intolerance."
Transformative justice was primarily developed by FLINTA* of Color in the USA to find a way to deal with sexual violence outside of a structurally racist criminal justice system. It is a liberating approach to violence that aims to ensure safety and accountability without relying on alienation, isolation, punishment, and state or systemic violence, which also includes incarceration and surveillance. This approach is based on the assumptions that individual justice and collective liberation are equally important and interdependent. Moreover, the societal and structural conditions that enable violence must be changed in order to enable individual and collective justice. The aim is to ensure the immediate safety and long-term healing of those affected, as well as the accountability processes of those who perpetrate violence. These include the cessation of violence, the commitment not to perpetrate further violence, and restitution. The social environment is also involved to promote change and healing processes for all involved.
Trans-misogyny refers to a form of transphobia that specifically targets trans women or trans-femme people. It is evident, for example, in the exclusion of trans women from feminist spaces or in prohibiting them from accessing certain women's services. Additionally, stricter expectations are often placed on them than on cis women: A trans woman is more likely to be questioned if she has short hair, doesn't wear makeup, wears sweatpants, or doesn't shave—behaviors that are more readily accepted in cis women by comparison. Trans-misogyny therefore combines transphobic and misogynistic structures.
Triggers are stimuli like certain sounds, images, or words that can evoke distressing memories of traumatic experiences in a specific person, meaning a specific trauma reaction. It's important to note the difference between activation and trigger reaction ("being triggered"): During activation, unlike a triggered trauma reaction, we retain certain abilities to recognize and reflect on our own emotional world (cf. Umgang - Handbook of Transformative Justice; p. 77f.).
A trigger or content warning indicates content that could be emotionally distressing or retraumatizing. It gives readers and listeners the opportunity to prepare themselves or decide if they want to engage with the content at all. These warnings are usually placed at the beginning of a text or contribution, often with some distance from the actual content, so that both do not appear simultaneously. Their goal is to create a sensitive and safe environment for all involved. Trigger warnings originally come from trauma therapy and were later adopted in feminist and queer contexts to handle potential burdens more sensitively and make spaces safer.
Upskirting is composed of the English words "up" and "skirt" and describes the unauthorized but intentional photography or filming of intimate areas of a person without their consent.
"Divers" has been a legal gender entry since 01/01/2019, mainly used by intersex and non-binary individuals. It is not a separate gender, but an umbrella term for many different genders. (Source: https://queer-lexikon.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/GlossarDez2019.pdf)
In German, victim blaming means making the affected person responsible for what happened to them and is a "perpetrator-victim reversal." Originally, victim blaming was particularly used as a strategy by defense attorneys in rape trials to exonerate the accused perpetrator. Today, victim blaming is also a widespread societal phenomenon, evident, for example, in media reporting on sexual violence.
Violence refers to the use of physical or psychological force to harm, intimidate, or influence a person's will. There are various forms of violence; it can be physical, psychological, sexualized, or even verbal.
Women are structurally disadvantaged and oppressed in almost all societal areas in most societies today. Even legally, equality is still far off in Germany.
After the first wave of feminism, which campaigned for women's voting rights, the second feminist wave formed after World War II, which continued to explicitly fight as women for women. In the wake of the queer movement, the third feminist wave, and through critical perspectives from Black women (e.g., Kimberlé Crenshaw – founder of the term intersectionality), numerous feminisms have formed that fight within the broad field of feminism with sometimes similar and sometimes different theories, strategies, and practices.
The term woman remains an important feminist subject, precisely because women are still affected by oppression and violence. For feminist practice and the search for appropriate language, it can be helpful to ask which term is right in a specific context: Often women are indeed meant (cis- and trans* women), then the term fits. Sometimes, however, the term FLINTA* might fit better and be more inclusive, other times perhaps "women and queers," "people with a uterus," or "women and other oppressed genders." In general, the topic of gender is complex and multifaceted, and there is no universal solution for the right terms. It is always necessary to find pragmatic approaches and ways to name oppression on one hand and not unnecessarily reproduce it on the other.
After some time, we are finally releasing a new podcast episode. This time, Monty talks with Sally and Ashki about awareness in Germany and beyond, as well as their experiences in queer and feminist contexts in Egypt.
This episode is in English.