The dialogue around diversity, equity, and inclusion is broad and growing daily. This introduces the need for a common vocabulary to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations. Because of differences in lived experience, words often hold different meanings for different people. This glossary is not meant to be exhaustive, since language is continuously evolving. The main goal is to provide a basic framework and promote dialogue.
There are currently 6 Terms in this directory beginning with the letter T.
T
Targeted Universalism
An intent to create belonging for all, where universal goals are set and pursued by targeted processes to achieve those goals.
They
universal and purely neutral. When people encounter it, they infer nothing about gender. This makes the singular “they” a perfect pronoun.
Tokenism
performative presence without meaningful participation. For example, a superficial invitation for the participation of members of a certain socially oppressed group, who are expected to speak for the whole group without giving this person a real opportunity to speak for themselves.
Transfeminine
of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity is partially or fully feminine and differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth.
Transgender
an umbrella term used to describe a person whose gender identity is something other than their Sex Assigned at Birth (SAAB). The SAAB is a person’s first association with gender, typically based on physical sex characteristics.
