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Washington State Glossary for Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces

Welcome to the 4th version of the Glossary for Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces, previously known as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging glossary!

The intent of this glossary is to provide state employees with a compilation of equity-related terms and their meanings. When we have a shared vocabulary and agree on the meaning of the words we use, we are better able to collaborate across departments, teams, and the communities that we serve.

Words carry meaning, power, and impact. It is important that we understand the meanings, recognize the power, and demonstrate reflection, continual learning, and accountability for the impact of the words we use in Washington State government. It is also important to understand that the human beings who are educating us about these terms are living the identities and experiences described in this glossary.

Because people are continually evolving, the words we use to describe them need to evolve as well. This resource is meant to support the work of improving access, advancing equity, and eliminating systemic racism and other forms of oppression from the work we do. This is not meant to serve as a primary resource in any specialized area such as law, medicine, or academia.

Thank you to the Washington State Business Resource Groups, the Washington State DEI Council Glossary Workgroup, The Department of Health, Department of Enterprise Services, Office of Equity, OFM Communications for your hard work and dedication to this body of work. The work that was poured into this version will directly impact those who experience disparities, exclusion, and systemic oppression in the workplace. Thanks to your vital contribution to this work our state will have a practical resource guiding us to maintain a growth mindset while affirming and embodying diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and belonging every step of the way.

You may request a Glossary Edit if you would like a term added to or a definition edited in this glossary. Please note that the review committee meets quarterly to review these submissions and is committed to the shared-power process, so these edits make take several months to research and to respond to.

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Termsort descending Definition
Gender Expression

External appearance of one's gender, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or intonation, and which may or may not conform to societal expectations of a person’s sex assigned at birth or their gender identity.
• Gender Non-Conforming – An umbrella term for those who do not follow gender stereotypes, or who expand ideas of gender expression or gender identity. It is not used as a personal identifier.
Gender Identity

A person’s deeply held core sense of self in relation to gender – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. A person’s gender identity can be the same or different from their biological sex. Gender identity is a separate concept from sexuality and gender expression.
• Agender – Refers to a person who does not identify with or experience any gender. Agender is different from nonbinary because many nonbinary people do experience gender.
• Cisgender – Describes a person whose gender identity and gender expression matches the gender typically associated with their biological sex. Often abbreviated to “Cis.”
• Non-Binary – A term of self-identification for people who do not identify within the limited and binary terms that have described gender identity: male or man, female or woman.
• Genderfluid – Describes a person who does not consistently identify with a single fixed gender and who may move among genders, or a person having or expressing a fluid or unfixed gender identity. A gender fluid person may at any time identify as male, female, agender, any other non-binary identity, or some combination of identities.
• Genderqueer – Describes individuals who blur preconceived boundaries of gender in relation to the gender binary and can also reject commonly held ideas of static gender identities. It is also used as an umbrella term for many gender non-conforming or non-binary identities (i.e., agender, bi-gender, genderfluid).
• Transgender – An umbrella term used to describe a person whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth do not correspond. The term is also used to describe groups of people who transcend conventional expectations of gender identity or expression. Often abbreviated to “Trans,” which is considered more inclusive than transgender because it includes the various ways a person can identify within the associated umbrella terminology (e.g., transgender, transmasc, transfem(me), etc.). Being trans does not imply any specific sexual orientation.
Gender-Expansive

An umbrella term used for individuals that broaden their own culture’s commonly held definitions of gender, including expectations for its expression, identities, roles, and/or other perceived gender norms. People of any gender identity can be gender expansive. See Gender Identity14 and Gender Expression15.

  • 14. A person’s deeply held core sense of self in relation to gender – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. A person’s gender identity can be the same or different from their biological sex. Gender identity is a separate concept from sexuality and gender expression.
  • 15. External appearance of one's gender, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or intonation, and which may or may not conform to societal expectations of a person’s sex assigned at birth or their gender identity.
Genetic Information

Genetic information includes information about an individual’s genetic tests and the genetic tests of an individual’s family members, as well as information about the manifestation of a disease or disorder in an individual’s family members. 
Government-to-Government Relationships

Relationships that are formal, recognized interactions between sovereign tribal nations and federal, state, or local governments.