Some terms used to describe different groups of people, as of 2024 include:

BME: Black and Minority Ethnic  

BAME: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic

Please note – updated guidance from the UK Government has explained that the terms  ‘BME’/‘BAME’ are to be phased out in their use in UK Government publications. This is due to the fact that these terms are frequently used to group all ethnic minorities together and this can disguise differences in outcomes between ethnic groups.

Minority ethnic (ME): Minority Ethnic. The term “ethnics” should not be used on its own.

Black people: heterogeneous group of people who have African or Caribbean ancestry and who may experience anti-Black racism. In the British trade union movement, this term has also been used to describe anyone at risk of experiencing racism.

Mixed ethnic background: is used to refer to people with mixed or multiple ethnic identities. We don’t say ‘Mixed people’ or ‘Mixed race people’. 

Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT): a heterogeneous group of minority ethnic people with a heritage of nomadic lifestyles and unique languages.

White people: a heterogeneous group that tends to refer to a socially-constructed-identity based on skin colour. Some research and people choose to use the term “non-white” to describe those who aren’t white.

Racialised identity or racialised minority: a term which reflects the process of society placing people in set categories and the subsequent negative effects of that categorisation.

Global Majority: a collective term for people of Indigenous, African, Asian, or Latin American descent, who constitute approximately 85 percent of the global population.  

People with lived experiences of racism / at risk of experiencing racism: this term is sometimes used to be inclusive of a wide variety of groups who might experience racism.

Race

The equality act definition of 'race' includes race, ethnicity and nationality.

Race: Race is a social construct, and not a biological reality. It is a system of categorisation invented by Europeans used to privilege some groups and exploit others. Generally based on skin colour and physical features but can be influenced by other features such as religion. Rooted in history and power, fluid and constantly reinventing itself.

Ethnicity: An ethnic group is a group of people who are bound together by certain characteristics. These typically include language, culture, history, folklore, ideology, national origin, nationality or ancestry.

Nationality: Typically refers to the legal right to belong to a country, as stated on passports.

Professional learning

For further support, please consider using the two professional learning activities to support conversations about race:

• Talking about Racism Professional Learning Activity on Education Scotland

• Talking about Diversity from Education Scotland’s Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities Professional Learning Framework

Glossaries of terms

Glossary (theantiracisteducator.com)

CRER Glossary (Prepared for the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry)

Glossary | Racial Equity Tools

Anti-racism in Education Programme: factsheet - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

When delivering or developing professional learning, here are some points to consider to ensure language is inclusive:

• Ensure language is gender neutral where appropriate.

• Avoid gender specific pronouns in our writing when the gender of a person is unknown - for example, when referring to a headteacher whose gender is not disclosed, we can use the pronoun “they”.

• Although gender reassignment is the term used in legislation, the word transgender is an inclusive term and more suited to general use.

A variety of acronyms are used depending on context and the diversity of identities described.

• LGBTI refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex.

• the letter Q represents queer or questioning

• A is for asexual

• the symbol + represents a range of other identities and orientations.

The list of LGBTQ+ terms from Stonewall is used by some schools, settings and organisations. 

Accepted terms and definitions

The terms sex and gender are sometimes used by people interchangeably however they also have specific and differing meanings. Currently the Scottish Government does not have a formal definition of sex and gender.  Internationally, a number of organisations have set out definitions, these definitions are broadly similar across these organisations.  

Sex 

Assigned to a person on the basis of primary sex characteristics (genitalia) and reproductive functions. This includes female, male and intersex.   

Gender  

The World Health organisation and the Royal Statistical Society define gender as: 

a social construction relating to behaviours and attributes based on labels of masculinity and femininity. Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy” and gender identity as: 

1. what an individual experiences as their innate sense of themselves as a man, a woman, as having no gender, or as having a non-binary gender –

2. where people identify as somewhere on a spectrum between man and woman.

Generally, we should use the word ‘gender’ as it is more inclusive and often more accurate. Scottish Government policy and strategy (for example Fairer Scotland for Woman and Equally Safe) refer to ‘gender’. However, when looking at data it might be more accurate to refer to ‘sex’ depending on what data has been collected and how it has been disaggregated. We can also use the phrasing ‘sex and/or gender’.    

Gender expression

How a person chooses to outwardly express their gender, within the context of societal expectations of gender. A person who does not conform to societal expectations of gender might not, however, identify as trans. 

Intersex or variation in sex characteristics

A person who may have the biological attributes of both sexes or whose biological attributes do not fit with societal assumptions about what constitutes male or female. Intersex people may identify as male, female or non-binary.

Another term for intersex, Variation in Sex Characteristics in The Hate Crime Act 2021 refers to diverse physical and biological characteristics of the body, whereas transgender identity relates to a person’s gender identity. 

Non-binary

People whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.  

Trans

People whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth. 

Glossaries of terms

Glossaries that can help inform facilitators' work and that are useful to share with learners include:

• UNITED NATIONS Gender-inclusive language

• List of LGBTQ+ terms | Stonewall

Glossary of useful terms (diversityandability.com)

Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability (www.gov.uk)

Inclusive language: What it is and why it is important (Business Disability Forum)

How we speak about disability (Scope UK)

Talking about disability in the workplace (Scope for business)

A to Z of disabilities and accommodations (askjan.org)