If the confusion around Beed constable Lalit Salve's gender identity was any indication, India still has a long way to go when it comes to understanding the rainbow of distinctions in the LGBTQ+ spectrum. But we can always educate ourselves to be better allies to the community. What better time to do that than June, which is internationally recognised as Pride Month. While the rest of the world gets cracking with colourful marches full of gaiety, mid-day gives you a handy guide to everything that is gay-okay.

How is the spectrum divided?
Love me gender: Gender is a psychological identity and, more importantly, a social construct. While one may biologically be male, they might identify as a woman and vice versa. People who don't see themselves within the gender binary, identify as genderqueer. While discussing gender identity, it is important to know what cisgender and transgender mean. A cisgender person identifies with the gender they were biologically born into, while for a transgender person, their gender identity is dissociative from their biological identity. It is also imperative to remember that while communicating with a trans person, one must use gender pronouns (he, she, they) chosen by them.