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S
safe sex, safer sex, protected
sex
Sexual practices which minimize the transmission of infectious
bodily fluids. Important for all sexually active humans, no matter
their sexual identity, gender or age.
samurai
A Japanese warrior. The samurai ethic is overemphasized when describing
the Japanese mentality, particularly when describing Japanese
business styles in competition with Canada.
sandsucker
Avoid (racial slur). Derogatory term for Arabs.
Sanskrit
Language in which many ancient Indian texts are written.
sari (also saree)
Described in western press as a dress worn by Hindu women, but
Christians in India wear saris, too, as do many Bangladeshi women.
second parent adoption
Legal action giving same sex second parent legal rights over children.
seroconversion
Scientifically observable alteration of blood or other bodily
fluids from HIV negative to HIV positive. The verb is seroconvert.
seropositive
Synonymous with HIV positive.
sexual orientation
Innate sexual attraction and self-identity. Always use instead
of sexual preference or other misleading terminology.
sexual preference
Avoid. Implies a choice to stray from the straight and narrow.
Use sexual orientation.
Shiv Sena
Hindu nationalist party based in Indian state of Maharashtra.
Mistakenly referred to by at least one major U.S. newspaper as
"Army of Shiva." The Shiv in the name of the party refers
to the 16th century founder of the Maratha kingdom, Shivaji, and
not Lord Shiva, the "destroyer" aspect of the Hindu
trinity. Leader of the Shiv Sena is Bal Thackeray.
Shiva (also Lord Shiva)
The "destroyer" aspect of the Hindu trinity. Brahma,
the "creator," and Vishnu, the "preserver,"
are the other parts of the trinity.
Sikh
Follower of Sikhism, a monotheistic religion which was founded
in Northern India by Guru Nanak, c.1500 A.D., as a reform offshoot
of Hinduism (it has some elements of Hinduism and Islam). Majority
of Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab, but they also make
up a highly visible portion of South Asians in the diaspora. Sikh
men almost always have the name Singh (Punjabi for "lion")
as their last or middle names. Women often use the name Kaur ("lioness").
Sikhs consider themselves disciples of Nanak and his nine successors,
who are called the "ten gurus." The writings of the
early gurus were compiled in the Adi Granth, the Sikh sacred book,
by Arjun (1563-1606), the fifth guru. Worshippers gather in a
temple called a gurdwara which house a copy of the Adi Granth.
A note on the last name Singh: Almost all Sikh men are Singhs,
but not all Singhs are Sikhs, as Singh is also a common Hindu
last name in northern India.
Sindi
Pakistani language spoken in the western Sind province of Pakistan.
Sinhalese
The ethnic majority of Sri Lanka. Also the name of the language
spoken by the Sinhalese. See Sri Lanka, Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam, Tamil.
slant, slant-eye
Avoid (racial slur). The stereotypical caricature of Asians with
narrow, slanted slit eyes, with no pupils showing, was first used
by white cartoonists in the 1800s to whip up anti-Asian hysteria.
The caricature also is used to demean Asians as mindless horde.
Cartoons drawn with this feature are highly racist and offensive
and should be avoided
slope
Avoid (racial slur). Derogatory term for Asians.
sodomy
Old-fashioned term for anal sex. Not synonymous with homosexuality
or gay sex. Anti-sodomy laws, which are still in place in some
U.S. states, are used to stigmatize and criminalize gay men and
lesbians. In Canada, while the age of consent for sex is 14, the
age of consent for anal sex is 18
South Asia
The Indian subcontinent as distinct from East and Southeast Asia.
Includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka.
Southeast Asia
Preferred over Indochina (see Indochinese.)
squaw
Avoid (derogatory term). Evokes stereotypical image of First Nations
women.
Sri Lanka
An Indian Ocean island nation off the southern coast of India,
formerly known as Ceylon. Population: 19 million. Sri Lanka won
independence from Britain in 1948. The capital is Colombo. The
two major ethnic groups are the majority Sinhalese and minority
Tamils. An armed insurgency by Tamil rebels against the Sri Lankan
army has devastated the country since the early 1980s, as tens
of thosands of civilians have died in the crossfire. See Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Tamil, Sinhalese.
Stonewall
The Stonewall Inn tavern in New York City's Greenwich Village
was the site of several nights of raucous protests following a
police raid on June 28, 1969. Although not the first gay rights
demonstration, Stonewall is now regarded as the birth of the modern
gay rights movement. Pride marches in most countries take place
around this date.
straight
A heterosexual; a non-gay person. Also adj
Subcontinent, Indian (capitalized)
Also known as "the Subcontinent" (see South Asia).
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