GLOSSARY OF TRANS AND INTERSEX TERMS
Agender - An identity defined by the absence of gender. Someone who feels that they do not have a gender, or that they are so neutral with regards to gender that they are genderless, may call themselves agender.
AFAB - Assigned Female at Birth, or a natal female. A term used by some transmasculine people to identify their sex assigned at birth and to distinguish it from their gender.
AMAB - Assigned Male at Birth, or a natal male. A term used by some transfeminine people to identify their sex assigned at birth and to distinguish it from their gender.
Androgyne - [noun] A non-binary gender associated with androgyny. Someone who is androgynous doesn’t clearly fit into the typical masculine and feminine gender roles of society. An androgyne may present in an androgynous manner.
Bigender - Gender identity that includes two genders, which may be feminine, masculine, agender, androgyne, or any other gender. Some bigender people express two distinct personas and genders, while others identify as two genders simultaneously.
Binder - A vest-like piece of clothing used to flatten the chest, typically worn by AFAB trans people to alleviate gender dysphoria and create the appearance of a flatter, ’male’ torso.
Binding - Typically done by some AFAB trans people, binding is flattening your chest to create the external appearance of a flat or ‘male’ torso. It is usually done by wearing a binder.
Bottom surgery - A type of Gender Reassignment Surgery performed on one’s genitalia to alter it to resemble the sex that their gender best corresponds with. Not all trans people desire or undergo such a procedure.
CAFAB - Coercively Assigned Female at Birth. A term used to refer to intersex people whose sexual anatomy has been surgically altered to resemble ‘female’ genitalia. This is typically done while the individual is too young to offer consent.
CAMAB - Coercively Assigned Male at Birth. A term used to refer to intersex people whose sexual anatomy has been surgically altered to resemble ‘male’ genitalia. This is typically done while the individual is too young to offer consent.
Cisgender - Term used to describe a person whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth; in other words, someone who is not transgender. Often shortened to ‘cis’.
Cisnormativity - Refers to the practices and institutions that legitimise and privilege those whose gender corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. It is the assumption that being cisgender is the norm, and that it is superior to being transgender. Cisnormativity systematically disadvantages and marginalises all persons whose gender identity and expression do not meet social expectations.
Coming out - The process of disclosing your trans or LGBTQ+ status to other people. Coming out is a process, not a single event, and most LGBTQ+ people will come out multiple times in their life to different people. However, not every trans or LGBTQ+ person chooses to come out, and this does not make their trans identity any less valid; coming out is a personal choice, and should be done when and if a person feels ready.
Cross-dresser - A cross-dresser is someone who likes to wear clothes usually associated with the ‘opposite’ gender, or of a gender different to their own. They can identify with their sex assigned at birth or as genderqueer and can dress as another gender occasionally or permanently, typically for enjoyment. A cross-dresser is not necessarily transgender.
Deadname - A name a trans person no longer uses for themself. If a trans person changes their name, they may call their former name their deadname.
Deadnaming - The act of referring to somebody by the name they no longer use. Deadnaming may not be malicious or intentional, but it often causes a trans person discomfort and may make them upset, and effort should be made to avoid deadnaming people.
Demiboy - Someone who identifies partially, but not wholly, as a man. They may or may not identify with another gender. A demiboy may be AFAB, AMAB, or intersex.
Demigirl - Someone who identifies partially, but not wholly, as a woman. They may or may not identify with another gender. A demigirl may be AFAB, AMAB, or intersex.
Differences of Sex Development (DSD) - A term that has replaced the term intersex within some medical spheres, and refers to congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex are considered ‘atypical’. Individuals will have different preferences as to whether they prefer the term intersex or DSD.
Drag - The performative act of wearing clothing and behaving in a manner typical of a different gender to that assigned at birth, usually in an exaggerated form. The most common type of drag is done by cisgender men who dress up as women, although many other forms of drag exist. A drag performer is not necessarily transgender, although trans people can be drag performers.
Drag king/queen - someone who performs drag. A drag king is someone who performs as a man, and a drag queen is someone who performs as a woman.
Dual role - A dual role occasionally wears clothing and/or makeup not traditionally associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Generally dual role people do not wish to transition and do not experience gender dysphoria. Historically the terms transvestite and cross-dresser were used to describe dual role people and some people may still use these terms for themselves, although other dual role people may see them as derogatory.
Dyadic - A term sometimes used to refer to someone who is not intersex. A dyadic person has a sexual anatomy which fits into the binary categories of ‘male’ and ‘female’. Some intersex people reject the term because ‘dyad’, meaning ‘pair’, upholds the idea that sex is binary.
FTM - Female to Male, aka a trans man.
Gender binary - The socially perpetuated idea that gender is two distinct, opposite, and disconnected categories, ‘male’ and ‘female’. The gender binary ignores the nuances of gender and the numerous non-binary genders on the gender spectrum.
Gender dysphoria - A feeling of considerable distress and discomfort at the discrepancy between the way a trans person feels and the sex they were assigned at birth. This can be emotional, social, and physical. A trans person may experience gender dysphoria if they are misgendered or not perceived as the gender they identify with, or if they are unhappy with how their body or appearance looks and feels, for example.
Gender euphoria - A feeling of elation felt by a trans person relating to their gender and gender expression. This may happen when they are perceived as the gender they identify with (when they ‘pass’), when someone uses the correct name or pronouns for them, or when they are happy with their gendered (or non-gendered) appearance.
Gender expression refers to the ways in which people manifest their gender, for example through how they dress, speak and act. It refers to the ways in which people externally communicate their gender identity to others. Often, but not always, trans people seek to make their gender expression match their gender identity, although someone’s gender expression does not always correspond to their gender identity.
Gender fluid - Someone whose gender shifts between various genders. Their gender may change regularly, on a day-to-day basis, or over a greater period of time, such as every few weeks or months.
Gender identity - A person’s internal sense of their own gender. For trans people their own sense of who they are does not match the sex assigned to them at birth. Dominant western society generally defines gender as a binary system - men and women - but many individuals and cultures define gender as more fluid and existing along a continuum.
Gender Identity Disorder (GID) - A classified mental disorder diagnosis applied by psychiatrists and psychologists to classify severe discomfort and rejection that people may feel towards their sex embodiment and their internally felt gender identity. Most trans people reject the dated and clinical idea that being trans is a disorder; however, the term is still used by medical professionals.
Gender incongruence - Term used to describe people whose gender identity does not align, to a greater or lesser extent, with the sex assigned at birth.
Gender marker - a gendered designator on official documents. The most obvious gender markers are designations such as male/female or Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss. They are often embedded in ID cards, driver’s licences, birth certificates, diplomas, civil status documents and tax forms. Less obvious gender markers can be coded numbers such as social security numbers and tax numbers. Recently, the gender-neutral title Mx has been becoming more widespread, and X is sometimes used to denote a gender that is neither male nor female.
Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) - A person who doesn’t adhere to societal pressures to conform to binary gender norms and roles. It is sometimes used as an umbrella term to include non-binary genders.
Gender normative - Expressing one’s gender through cultural codes and signifiers that fits within the binaries of man and woman, boy and girl. For example, for a girl to wear nail varnish is gender normative or a boy who likes to play football is gender normative.
Genderqueer - Term used for people with gender identities other than male or female, and so outside the gender binary. Genderqueer people may think of themselves as one or more of the following: both men and women; neither men nor women; moving between genders; third gender or other-gendered; having an overlap of, or blurred lines between gender identity and sexual or romantic orientation. Genderqueer is both an umbrella term that includes all people whose gender varies from the traditional ‘norm’, and a specific identity.
Gender reassignment - Legal term used in the Equality Act 2010 to describe someone who ‘proposes to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning the person’s sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex’. It refers to the process through which people re-define the gender in which they live in order to better express their gender identity. It is often referred to as a process that may involve medical assistance including hormone therapies and surgical procedures that some trans people undergo to align their body with their gender. This process, however, also includes some or all of the following social and legal adjustments: coming out to family, friends and colleagues; dressing and acting according to one’s gender; changing one’s name and/or sex on legal documents; and meeting other legal or judicial procedures depending on national law. Gender reassignment is the protected characteristic that protects trans people from discrimination, victimisation and harassment in employment, education and when using services. The act requires no medical supervision or interventions for a trans person to be afforded protection.
Gender Reassignment Surgery - Surgical procedures by which a person’s physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble the sex best matching the gender they identify with.
Gender variant - Someone who does not fit into neat categories of male or female. Gender variant can also be known as genderqueer.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - A course of hormones which are taken to replace the hormones which are naturally produced by the body. This is a form of medically transitioning, which not all trans people choose to do. It is quite common for transmasculine people to take Testosterone, and for transfeminine people to take oestrogen.
Intergender - a gender outside the male/female binary specifically for intersex people whose gender, like their sex, does not correspond to a binary gender.
Interphobia - refers to negative cultural and personal beliefs, opinions, attitudes and behaviours based on prejudice, disgust, fear and/or hatred of intersex people or against variations of physical sex. Institutional interphobia manifests itself through the binary gender model and the pathologisation and medicalisation of intersex bodies. Social interphobia manifests itself in the forms of marginalisation, social exclusion and exoticisation of intersex people.
Intersex - A term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the typical definitions of female or male. Intersex people are born with physical, hormonal or genetic features that are neither wholly female nor wholly male, or are a combination of female and male.
Legal sex - This is legal sex as recorded on a person’s birth certificate. People who obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 may apply for a revised birth certificate in their acquired gender which then becomes their legal sex.
Misgendering - The act of incorrectly gendering someone, resulting from a misperception of their gender. This is normally done by referring to someone with the wrong pronouns, or as the wrong gender, such as by referring to a trans man as ‘she’, or calling a non-binary person a ‘boy’. Misgendering is not always malicious or intentional, but it usually causes a trans person discomfort and may make them upset, and effort should be made to avoid misgendering people.
MTF - Male to Female, aka a trans woman.
Neopronouns - Non-traditional pronouns that are gradually being adopted by some trans people, such as zie/hir, zie/zir, ze/zem, ey/em, and xe/xem.
Neutrois - A non-binary gender associated with a neutral gender.
Non-binary - A descriptive term used for people who identify outside of, or non-exclusively with, the categories ‘male’ or ‘female’. Non-binary is both an umbrella term for all genders that are not wholly male or wholly female, and a specific gender identity.
Non-normative gender - Expressing one’s gender through cultural codes and signifiers that does not fit within the binaries of man and woman, boy and girl. For example, for a boy to wear nail varnish is non-normative gendered behaviour or a girl who likes to play football is non-normative gendered behaviour.
Oestrogen - A ‘female’ hormone taken by some trans women and transfeminine people to medically feminise their body to make them more comfortable in their gender expression. Taking Oestrogen may result in biological changes such as the growth of breast tissue, fat and muscle redistribution, and feminine hair patterns.
Outing - The act of revealing someone’s LGBTQ+ identity. ‘Outing’ is typically done without the individual’s consent, intentionally or unintentionally, and is a harmful practice which can have negative impacts on the individual’s wellbeing.
Packing - Wearing a bought or homemade device known as a ‘packer’ to create the external appearance of male genitalia. This is typically done by transmasculine people.
Passing - Being perceived as the gender you identify with. Not every trans person aspires to ‘pass’, although it can be very important to lots of trans people, both for their safety and their sense of happiness in their gender and gender expression.
Polygender - Someone who rejects defining their gender as simply male or female, and sees their gender as composed of multiple identities.
Pronouns - Words used to refer to people in the first, second and third person. In the third person, these words tend to be gendered, at least in the English language. Common pronouns include she/her, he/him, and they/them. Pronouns can be very important to trans people, and getting someone’s pronouns right helps a trans person feel affirmed in their gender.
Questioning - Refers to people who are in the process of understanding and exploring their sexual and romantic orientation or gender identity. They often seek information and support during this stage of their identity development.
Sex– The two main categories (male and female) assigned to a person on the basis of primary sex characteristics (genitalia) at birth. In the UK this sex is included on the birth certificate and is their legal sex within the country’s legal framework.
Sexual orientation or sexuality – A person’s sexual attraction to another person or persons, sometimes used as a blanket term to include romantic and emotional attraction. Your sexual orientation is different to your sex and your gender. Your gender is about who you feel you are inside, your sex refers to your biological features, and your sexual orientation is about you are attracted to. Just like anyone else, trans people can be lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, demisexual, straight, queer, and more. For some trans people, especially non-binary people, finding a label for your sexual orientation is not a straight-forward process.
Stealth - When a trans person ‘passes’ as the gender they identify with without being perceived as trans or revealing their trans status, this is known as ‘going stealth’.
Testosterone / T - A ‘male’ hormone taken by some trans men and trans masculine people to masculinise their body, to make them feel more comfortable in their gender expression. Taking Testosterone typically results in biological changes such as masculine patterns of hair growth, deepening of the voice, muscle and fat redistribution, and cessation of periods.
Third gender - A gender that is neither man or woman, and is considered a separate category. Third genders have been historically integrated into some cultures, such as Native American, Hawaiian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Polynesian and Balkan cultures.
Top surgery - A type of Gender Reassignment Surgery some AFAB people undergo to remove their breast tissue to attain a flat, ‘masculine’ chest.
Transfeminine - A broad term used to refer to AMAB people whose gender falls on the feminine spectrum. This includes trans women, but also many other genders.
Transgender or trans — [adjective] Used as an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transitioning - A term used to describe the process and steps an individual takes in order to live in the gender with which they identify, where this is different from the one assigned at birth. Transitioning is a unique process for each individual and may include any number of changes to their life. Some people have a firm idea at the start of their desired outcome, but for other people the destination is not clear. Transitioning may include dressing differently, changing your name and pronouns, changing official documents, telling friends and family, or a number of other steps. Transitioning may include a medical intervention such as hormone treatment or surgery, though not everyone will choose this route. Transitioning is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a period of time.
Trans man - Term for a person who was assigned female at birth, but who identifies as male or towards the masculine end of the gender spectrum. They usually use male pronouns and are likely to transition fully to live as men. They may describe themselves as AFAB, or FTM, but it is better to refer to them as trans men.
Transmasculine - A broad term used to refer to AFAB people whose gender falls on the masculine spectrum. This includes trans men, but also many other genders.
Transmisogyny - Prejudice, discrimination and violence directed at trans women and transfeminine people due both to their trans status and their womanhood or femininity.
Transphobia - Discrimination, harassment and bullying or hate crime experienced by trans people on the grounds of their gender identity and/or expression.
Transsexual - Term formerly used to describe a person whose gender does not match their sex assigned at birth. Increasingly trans people prefer ‘trans’ or ‘transgender' instead, although some, especially older generations, may still use this term. Many do not like this term because it sounds overly clinical and dated, emphasising sex rather than gender. Some still use the term to refer to trans people who have undergone a medical transition.
Transvestite - Someone who dresses and acts as a different gender to their own, also known as a cross-dresser or dual role. This term is now considered dated, and sometimes offensive.
Trans woman - Term for a person who was assigned male at birth, but who identifies as female or towards the feminine end of the gender spectrum. They usually use female pronouns and are likely to transition to live fully as women. They may describe themselves as AMAB or MTF, but it is better to refer to them as trans women.
Tucking - Typically done by some AMAB trans people, tucking is concealing ‘male’ genitalia to create the external appearance of ‘female’ genitalia.
Two-Spirit - Term that references historical multiple-gender traditions in some indigenous North American cultures. Two-Spirited people fulfil a traditional third-gender role within their culture. Many Native/First Nations people who might be considered, in Western terms, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming, identify as Two-Spirit. In many nations, being Two-Spirit carries both great respect and additional commitments and responsibilities to one’s community.
Agender - An identity defined by the absence of gender. Someone who feels that they do not have a gender, or that they are so neutral with regards to gender that they are genderless, may call themselves agender.
AFAB - Assigned Female at Birth, or a natal female. A term used by some transmasculine people to identify their sex assigned at birth and to distinguish it from their gender.
AMAB - Assigned Male at Birth, or a natal male. A term used by some transfeminine people to identify their sex assigned at birth and to distinguish it from their gender.
Androgyne - [noun] A non-binary gender associated with androgyny. Someone who is androgynous doesn’t clearly fit into the typical masculine and feminine gender roles of society. An androgyne may present in an androgynous manner.
Bigender - Gender identity that includes two genders, which may be feminine, masculine, agender, androgyne, or any other gender. Some bigender people express two distinct personas and genders, while others identify as two genders simultaneously.
Binder - A vest-like piece of clothing used to flatten the chest, typically worn by AFAB trans people to alleviate gender dysphoria and create the appearance of a flatter, ’male’ torso.
Binding - Typically done by some AFAB trans people, binding is flattening your chest to create the external appearance of a flat or ‘male’ torso. It is usually done by wearing a binder.
Bottom surgery - A type of Gender Reassignment Surgery performed on one’s genitalia to alter it to resemble the sex that their gender best corresponds with. Not all trans people desire or undergo such a procedure.
CAFAB - Coercively Assigned Female at Birth. A term used to refer to intersex people whose sexual anatomy has been surgically altered to resemble ‘female’ genitalia. This is typically done while the individual is too young to offer consent.
CAMAB - Coercively Assigned Male at Birth. A term used to refer to intersex people whose sexual anatomy has been surgically altered to resemble ‘male’ genitalia. This is typically done while the individual is too young to offer consent.
Cisgender - Term used to describe a person whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth; in other words, someone who is not transgender. Often shortened to ‘cis’.
Cisnormativity - Refers to the practices and institutions that legitimise and privilege those whose gender corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. It is the assumption that being cisgender is the norm, and that it is superior to being transgender. Cisnormativity systematically disadvantages and marginalises all persons whose gender identity and expression do not meet social expectations.
Coming out - The process of disclosing your trans or LGBTQ+ status to other people. Coming out is a process, not a single event, and most LGBTQ+ people will come out multiple times in their life to different people. However, not every trans or LGBTQ+ person chooses to come out, and this does not make their trans identity any less valid; coming out is a personal choice, and should be done when and if a person feels ready.
Cross-dresser - A cross-dresser is someone who likes to wear clothes usually associated with the ‘opposite’ gender, or of a gender different to their own. They can identify with their sex assigned at birth or as genderqueer and can dress as another gender occasionally or permanently, typically for enjoyment. A cross-dresser is not necessarily transgender.
Deadname - A name a trans person no longer uses for themself. If a trans person changes their name, they may call their former name their deadname.
Deadnaming - The act of referring to somebody by the name they no longer use. Deadnaming may not be malicious or intentional, but it often causes a trans person discomfort and may make them upset, and effort should be made to avoid deadnaming people.
Demiboy - Someone who identifies partially, but not wholly, as a man. They may or may not identify with another gender. A demiboy may be AFAB, AMAB, or intersex.
Demigirl - Someone who identifies partially, but not wholly, as a woman. They may or may not identify with another gender. A demigirl may be AFAB, AMAB, or intersex.
Differences of Sex Development (DSD) - A term that has replaced the term intersex within some medical spheres, and refers to congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex are considered ‘atypical’. Individuals will have different preferences as to whether they prefer the term intersex or DSD.
Drag - The performative act of wearing clothing and behaving in a manner typical of a different gender to that assigned at birth, usually in an exaggerated form. The most common type of drag is done by cisgender men who dress up as women, although many other forms of drag exist. A drag performer is not necessarily transgender, although trans people can be drag performers.
Drag king/queen - someone who performs drag. A drag king is someone who performs as a man, and a drag queen is someone who performs as a woman.
Dual role - A dual role occasionally wears clothing and/or makeup not traditionally associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Generally dual role people do not wish to transition and do not experience gender dysphoria. Historically the terms transvestite and cross-dresser were used to describe dual role people and some people may still use these terms for themselves, although other dual role people may see them as derogatory.
Dyadic - A term sometimes used to refer to someone who is not intersex. A dyadic person has a sexual anatomy which fits into the binary categories of ‘male’ and ‘female’. Some intersex people reject the term because ‘dyad’, meaning ‘pair’, upholds the idea that sex is binary.
FTM - Female to Male, aka a trans man.
Gender binary - The socially perpetuated idea that gender is two distinct, opposite, and disconnected categories, ‘male’ and ‘female’. The gender binary ignores the nuances of gender and the numerous non-binary genders on the gender spectrum.
Gender dysphoria - A feeling of considerable distress and discomfort at the discrepancy between the way a trans person feels and the sex they were assigned at birth. This can be emotional, social, and physical. A trans person may experience gender dysphoria if they are misgendered or not perceived as the gender they identify with, or if they are unhappy with how their body or appearance looks and feels, for example.
Gender euphoria - A feeling of elation felt by a trans person relating to their gender and gender expression. This may happen when they are perceived as the gender they identify with (when they ‘pass’), when someone uses the correct name or pronouns for them, or when they are happy with their gendered (or non-gendered) appearance.
Gender expression refers to the ways in which people manifest their gender, for example through how they dress, speak and act. It refers to the ways in which people externally communicate their gender identity to others. Often, but not always, trans people seek to make their gender expression match their gender identity, although someone’s gender expression does not always correspond to their gender identity.
Gender fluid - Someone whose gender shifts between various genders. Their gender may change regularly, on a day-to-day basis, or over a greater period of time, such as every few weeks or months.
Gender identity - A person’s internal sense of their own gender. For trans people their own sense of who they are does not match the sex assigned to them at birth. Dominant western society generally defines gender as a binary system - men and women - but many individuals and cultures define gender as more fluid and existing along a continuum.
Gender Identity Disorder (GID) - A classified mental disorder diagnosis applied by psychiatrists and psychologists to classify severe discomfort and rejection that people may feel towards their sex embodiment and their internally felt gender identity. Most trans people reject the dated and clinical idea that being trans is a disorder; however, the term is still used by medical professionals.
Gender incongruence - Term used to describe people whose gender identity does not align, to a greater or lesser extent, with the sex assigned at birth.
Gender marker - a gendered designator on official documents. The most obvious gender markers are designations such as male/female or Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss. They are often embedded in ID cards, driver’s licences, birth certificates, diplomas, civil status documents and tax forms. Less obvious gender markers can be coded numbers such as social security numbers and tax numbers. Recently, the gender-neutral title Mx has been becoming more widespread, and X is sometimes used to denote a gender that is neither male nor female.
Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) - A person who doesn’t adhere to societal pressures to conform to binary gender norms and roles. It is sometimes used as an umbrella term to include non-binary genders.
Gender normative - Expressing one’s gender through cultural codes and signifiers that fits within the binaries of man and woman, boy and girl. For example, for a girl to wear nail varnish is gender normative or a boy who likes to play football is gender normative.
Genderqueer - Term used for people with gender identities other than male or female, and so outside the gender binary. Genderqueer people may think of themselves as one or more of the following: both men and women; neither men nor women; moving between genders; third gender or other-gendered; having an overlap of, or blurred lines between gender identity and sexual or romantic orientation. Genderqueer is both an umbrella term that includes all people whose gender varies from the traditional ‘norm’, and a specific identity.
Gender reassignment - Legal term used in the Equality Act 2010 to describe someone who ‘proposes to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning the person’s sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex’. It refers to the process through which people re-define the gender in which they live in order to better express their gender identity. It is often referred to as a process that may involve medical assistance including hormone therapies and surgical procedures that some trans people undergo to align their body with their gender. This process, however, also includes some or all of the following social and legal adjustments: coming out to family, friends and colleagues; dressing and acting according to one’s gender; changing one’s name and/or sex on legal documents; and meeting other legal or judicial procedures depending on national law. Gender reassignment is the protected characteristic that protects trans people from discrimination, victimisation and harassment in employment, education and when using services. The act requires no medical supervision or interventions for a trans person to be afforded protection.
Gender Reassignment Surgery - Surgical procedures by which a person’s physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble the sex best matching the gender they identify with.
Gender variant - Someone who does not fit into neat categories of male or female. Gender variant can also be known as genderqueer.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - A course of hormones which are taken to replace the hormones which are naturally produced by the body. This is a form of medically transitioning, which not all trans people choose to do. It is quite common for transmasculine people to take Testosterone, and for transfeminine people to take oestrogen.
Intergender - a gender outside the male/female binary specifically for intersex people whose gender, like their sex, does not correspond to a binary gender.
Interphobia - refers to negative cultural and personal beliefs, opinions, attitudes and behaviours based on prejudice, disgust, fear and/or hatred of intersex people or against variations of physical sex. Institutional interphobia manifests itself through the binary gender model and the pathologisation and medicalisation of intersex bodies. Social interphobia manifests itself in the forms of marginalisation, social exclusion and exoticisation of intersex people.
Intersex - A term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the typical definitions of female or male. Intersex people are born with physical, hormonal or genetic features that are neither wholly female nor wholly male, or are a combination of female and male.
Legal sex - This is legal sex as recorded on a person’s birth certificate. People who obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 may apply for a revised birth certificate in their acquired gender which then becomes their legal sex.
Misgendering - The act of incorrectly gendering someone, resulting from a misperception of their gender. This is normally done by referring to someone with the wrong pronouns, or as the wrong gender, such as by referring to a trans man as ‘she’, or calling a non-binary person a ‘boy’. Misgendering is not always malicious or intentional, but it usually causes a trans person discomfort and may make them upset, and effort should be made to avoid misgendering people.
MTF - Male to Female, aka a trans woman.
Neopronouns - Non-traditional pronouns that are gradually being adopted by some trans people, such as zie/hir, zie/zir, ze/zem, ey/em, and xe/xem.
Neutrois - A non-binary gender associated with a neutral gender.
Non-binary - A descriptive term used for people who identify outside of, or non-exclusively with, the categories ‘male’ or ‘female’. Non-binary is both an umbrella term for all genders that are not wholly male or wholly female, and a specific gender identity.
Non-normative gender - Expressing one’s gender through cultural codes and signifiers that does not fit within the binaries of man and woman, boy and girl. For example, for a boy to wear nail varnish is non-normative gendered behaviour or a girl who likes to play football is non-normative gendered behaviour.
Oestrogen - A ‘female’ hormone taken by some trans women and transfeminine people to medically feminise their body to make them more comfortable in their gender expression. Taking Oestrogen may result in biological changes such as the growth of breast tissue, fat and muscle redistribution, and feminine hair patterns.
Outing - The act of revealing someone’s LGBTQ+ identity. ‘Outing’ is typically done without the individual’s consent, intentionally or unintentionally, and is a harmful practice which can have negative impacts on the individual’s wellbeing.
Packing - Wearing a bought or homemade device known as a ‘packer’ to create the external appearance of male genitalia. This is typically done by transmasculine people.
Passing - Being perceived as the gender you identify with. Not every trans person aspires to ‘pass’, although it can be very important to lots of trans people, both for their safety and their sense of happiness in their gender and gender expression.
Polygender - Someone who rejects defining their gender as simply male or female, and sees their gender as composed of multiple identities.
Pronouns - Words used to refer to people in the first, second and third person. In the third person, these words tend to be gendered, at least in the English language. Common pronouns include she/her, he/him, and they/them. Pronouns can be very important to trans people, and getting someone’s pronouns right helps a trans person feel affirmed in their gender.
Questioning - Refers to people who are in the process of understanding and exploring their sexual and romantic orientation or gender identity. They often seek information and support during this stage of their identity development.
Sex– The two main categories (male and female) assigned to a person on the basis of primary sex characteristics (genitalia) at birth. In the UK this sex is included on the birth certificate and is their legal sex within the country’s legal framework.
Sexual orientation or sexuality – A person’s sexual attraction to another person or persons, sometimes used as a blanket term to include romantic and emotional attraction. Your sexual orientation is different to your sex and your gender. Your gender is about who you feel you are inside, your sex refers to your biological features, and your sexual orientation is about you are attracted to. Just like anyone else, trans people can be lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, demisexual, straight, queer, and more. For some trans people, especially non-binary people, finding a label for your sexual orientation is not a straight-forward process.
Stealth - When a trans person ‘passes’ as the gender they identify with without being perceived as trans or revealing their trans status, this is known as ‘going stealth’.
Testosterone / T - A ‘male’ hormone taken by some trans men and trans masculine people to masculinise their body, to make them feel more comfortable in their gender expression. Taking Testosterone typically results in biological changes such as masculine patterns of hair growth, deepening of the voice, muscle and fat redistribution, and cessation of periods.
Third gender - A gender that is neither man or woman, and is considered a separate category. Third genders have been historically integrated into some cultures, such as Native American, Hawaiian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Polynesian and Balkan cultures.
Top surgery - A type of Gender Reassignment Surgery some AFAB people undergo to remove their breast tissue to attain a flat, ‘masculine’ chest.
Transfeminine - A broad term used to refer to AMAB people whose gender falls on the feminine spectrum. This includes trans women, but also many other genders.
Transgender or trans — [adjective] Used as an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transitioning - A term used to describe the process and steps an individual takes in order to live in the gender with which they identify, where this is different from the one assigned at birth. Transitioning is a unique process for each individual and may include any number of changes to their life. Some people have a firm idea at the start of their desired outcome, but for other people the destination is not clear. Transitioning may include dressing differently, changing your name and pronouns, changing official documents, telling friends and family, or a number of other steps. Transitioning may include a medical intervention such as hormone treatment or surgery, though not everyone will choose this route. Transitioning is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a period of time.
Trans man - Term for a person who was assigned female at birth, but who identifies as male or towards the masculine end of the gender spectrum. They usually use male pronouns and are likely to transition fully to live as men. They may describe themselves as AFAB, or FTM, but it is better to refer to them as trans men.
Transmasculine - A broad term used to refer to AFAB people whose gender falls on the masculine spectrum. This includes trans men, but also many other genders.
Transmisogyny - Prejudice, discrimination and violence directed at trans women and transfeminine people due both to their trans status and their womanhood or femininity.
Transphobia - Discrimination, harassment and bullying or hate crime experienced by trans people on the grounds of their gender identity and/or expression.
Transsexual - Term formerly used to describe a person whose gender does not match their sex assigned at birth. Increasingly trans people prefer ‘trans’ or ‘transgender' instead, although some, especially older generations, may still use this term. Many do not like this term because it sounds overly clinical and dated, emphasising sex rather than gender. Some still use the term to refer to trans people who have undergone a medical transition.
Transvestite - Someone who dresses and acts as a different gender to their own, also known as a cross-dresser or dual role. This term is now considered dated, and sometimes offensive.
Trans woman - Term for a person who was assigned male at birth, but who identifies as female or towards the feminine end of the gender spectrum. They usually use female pronouns and are likely to transition to live fully as women. They may describe themselves as AMAB or MTF, but it is better to refer to them as trans women.
Tucking - Typically done by some AMAB trans people, tucking is concealing ‘male’ genitalia to create the external appearance of ‘female’ genitalia.
Two-Spirit - Term that references historical multiple-gender traditions in some indigenous North American cultures. Two-Spirited people fulfil a traditional third-gender role within their culture. Many Native/First Nations people who might be considered, in Western terms, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming, identify as Two-Spirit. In many nations, being Two-Spirit carries both great respect and additional commitments and responsibilities to one’s community.
