People in the LGBT community, and trans community in particular, like to use a bunch of big fancy words that not everybody will necessarily understand. A lot of my posts are about trans issues specifically and I thought I should explain some of the terms that I use, and that others use when talking about trans issues to make sure everyone is better informed. (This list is continually updated. If I make any mistakes, I do sincerely apologize and you can feel free to correct me!) Here goes!
Transgender: Yes, even the word transgender needs defining because it means many different things to many different people! Transgender can refer to a huge web of different terms and even different categories of terms, but the simplest way to explain it is that it refers to someone who has a different gender than their biological sex and/or the gender that they were assigned at birth. Transgender can refer to male-to-female, female-to-male, or a myriad of other genders that don’t necessarily belong to either female or male. Also note that transgender is used as an adjective and not as a noun: you can say “Marissa is transgender” or “Marissa is a transgender woman”, but never “Marissa is a transgender”. Got it?
Cisgender: Refers to having the same gender that you were assigned to at birth. Naturally, this includes the majority of people on Earth, which is why having blogs and safe spaces just for transgender issues is so important.
Transition: Going from the gender you were assigned at birth to your preferred gender, or the gender you see yourself as. This includes, but is not limited to, buying and wearing new clothes, acting out your preferred gender roles, going on HRT or SRS, and changing your name. But there are as many ways to transition as there are transgender people in the world, and not everyone follows the same path.
Transphobia: Discrimination against transgender people. Sometimes called cissexism, referring to the belief that cisgender people are inherently better than trans people, which us lovely readers know is just not true!
Gender identity: The gender you see yourself as and experience.
Sex: The act of intercourse, but also your biological sex. What’s between your legs.
Gender binary: The (incorrect) assumption that people have just two genders: male and female. In reality, there are as many genders as there are colors in the rainbow!
Gender non-binary/Genderqueer: Someone who is neither male nor female, but identifies as another gender entirely. This can be considered a special third gender, or maybe no gender at all.
Genderfluid: Someone who fluctuates between two or more genders through out their life. A genderfluid person may present as male for some length of time, female for another, and genderqueer for another, but it varies a lot.
Bigender/Trigender/Pangender: Someone who identifies with two, three, or all genders, respectively. Bigender is also called dual gender.
Agender: Someone who does not identify with any gender. This is sometimes also called neutrois, from the word neuter.
Androgyne: Refers to a person who exhibits both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgynous people can be either trans or cisgender.
HRT: Hormone replacement therapy. Basically, the sex hormones your body normally creates are blocked and new hormones corresponding to your preferred gender are added. This means adding estrogen for male-to-female people, and testosterone for female-to-male, although many non-binary folks also choose to go on HRT. Note that not all trans folks want to go on HRT to transition.
SRS: Sexual reassignment surgery. This involves removing your sex organs and replacing them with those of your preferred gender. This surgery is, as you may image, very difficult and expensive, so not all trans people can or will go through this procedure. If you are asking a trans person about this surgery, just remember that, just like cis people, not every trans person is comfortable talking about their private parts in public!
TERF: Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists. Crazy ass people who believe that trans women aren’t real women.
Transvestite/crossdresser: Someone who dresses as a gender different from the one they identify as. Transvestites are often confused with transgender people: the difference is that transvestites simply dress differently whereas transgender folks are a completely different gender. Trans people can also cross-dress, however. When cross-dressing is used in a performance, it’s called drag.
Gender roles: The norms, set by mainstream society, of how people of different genders are supposed to act. Gender roles are different around the world and across history (for example: in 17th century Europe, high heels were considered men’s fashion). It’s important to note that gender roles are socially constructed, but gender identity is not.
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