Affirming: The unequivocal support for an individual person’s gender identity or expression, regardless of the biological sex they were assigned at birth; the systematic support to ensure that transgender people and communities are fully represented, included, valued and honored.

Affirming Pronouns: Refers to the most respectful and accurate pronouns for a person, as defined by that person. This is also sometimes referred to as “preferred gender pronouns,” although this phrasing is increasingly outdated. To ascertain someone’s affirming pronouns, ask: “What are your pronouns?” Agender: A person who does not identify as having a gender identity that can be categorized as male or female, and sometimes indicates identifying as not having a gender identity.

AG/ Aggressive: A term used to describe a female-bodied and identified person who prefers presenting as masculine. This term is most commonly used in urban communities of color. Biological Sex: A person’s combination of genitals, chromosomes, and hormones, usually categorized as “male” or “female” based on visual inspection of genitals via ultrasound or at birth. Many assume that a person’s gender identity will be congruent with their sex assignment. Everyone has biological sex. Bigender: A person who experiences gender identity as two genders at the same time, or whose gender identity may vary between two genders. These may be
masculine and feminine, or could also include nonbinary identities. Butch: A term used to describe a masculine person or gender expression. Cisgender: (pronounced /sis-gender/): An adjective to describe a person whose gender identity is congruent with (or “matches”) the biological sex they were assigned at birth. (Some people abbreviate this as “cis”). Coming Out: The process through which a transgender person acknowledges and explains their gender identity to themselves and others. (Anti-Transgender) Discrimination: Any of a broad range of actions taken to deny transgender people access to situations/places or to inflict harm upon transgender people. Examples of discrimination include: not hiring a transgender person, threatening a gender non-conforming person’s physical safety, denying a transgender person access to services, or reporting someone for using the “wrong” bathroom. Gender Binary: The idea that gender is strictly an either/or an option of male/men/masculine or female/woman/feminine based on sex assigned at birth, rather than a continuum or spectrum of gender identities and expressions. The gender binary is often considered to be limiting and problematic for all people, and especially for those who do not fit neatly into either/or categories.

emme: A term used to describe a feminine person or gender expression. emme ueen: A term used to describe someone who is male bodied but identifies as and expresses feminine gender. Used primarily in urban communities, particularly in communities of color and ballroom communities. Gender Conforming: A person whose gender expression is perceived as being consistent with cultural norms expected for that gender. According to these norms, boys/men are or should be masculine, and girls/women are or should be feminine. Not all cisgender people are gender conforming and not all transgender people are gender non-conforming. (For example, a transgender woman may have a very feminine gender expression). Gender Dysphoria (GD): The formal diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM 5), used by psychologists and physicians to indicate that a person meets the diagnostic criteria to engage in medical transition. In other words, the medical diagnosis for being transgender. Formerly known as Gender Identity Disorder (GID). The inclusion of Gender Dysphoria as a diagnosis in the DSM 5 is controversial in transgender communities because it implies that being transgender is a mental illness rather than a valid identity. On the other hand, since a formal diagnosis is generally required in order to receive or provide treatment in the US, it does provide access to medical care for some people who wouldn’t ordinarily be eligible to receive it.

Gender xpression: A person’s outward gender presentation, usually comprised of personal style, clothing, hairstyle, maeup, ewelry, vocal inflection and body language. Gender expression is typically categorized as masculine or feminine, less commonly as androgynous. All people express a gender. Gender expression can be congruent with a person’s gender identity, but it can also be incongruent if a person does not feel safe or supported, or does not have the resources needed to engage in gender expression that authentically reflects their gender identity

Genderuid: A person whose gender identity or expression shifts between masculine and feminine, or falls somewhere along this spectrum. Gender dentity: A person’s deep-seated, internal sense of who they are as a gendered beingspecifically, the gender with which they identify themselves. All people have a gender identity. Gender arer: The marker (male or female) that appears on a person’s identity documents e.g., birth certificate, driver’s license, passport, travel or work visas, green cards, etc.). The gender marker on a transgender person’s identity documents will be their sex assigned at birth until they undergo a legal and logistical process to change it, where possible. Gender eutral: A term that describes something (sometimes a space, such as a bathroom; or an item, such as a piece of clothing) that is not segregated by sex/gender.

Gender eutral anguage: Language that does not assume or confer gender. For example “person” instead of “ man” or “ woman.” Gender on-Conforming: A person whose gender expression is perceived as being inconsistent with cultural norms expected for that gender. pecifically, boysmen are not masculine enough or are feminine, while girls/women are not feminine enough or are masculine. Not all transgender people are gender non-conforming, and not all gender non-conforming people identify as transgender. Cisgender people may also be gender non-conforming. Gender non-conformity is often inaccurately confused with sexual orientation. Genderueer: A person whose gender identity is neither male nor female, is between or beyond genders, or is some combination of genders.

intersex: An umbrella term that describes a person born with sex characteristics (e.g. genetic, genital, sexual/ reproductive or hormonal configurations) that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies. The term describes a wide range of natural variations in human bodies. Intersex is frequently confused with transgender, but the two are completely distinct and generally unconnected. A more familiar term, hermaphrodite, is considered outdated and offensive.
GBT: An acronym commonly used to refer to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning individuals and communities. LGBTQ is often erroneously used as a synonym for “nonheterosexual,” which incorrectly implies that transgender is a sexual orientation. medical Transition: A long-term series of medical interventions that utilize hormonal treatments and/or surgical interventions to change a person’s body to be more congruent with their gender identity. Medical transition is the approved medical treatment for Gender Dysphoria. microaggressions: Small, individual acts of hostility or derision toward transgender or gender non-conforming people, which can sometimes be unintentional. Examples of microaggressions include the use of nonaffirming name or pronouns, derogatory language, asking inappropriate or offensive questions, and exhibiting looks that reveal distaste or confusion. on-Binary: A continuum or spectrum of gender identities and expressions, often based on the rejection of the gender binary’s assumption that gender is strictly an either/or option of male/men/masculine or female/ woman/feminine based on sex assigned at birth. Words that people may use to express their nonbinary gender identity include “agender,” “bigender,” genderueer, genderfluid, and pangender. Pangender: a person who identifies as all genders.

(Anti-Transgender) Preudice: An individual’s negative attitudes, beliefs, or reactions to transgender people. Examples of anti-transgender prejudice include: believing that transgender people are mentally disturbed, being uncomfortable sharing space with a transgender person, or thinking that transgender people should not be allowed to use public bathrooms.

Puertal Suppression: A low-risk medical process that “pauses” the hormonal changes that activate puberty in young adolescents. The result is a purposeful delay of the development of secondary sex characteristics (e.g. breast growth, testicular enlargement, facial hair, body fat redistribution, voice changes, etc.). Suppression allows more time to make decisions about hormonal interventions and can prevent the increased dysphoria that often accompanies puberty for transgender youth. uestioning: A person who is exploring or questioning their gender identity or expression. Some may later identify as transgender or gender non-conforming, while others may not. Can also refer to someone who is questioning or exploring their sexual orientation. Same-Gender moving A label sometimes used by members of the African-American/Black community to express an alternative sexual orientation without relying on terms and symbols of European descent. The term emerged in the early 1990s with the intention of offering Black women who love women and Black men who love men a voice, a way of identifying and being that resonated with the uniqueness of Black culture. (Sometimes abbreviated “SGL.”) Sex Assigned at Birth: The determination of a person’s sex based on the visual appearance of the genitals at birth. The sex someone is labeled at birth

Sexual Orientation: A person’s feelings of attraction (emotional, psychological, physical, and/or sexual) towards other people. A person may be attracted to people of the same sex, to those of the opposite sex, to those of both sexes, or without reference to sex or gender. And some people do not experience primary sexual attraction, and may identify as asexual. Sexual orientation is about attraction to other people (external), while gender identity is a deep-seated sense of self (internal). All people have a sexual orientation that is separate from their biological sex, gender identity and gender expression. Social Transition: A transgender person’s process of a creating a life that is congruent with their gender identity, which often includes asking others to use a name, pronoun, or gender that is more congruent with their gender identity. It may also involve a person changing their gender expression to match their gender identity. Trans: This is sometimes used as an abbreviation for “transgender.” Transgender: An adjective used to describe a person whose gender identity is incongruent with (or does not “match”) the biological sex they were assigned at birth. “Transgender” serves an umbrella term to refer to the full range and diversity of identities within transgender communities because it is currently the most widely used and recognized term.

(Transgender) Ally: cisgender person who supports, affirms, is in solidarity with, or advocates for transgender people. Transgender men and oys: People who identify as male, but were assigned female at birth. Also sometimes referred to as transmen. Transgender omen and girls: People who identify as female, but were assigned male at birth. Also sometimes referred to as trans women. Transexual/Transsexual: This is an older term that has been used to refer to a transgender person who has had hormonal or surgical interventions to change their bodies to be more aligned with their gender identity than the sex that they were assigned at birth. While still used as an identity label by some, “transgender” has generally become the preferred term. To Spirit: A term used by Native and Indigenous Peoples to indicate that they embody both a masculine and a feminine spirit. Is sometimes also used to describe Native Peoples of diverse sexual orientations, and has nuanced meanings in various indigenous sub-cultures.