cisgender: an adjective that identifies an individual whose gender identity matches the sex assigned to the individual at birth. The prefix cis means “on the same side.”
cross-dressing: wearing the clothes of the opposite gender. Cross-dressers used to be called transvestites. People usually cross-dress for comfort, pleasure, or public performance.
feminine: possessing or expressing characteristics and/or traits that are traditionally assigned to females
FTM (female to male): an older way of referring to a transsexual man
gender binary: classifying gender into two separate, distinct halves: male and female
gender confirmation surgery: surgical procedures that change a person’s body to help it conform to a person’s gender identity. The term for the surgery was once sexual reassignment surgery, or SRS.
gender dysphoria: the medical term (and the term used by insurance companies) for the condition in which a person’s gender identity doesn’t match the individual’s assigned sex at birth. In previous decades, the term for this condition was gender identity disorder.
gender identity: a person’s inner sense of being masculine, feminine, both, or neither
gender-neutral language: language that doesn’t use traditional words such as he, she, her, or him, which are based in the male/female binary
gender-nonconforming: a label for someone whose gender expression and presentation is different from societal expectations for that gender
gender presentation/gender expression: a range of characteristics that tells us about an individual’s gender identity. Gender expression and gender presentation can include clothes, behaviors, vocal characteristics, jobs, and activities.
genderqueer: a person who does not subscribe to traditional binary gender behaviors or appearances. That person may have a gender identity of neither male nor female or both or somewhere in between male and female.
gender spectrum: a range of gender expression that allows for flow between masculine and feminine characteristics or both or neither
hir: a gender-neutral pronoun used by some trans* individuals. The word is a combination of “his” and “her.”
hormone therapy: the prescribed administration of estrogen or testosterone to help trans* individuals align their gender identities and their bodies
intersex: a physical condition in which a person has some combination of both female and male internal and/or external sexual organs. An individual who is intersex may also have a nontraditional combination of chromosomes instead of the traditional XX (female) or XY (male) pattern.
LGBT: a common acronym to indicate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The acronym can also be written LGBTQ to include the queer community; LGBTQA to include the queer and ally communities; or LGBTQQIA to include the queer, questioning, intersex, and ally communities. The shorter acronym is sometimes written GLBT or GBLT.
masculine: possessing or expressing characteristics and/or traits that are traditionally assigned to males
MTF (male to female): an older way of referring to a transsexual woman
queer: the word usually indicates an open sexuality (outside the binary of gay/straight). It can also refer to an open or fluid gender presentation or to an open, liberal, and inclusive political stance toward LGBT issues.
sex chromosomes: the genetic markers in a human body that determine the features of human biological sex. Usually, the sex chromosomes of a female body are XX, and the sex chromosomes of a male body are XY.
sexual orientation: a term that expresses the gender configuration of a person’s romantic and/or sexual partnerships (same-gender, opposite gender, etc.). Commonly recognized sexual orientations are lesbian, gay, straight, and bisexual.
they/their: in gender-neutral language, these plural pronouns are used in a singular manner to express the flexible gender identity of the person or people to whom they refer
trans*: in the computer world, an asterisk added to a search term asks the search to find all associations with that word. Added to the prefix trans, it refers to the many different gender identities associated with the term.
transfeminine: a term for a feminine identity chosen by a person assigned male at birth
transgender: an umbrella term for people whose gender expression or identity is different from the gender identity associated with their assigned sex at birth
transition: the period of time during which a person begins living as their preferred gender. Transitioning may include hormone therapy, gender confirmation surgery, a name change, or changes to legal documents to reflect the person’s new gender.
transmasculine: a term for a masculine identity chosen by a person assigned female at birth
transsexual: a person whose gender identity is different from the individual’s assigned sex at birth. Often transsexuals wish to alter their bodies with hormones or surgeries to make them more closely align with their gender identity.
trans (trans*) man: a transsexual person who was assigned a female identity at birth but now identifies as a male. A trans* man has usually had medical intervention to align his gender and biological identities. Another label for a trans* man is FTM.
trans (trans*) woman: a transsexual person who was assigned a male identity at birth but now identifies as a female. A trans* woman has usually had medical intervention to align her gender and biological identities. Another label for a trans* woman might be MTF.
zhe: a gender-neutral personal pronoun used by some trans* individuals as a combination of “he” and “she”