Gender Terms

Transgender

1) Transgender (sometimes shortened to trans or TG) people are those whose psychological self ("gender identity") differs from the social expectations for the physical sex they were born with. To understand this, one must understand the difference between biological sex, which is one's body (genitals, chromosomes, etc.), and social gender, which refers to levels of masculinity and femininity. Often, society conflates sex and gender, viewing them as the same thing. But, gender and sex are not the same thing. For example, a female with a masculine gender identity or who identifies as a man. 2) An umbrella term for transsexuals, cross-dressers (transvestites), transgenderists, gender queers, and people who identify as neither female nor male and/or as neither a man or as a woman. Transgender is not a sexual orientation; transgender people may have any sexual orientation. It is important to acknowledge that while some people may fit under this definition of transgender, they may not identify as such.

Cisgender

A person who by nature or by choice conforms to gender/sex based expectations of society (also referred to as "Gender-straight" or "Gender Normative")

Gender Non-conforming

A person who doesn't conform to society's expectations of gender expression based on the gender binary expectations of masculinity and femininity, or how they should identify their gender.

Agender

A person who is internally ungendered or does not have a felt sense of gender identity.

Gender Fluid

A person whose gender identification and presentation shifts, whether within or outside of societal, gender-based expectations.

Bigender

A person whose gender identity is a combination of man and woman

Pangender

A person whose gender identity is comprised of all or many gender expressions

Genderqueer

A person whose gender identity is neither man nor woman, is between or beyond genders, or is some combination of genders. This identity is usually related to or in reaction to the social construction of gender, gender stereotypes and the gender binary system. Some genderqueer people identify under the transgender umbrella while others do not.