Number 92

Glossary (part I)

So I'm reading this book, Transgender Health (2018), by Ben Vincent, Ph.D. As you might imagine, I find a great deal of the information presented to be pertinent and valuable. Big surprise, right? One of the first things he did was to define the terms he uses throughout the book. As immersed as I've been with my own transition, I didn't exactly learn anything new (regarding these terms), but I thought he did an excellent job of explaining a variety of different concepts and/or groups of people, so I thought I'd share an excerpt or two (or three), from the book for all my allies out there. I'm the one choosing the excerpts, but the words belong to Dr. Vincent.

One caveat before proceeding: In general, words and terms to describe the trans and queer communities are highly individualistic and can quickly change. While these descriptions might be useful, be careful of assuming they are the 'gospel' truth for everyone.

Affirmed Gender: Describes gender status achieved after transition... This means [a person's] general appearance, name and pronouns are brought into line with their gender identity... the term 'chosen gender' should be avoided... Note that not every trans person undergoes medical transition, and so the fact that one can conceive of interventions/changes as 'affirming' [this] should not imply that trans people who do not want/need such things are correspondingly 'not affirmed.'

Assignment at Birth: A phrase used to indicate how someone's sex (and therefore gender) was identified and registered on the birth certificate, according to observation of the genitalia... This phrasing recognizes that genitals are only one signifier of sex/gender... this phrase allows us to clearly understand a patient's history without disenfranchising the validity of their gender identity... AMAB: assigned male at birth... AFAB: assigned female at birth.

Cisgender (or 'cis'): Indicates someone whose gender matches their assignment at birth... a cisgender woman is someone assigned female at birth who identifies as a woman... a cisgender man is someone assigned male at birth who identifies as a man... 'cisgender' acts as a modifier to indicate people who are not trans.

Cissexism: Refers to interactions, processes, and systems that position cisgender individuals as 'normal' and 'natural', and therefore  preferable or superior... cissexism results in privilege for individuals who are cisgender.

Cross-dressing (or Transvestism): Wearing clothing associated with the 'opposite' sex, although now almost always used to talk about a man wearing 'women's' clothing... It is now understood that [gendering clothing] is archaic... clothing does not 'belong' to any given gender, and phrases such as 'women's clothing,' whilst communicating meaning, subtly reinforces a rigid division between what is positioned as 'normal' gendered behavior [and what is not]... The vast majority of trans women are likely to be offended if they are referred to using either term.

Deadname: Most trans people change their name as a part of social transition. A trans person's 'deadname' is the term used for the name given in infancy. Due to the gendered nature of most names, hearing one's deadname can be distressing, and potentially trigger [feelings of] dysphoria. This is particularly relevant [when] calling out a name that does not match [a person's] gender presentation... Standard practice should include asking what name and pronouns [a person suspected of being trans] wishes to be addressed by.

Gender Affirming Surgeries: Some trans people require one or more surgeries to reduce or remove the experience of gender dysphoria. This phrase illustrates that rather than 'turning women into men', or vice versa, the individual's identity positions them as male, female, or non-binary regardless of their body. Altering the body by these procedures thus affirms the person's gender identity. This term should be used instead of the outdated terms 'gender/sex reassignment surgeries'. (Also, never, ever use "sex change" - Nora)

Gender Dysphoria: This term refers to the potentially immense distress that some trans people experience as a result of the incongruence between their gender identity and assignment at birth... Some experience this strongly in relation to their bodies, and may find that only access to hormones and/or gender affirming surgeries provide relief... Many trans people reject the simplistic understanding of trans people as all 'trapped in the wrong body', instead understanding that a trans woman who chooses not to have medical interventions still has a woman's body, due to it being a body that belongs to a woman. What it means 'to be' a gender is not defined by sexual physiology or anatomy, but by identity.

Gender Non-Conforming/Gender Diversity/Genderqueer: These terms are used to refer to gender expression - that is, how masculinity and/or femininity are expressed... Someone's trans status is not dependent upon their conforming to or rejecting gender roles or norms of gender presentation... It is important not to equate gender identity with gender presentation.

Intersex: This is an umbrella term referring to conditions where sex-differentiation in not uniformly achieved, resulting in variation in their gendered physiology and/or anatomy. The most visible manifestation of an intersex person is someone born with ambiguous genitalia - neither clearly male nor female (under the system that categorizes all infants as one or the other)... Intersex has come to replace the terms hermaphrodite or pseudo-hermaphrodite.

Misgendering: The use of pronouns or other descriptors (eg., Mr/Mrs, sir/ma'am) which contradict someone's gender identity... One may assume a person's gender and make mistakes unwittingly and without malicious intention. Nevertheless this may still result in heightened dysphoria and highlights the importance of gender neutral language until another person's mode of address/gender identity is known.

Non-Binary: A non-binary person has a gender identity that is neither (exclusively) male nor female... This contrasts with most people who identify within the gender binary - that is, as simply, women or men (whether cis or trans)... Non-binary can be understood as an umbrella term [that] includes a wide range of different experiences of gender and different gender identity labels.

Queer: This was originally a word that simply meant 'odd' or 'strange', and was later deployed as apejorative slur, particularly against feminine or gay men. Contemporary usage of queer is no longer as simple, as it is now seen as an offensive term by some, whilst it has been 'reclaimed' by others. Many LGBTQIA+ people now use the word as an identity category or term of endearment.

Transgender: People who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Note that whilst gender dysphoria is indisputedly recognized as justifying medical treatment, being transgender in and of itself is not a pathology.

Transition: This marks the point at which a person changes their role and expression to one that matches their identity, to live full-time according to their affirmed gender, in all aspects of their life...Transition is recognized as generally including biological, psychological, and social elements.