LGBTQIA+: Inclusive acronym that encompasses all gender and sexual identities. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or Questioning, depending on where you look), Intersex, Asexual and the + is meant to include anything on the sexuality and gender spectrum that haven’t been described in words as of yet (this acronym is ever growing/changing and I will try my best to update it as I find things changing)
Gender Identity: Individual’s personal experience of their gender. Could be masculine, feminine, or non-binary.
Transgender: Adjective to describe a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex
**”transgendered” or “transgenders” is considered to many to be
derogatory and offensive
Intersex: An individual born with any of several variations in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, or genitals. The old term was “hermaphrodite” but is no longer used as the correct term to identify and intersex person and could be considered offensive
Agender: Person who does not identify themselves as having a particular gender
Cisgender: Person who identifies with their sex/gender assigned at birth
Pangender: Non-binary gender defined as being multiple genders.
Gender Binary: Thought that there are only two genders that exist (male/female)
Non-Binary (aka Genderqueer or Gender Fluid): Refers to individuals that do not exclusively consider themselves male or female. Could be a combination of masculine and feminine traits or none. Persons gender identity is not fixed.
Gender Non-Conforming or Gender-Variant: Someone whose behavior, actions, or appearance doesn’t conform to societal norms appropriate to their gender assigned at birth
Gender Neutral: Someone who prefers not to be associated with a specific gender and uses “they” as the preferred pronoun. “They” in the singular.
Gender Variant:
FtM or AFAB: Female to Male | Assigned Female At Birth
MtF or AMAB: Male to Female | Assigned Male at Birth
UAAB: Unassigned At Birth
Social Transition: Process of a transgender person beginning to present as their preferred gender in public settings
Stealth: A person who chooses not to disclose publicly that they are gender non-conforming
Transition: Process someone goes through to change their body to reflect their true self. Can range from external appearance (clothes, hair, etc.) to medical. Medical can include hormones all the way to surgery. Transition is different for everyone and their process/path to get can be different as well.
Gender Confirming Surgery (or Sexual Reassignment Surgery): Procedures used to change someone’s appearance and body to match the gender they identify with
Ally: Someone that is supportive of the LGBTQIA population but is not a part of the community
Blockers: Puberty or hormone blockers given to gender non-conforming youth to prevent puberty
Binder: Undergarment used by transgender males to reduce size/appearance of someone’s breasts
GAFF: Undergarment used by transgender females to hide external genitalia
Resources:
National Center for Transgender Equality
