Gender 101

NOTE: These terms are not rigid; individuals may not use them in the same way, or at all.

Cisgender: A neutral term for nontransgender people. “Cis-” is a Latin prefix meaning “on the same side as,” making it an antonym of “trans-.”

Gender expression: External manifestations of gender, expressed through one’s name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice or body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine or feminine, though how they’re viewed changes over time and varies by culture. Typically, transgender people try to align their gender expression with their gender identity, rather than their assigned sex.

Gender identity: The internal, deeply held sense of one’s own gender. Transgender people’s gender identity doesn’t match their assigned sex. Gender identity is usually male or female, but sometimes it doesn’t fit neatly into either of those choices. Unlike gender expression, gender identity isn’t visible to others.

Gender nonconforming: People whose gender expression doesn’t fit conventional expectations of masculinity and femininity. Being transgender doesn’t necessarily make someone gender nonconforming. Many people have gender expressions that are not entirely conventional, and many transgender men and women have conventionally masculine or feminine gender expressions.

Genderqueer: People who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the categories of man and woman. They may define their gender as falling somewhere in between man and woman, or in wholly different terms. Not a synonym for transgender or transsexual.

Sex: The classification of people as male or female. Infants are assigned a sex at birth, usually based on the appearance of their external anatomy. (This is what is written on the birth certificate.) However, a person’s sex is actually a combination of bodily characteristics, including chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics.

Sexual orientation: An individual’s enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction to another person. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay or bisexual. For example, a person who transitions from male to female and is attracted solely to men would identify as a straight woman.

Trans: Shorthand for transgender or transsexual, sometimes used to indicate the wide variety of identities under the transgender umbrella.

Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what’s typically associated with their assigned sex. People fitting this description may define themselves using a wide variety of terms. Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to change their body; some undergo surgery. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and transgender identity isn’t dependent on medical procedures.

Transgender man: People designated female at birth who identify and live as a man; sometimes shortened to trans man.

Transgender woman: People designated male at birth who identify and live as a woman; sometimes shortened to trans woman.

Transition: Altering one’s birth sex, a complex process that may include telling one’s family, friends and co-workers; using a different name and/or pronouns; dressing differently; changing one’s name and/or sex on legal documents; hormone therapy; and possibly one or more types of surgery. The exact steps vary from person to person, and the process usually takes a long time.

— adapted from the GLAAD Media Reference Guide