Labels - the transgender terminology
explained
[Abstract] Full Text [PDF]
SOME DEFINITIONS
Bi-gendered: One
who has a significant gender identity that encompasses both genders, male and
female. Some may feel that one side or the other is stronger, but both sides
are there.
Cisgender:
Cisgender from Latin cis and gender is a concept
in queer studies that labels persons who are not transgendered as something
other than simply "normal". That is, it provides a name for a gender identity
or performance in a gender role that society considers to match or be
appropriate for one's sex.
Cross-dresser: A
term for people who dress in clothing traditionally or stereotypically worn by
the other sex, but who generally have no intent to live full-time as the other
gender.
Drag King:
used to refer to women who dress as men for the purpose of entertaining others
at bars, clubs, or other events.
Drag Queen:
generally used to accurately refer to men who dress as women (often celebrity
women) for the purpose of entertaining others at bars, clubs, or other events.
It is also used as slang, sometimes in a derogatory manner, to refer to all
transgender women.
Fakaleiti: A fakaleiti is a Tongan man that dresses and lives as a woman. In many Tongan families, if several children have been born and they are all boys, one of them will be dressed as a girl and do girls' chores, such as housecleaning. As the fakaleiti grows up, he may decide to continue to live the rest of his (her?) life as a girl or woman.
An adult fakaleiti will usually wear western, rather than traditional Tongan,
women's clothes. If one sees a young Tongan woman in a miniskirt or revealing
dress, chances are that, rather than being a native who has been corrupted by
the ways of American or European fashion, the young woman is really a
fakaleiti.
FTM: A
person who has transitioned from "female-to-male," meaning a person
who was assigned female at birth, but now identifies and lives as a male. Also
known as a "transgender man."
Intersex: A
term used for people who are born with external genitalia, chromosomes, or
internal reproductive systems that are not traditionally associated with
either a "standard" male or female.
Gender Expression:
How a person represents or expresses one’s gender identity to others, often
through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics.
Gender Identity: An
individual’s internal sense of being male, female, or something else. Since
gender identity is internal, one’s gender identity is not necessarily
visible to others.
Gender Non-conforming:
A term for individuals whose gender expression is different from the societal
expectations based on their assigned sex at birth.
Genderqueer: A
term used by some individuals who identify as neither entirely male nor
entirely female. Genderqueer is an identity more common among young people.
MTF: A
person who has transitioned from "male-to-female," meaning a person who was
assigned male at birth, but now identifies and lives as a female. Also known
as a "transgender woman."
Passing: A
term used by transgender people to mean that they are seen as the gender they
self-identify as. For example, a transgender man (born female) who most people
see as a man.
She Male:
The word "she-male" is most famously and infamously used in Raymond, J. G. The
Transsexual Empire: The Making of the She-male (1979 and 1994; reprinted by
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York; Editions du Seuil, Paris).
This term is most often used by sex trade.
Sex Reassignment Surgery:
Surgical procedures that change one’s body to make it conform to a person’s
gender identity. This may include "top surgery" (breast augmentation or
removal) or "bottom surgery" (altering genitals). Contrary to popular belief,
there is not one surgery; in fact there are many different surgeries. "Sex
change surgery" is considered a derogatory term by many.
Sexual Orientation:
A term describing a person’s attraction to members of the same sex or
different sex. Usually defined as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or heterosexual.
Transgender: An
umbrella term for people whose gender identity, expression or behavior is
different from those typically associated with their assigned sex at birth,
including but not limited to transsexuals, crossdressers, androgynous people,
genderqueers, and gender non-conforming people. Transgender is a broad term
and is good for health and social care providers to use.
Transgender Man: A
term for a transgender individual who currently identifies as a man (see also
"FTM").
Transgender Woman: A
term for a transgender individual who currently identifies as a woman (see
also "MTF").
Transsexual: A
term for people whose gender identity is different from their assigned sex at
birth. Often, but not always, transsexual people alter their bodies through
hormones or surgery in order to make it match their gender identity.
Transvestite: A
term for a cross-dresser that is considered derogatory by many.
Transition: The
period during which a person begins to live as their new gender. Transitioning
may include changing one’s name, taking hormones, having surgery, or
changing legal documents (e.g. driver’s license, Social Security number,
birth certificate) to reflect their new gender.
Two-spirit: The
definition of a two-spirit person varies across the Native American cultures
in which they appear. In general, two-spirit people are born one sex, and end
up fulfilling the roles assigned to both sexes, or other roles reserved for
two-spirit people. Some people consider two-spirit a term that can refer to
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, while others think it is best
used only for transgender people.
Transgender is an "umbrella"
term used to describe a wide range of identities and experiences, and is used
to refer to many types of people, including transsexual people; crossdressers;
androgynous people; genderqueers; and other gender non-conforming people whose
appearance or characteristics are perceived to be gender atypical. In its
broadest sense, "transgender" encompasses anyone whose identity or
behavior falls outside stereotypical gender expectations.
It is important to understand that some
people may identify as transgender but not fall into one of the subcategories
discussed here. This publication attempts to identify many of the ways in
which transgender individuals identify and express themselves, but this
listing is in no way complete. Furthermore, it is particularly important to
realize that many individuals, despite the fact that they may appear
transgender to some, do not consider themselves to be transgender.
It is important that we not label people
transgender based on our perceptions, but instead use the words they use to
describe themselves. All people have a gender identity. Gender identity refers
to a person’s internal sense of being male, female or something else. For
most people, one’s gender identity matches the sex assigned to them at birth—for
example, a person born female typically identifies as a girl, and later, as a
woman. For many transgender people, there may not be a match. All people also
have a gender expression.
Gender expression refers to all of the ways
that people express their gender (or gender identity) to the outside world,
including through dress, appearance, and behavior. For many transgender
people, their gender expression doesn’t match what society thinks it should
be. The following is an attempt to describe more specifically some of the ways
of being transgender.
"All people have a gender
identity. Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of being male,
female or something else."
TRANSSEXUALS
Some transgender people are
transsexual, identifying psychologically and emotionally as a gender different
than their assigned sex at birth.14 Transsexuals may desire to modify their
bodies through hormones and/or sexual reassignment surgery in order to bring
their physical appearance into line with their gender identity.15 The process
of identifying and living in one’s new gender is called
"transition," and it may or may not include surgery and/or hormone
treatment. Many people who would like surgery to alter their bodies cannot
afford it or are not medically able to have surgery. More information about
surgery and hormone treatment appears elsewhere:
"Transgender women"
refers to transgender people who were born male but now live as women. "Transgender
men" refers to people who were born female but now live as men. Note
that not all people who transition from one sex to the other identify as
transsexual. Transgender is a broad term that is good for providers to use.
CISGENDER
Cisgender from Latin cis and
gender is a concept in queer studies that labels persons who are not
transgendered as something other than simply "normal". That is, it provides a
name for a gender identity or performance in a gender role that society
considers to match or be appropriate for one's sex.
Cisgender was probably named by
Carl Buijs, a transsexual man from the Netherlands, in 1995. Along with the
less commonly used term cissexual, the idea of cisgender originated as a way
to shift the focus off of a marginalized group, by defining not only the
minority group but also the majority. This is based upon the hypothesis that
categorizing everyone will illustrate a difference between equal alternatives,
whereas singling out the minority group implies some deviance, immorality, or
defect on the part of the labeled group. Some transgender people hope that the
use of the word cisgender will increase mainstream acceptance and eventually
remove the taboos. Many transgender people prefer "cisgender" to "biological",
"genetic", or "real" male or female because of the implications of those
words. Using the term "biological female" or "genetic female" to describe
cisgendered individuals excludes transgendered men, who also fit that
description. To call a cisgendered woman a "real woman" is exclusive of
transwomen, who are considered within their communities to be "real" women,
also.
The word is rarely used by people outside communities concerned with
transgender issues, and thus, it is not often used to self-identify, although
its meaning does accurately describe a (probably little-considered) aspect of
their identities. On the other hand, because so few people who are described
by this term use it to self-identify, it can sometimes be thought of as an
epithet.
(wikipedia)
CROSS-DRESSERS
Cross-dressers are people who
dress in clothing stereotypically worn by the other sex, but who have no
intent to change their gender. Typically, cross-dressers cross-dress on a
part-time or limited basis.
ANDROGYNOUS PEOPLE,
GENDERQUEERS, AND OTHER IDENTITIES
Androgynous people and those who
identify as "genderqueer" typically have gender identities that are
somewhere between what is stereotypically considered to be male and female.
Other terms include "femme queens," "bois," "butch
bois" or "drags." They may be born as male or as female, but
identify as neither now—or as a bit of both. From a shelter perspective,
people with these types of identities need both their privacy and safety needs
met in respectful and sensitive ways.
GENDER NON-CONFORMING PEOPLE
"Gender
non-conforming" refers to people whose gender expressions do not match
stereotypes of how girls/women or boys/men are "supposed to" look
and act. In reality, most people in general don’t meet all gender
expectations and stereotypes either; almost nobody is perfectly masculine or
perfectly feminine. The reason gender nonconforming people are included in the
list of transgender people is that there are some people who identify as
transgender but are not transitioning gender, and do not consider themselves
cross-dressers, androgynous, or genderqueer. Gender non-conforming people have
an increased need for safety while in the shelters.
WHO ARE TRANSGENDER PEOPLE?
THE BASICS
"Gender is an individual
experience"
The definitions provided above
are designed to make readers familiar with some basic concepts and terms often
used to describe transgender people. Please understand that these descriptions
are not complete. It is important to realize how much people can differ from
one another when it comes to gender identity or expression. No two people
experience their gender, gender identity, or gender expression the same way.
Thus, staff may encounter someone who identifies as transgender in a way other
than those mentioned in this section. For example, some Native Americans use
the term "two-spirit" as the preferred term for a transgender
person. Other people identify as "bi-gendered," the meaning of which
is different for different people. Language and terms relating to gender
identity and expression are constantly changing. This can seem daunting at
first, but staff will learn in the next chapter that it is not really that
difficult to treat all people with respect and dignity.
It is also important to realize
that class, race, and religious differences may mean that the transgender
people shelters encounter could have different classifications and different
terminology for themselves. For example, some cultures do not draw a
distinction between transgender people and gay and lesbian people like the
distinction drawn in the box above. Rest assured, however, that the basics on
how to treat transgender people respectfully and how to ensure they have safe
shelter remain essentially the same. The next chapter discusses the policy of
respect that will ensure that the shelter is able to treat all transgender
people respectfully.
INTERSEX PEOPLE?
Intersex people are distinct
from transgender people. People with intersex conditions are born with sex
chromosomes, external genitalia, or an internal reproductive system that are
not considered "standard" for either male or female. Overall, there
are at least 15 different medical causes of intersexuality, and only a small
percentage of these cases result in ambiguous genitalia at birth. Other
intersex conditions are learned of at the time of puberty, while still others
appear later in life. Doctors perform surgery on one or two babies per 1,000
births in a misguided effort to "correct" ambiguous genitalia.
The Intersex Society of North
America, along with other groups, has exposed the fact that these surgeries
are harmful to many intersex people and that performing genital surgery on
infants is often not in the best interests of the child. People with intersex
conditions may be among shelter residents and have an increased need for
privacy and safety, just as transgender people do.
Some intersex people identify as
transgender if they were assigned one sex at birth but transition to the other
later in life. Although not the focus of this publication, most of the
recommendations in this publication will help intersex shelter residents be
safer in shelters as well. For more information about intersex people, go to
Bodies Like Ours, www.bodieslikeours.org,
the Intersex Initiative of Portland, www.ipdx.org,
Intersex Society of North America, www.isna.org,
or Queer Bodies, www.queerbodies.org
(specific to youth).
HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO
SEXUAL ORIENTATION?
Many people are confused about
the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity or gender
expression. Some people believe that all gay, lesbian and bisexual people are
transgender, or vice versa. In fact, however, sexual orientation and gender
identity are distinct concepts. Sexual orientation refers to a person’s
attraction to members of the same sex or different sex—whether a person is
gay, lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual. On the other hand, gender identity
refers to a person’s internal sense of being male, female or something else.
Everyone has both a sexual orientation and a gender identity. The fact that a
person is transgender says nothing about their sexual orientation. A
transgender person may identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual.
"No two people
experience their gender, gender identity, or gender expression the same
way."
Other Labels include
Intergendered
3rd gender
hijra
eunuch
two spirit
gender fluid
The following are ones that are known to be used by trans people to refer to
themselves as (we have excluded transsexual, transgendered, crossdresser etc
and their abbreviations as this is about lesser known gender identities). Also
we are aware some people will be offended by some of the terms. We have
included but this is to inform about some of the self chosen labels gender
variant people use
ambigendered
androgyne
bigendered
epicene
genderbender
genderblender
gender euphoric
genderfucker
genderqueer
gender outlaw
gender variant
multigendered
neutrois
nongendered
pangendered
person
polygendered
third gender
third sex
xanith
References
14. Transsexual people may or
may not be diagnosed with gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder,
diagnoses listed in the DSMIV
