What Does It Mean to Be Transgender?
Many Americans don’t talk about gender identity and expression because they feel it’s taboo or are afraid of saying the wrong thing. This glossary was written to provide people with the words and meanings to help make conversations easier.
cross-dressers: Transgender people who wear clothing and/or makeup and accessories that are considered by society to correspond to a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth.
female-to-male transsexual (FTM) or trans man: Someone who was born female and transitions to a male gender identity.
gender expression: How a person behaves, appears or presents oneself with regard to societal expectations of gender.
gender identity: The gender that a person claims for oneself, which may or may not align with the gender assigned at birth.
gender variant, gender diverse, or genderqueer: Terms people use to describe their own nonstandard gender identity or expression.
GLBT or LGBT: Acronyms for “gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender” or “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.”
male-to-female transsexual (MTF) or trans woman: Someone who was born male and transitions to a female gender identity.
sexual orientation: A person’s enduring emotional, romantic, sexual and relational attraction to someone else, which is different from an innate sense of gender.
transgender: An umbrella term that applies to a broad range of people who experience and/or express their gender differently from what most people expect.
transition: A process through which some transgender people begin to live as the gender with which they identify, rather than the one assigned at birth. This may or may not include hormone therapy, sex reassignment surgery and other medical components.
transsexual: A person who — with or without medical treatment — identifies and lives his or her life as a member of the gender other than the one assigned at birth.
transvestite: An outdated term — often considered pejorative — used to refer to people who cross-dress.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation also offers a more detailed glossary, tailored for the media but also helpful for individuals who would like to learn more, at GLAAD.org.
A Note on PronounsTransgender people should be identified with the pronoun that corresponds with the gender with which they identify. If you are unsure of someone’s gender, it’s appropriate to respectfully ask their name and what pronoun they prefer you use. In general, it’s considered insensitive to refer to someone by the incorrect pronouns once you have established which set of pronouns they prefer.