Words matter. What we say matters.

 

The following definitions are from Gender Spectrum. These are only some of the terms from an ever-growing vocabulary.

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Agender – A person who sees themself as not having a gender. Some agender-identified people see themself as being gender neutral, rather than not having any gender, but in any case do not identify with a gender.

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Cisgender – Refers to people whose Gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth (cis- from Latin, meaning, “on this side [of].” In contrast to trans, from the Latin root meaning “across,” “beyond,” or “on the opposite side [of]”).

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Closeted – A term used to describe an LGBTQ+ person who has not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity.

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Gender Binary – A system that constructs gender according to two discrete and opposite categories: boy/man and girl/woman. It is important to recognize that both cisgender and Transgender people can have a gender identity that is binary.

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Gender Dysphoria – Gender dysphoria is when someone feels very unhappy, uneasy, or dissatisfied in relation to their gender. This is something many people experience, including feeling a tension between how someone feels about their body compared to how society genders their body, or a conflict between how someone sees themselves in contrast with expected gender roles or expectations. It is also a clinical term and is found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (commonly referred to as the DSM, or DSM–5). The labeling of gender dysphoria as a disorder or condition has been controversial, but it is helpful to understand the term’s clinical definition and use if you are considering support from a mental health professional.

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Gender Expression – This is our “public” gender. How we present our gender in the world and how society, culture, community, and family perceive, interact with, and try to shape our gender. Gender expression is also related to gender roles and how society uses those roles to try to enforce conformity to current gender norms.

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Genderfluid – People who have a gender or genders that change. Genderfluid people move between genders, experiencing their gender as something dynamic and changing, rather than static.

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Gender identity – our deeply held, internal sense of self as masculine, feminine, a blend of both, neither, or something else. Identity also includes the name we use to convey our gender. Gender identity can correspond to, or differ from the sex we are assigned at birth. The language a person uses to communicate their gender identity can evolve and shift over time, especially as someone gains access to a broader gender vocabulary.

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Genderqueer – An umbrella term to describe someone who doesn’t identify with conventional gender identities, roles, expression and/or expectations. For some, genderqueer is a Non-binary identification, and for others it is not.

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Non-binary – An umbrella term for gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine.

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Queer – Often used by younger individuals who feel limited by the terms gay, lesbian, or bisexual. It has also be used in LGBT as Q for gender Questioning.

 

Sex – Used to label a person as “male” or “female” (some US states and other countries offer a third option) at birth, this term refers to a person’s external genitalia and internal reproductive organs. When a person is assigned a particular sex at birth, it is often mistakenly assumed that this will equate with their gender; it might, but it might not.

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Sexual Orientation – Our sexual orientation and our gender are separate, though related, parts of our overall identity. Gender is personal (how we each see ourselves), while sexual orientation is interpersonal (who we are physically, emotionally and/or romantically attracted to).

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Transgender – Sometimes this term is used broadly as an umbrella term to describe anyone whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex. It can also be used more narrowly as a gender identity that reflects a binary gender identity that is “opposite” or “across from” the sex they were assigned at birth.

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Transphobia – Fear, dislike of, and/or prejudice against transgender people.

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Transsexual – This is an out-dated term, considered offensive by many people. Unlike the term transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term. Many transgender people do not identify as transsexual and prefer the word transgender.

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Two-Spirit – A term created by First Nations/Native American/Indigenous peoples whose sexual orientation and/or gender/sex exists in ways that challenge colonial constructions of a gender binary. This term should not be appropriated to describe people who are not First Nations/Native American/Indigenous members.*

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Again, the LGBTQ+ "language" is ever-changing. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and GLAAD have provided the following examples of Outdated Off-Putting Language versus Current Best Practice Language

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TERMS TO AVOID V. BEST PRACTICE

Homosexual v. Gay or Lesbian

Sexual Preference v. Sexual Orientation

Lifestyle v. Orientation or Identity

Gay Lifestyle/Lesbian Lifestyle/Transgender Lifestyle/LGBTQ+ Lifestyle v. LGBTQ+ People and Their Lives

Alternative Family v. LGBTQ+ Family

Gay Rights v. Equality for LGBTQ+ People

Biologically Male/Biologically Female v. Assigned or Designated Male at Birth/Assigned or Designated Female at Birth

Transgender Individual v. Transgender Person

Identifies as a Male or Identifies as a Female v. Is a Transgender Boy/Man or Is a Transgender Girl/Woman

What Are Your Preferred Pronouns? v. What Pronouns Do You Use/What Are Your Pronouns?

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* Definition from The Trevor Project

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