Transgender 101 -Terminology
Agender This literally means “without gender.” People who identify as agender often do not identify as male or
female. Agender is oftentimes under the trans* and genderqueer umbrellas, but not everyone who identifies as
agender identifies as trans* or genderqueer.
Cisgender A person whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.
Confirmation Surgery A medical aspect of transition through which a transgender person is able to better
align their primary and secondary sex characteristics with their gender identity. Sometimes referred to as
Gender Confirmation Surgery or Sex Reassignment Surgery.
Crossdresser Individuals who occasionally dress and take on mannerisms of a different sex or gender.
Drag performer Individuals who dress and act like a different gender for stage performances.
FTM An abbreviation for a female-to-male transgender person who was assigned female at birth and identities
as male
Gender binary The societal construct of gender existing only as “male” or “female”.
Genderfluid A term for people whose gender identity fluctuates between genders
Gender Identity Is 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 Expression Is how a person represents or expresses one’s gender identity to others, often through
behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics.
Genderqueer An umbrella term of gender identities that are outside of the traditional gender binary system.
People who identify as genderqueer may identify as both male and female, somewhere between the two
genders or off of the gender spectrum all together.
HRT An abbreviation for Hormone Replacement Therapy. Administration of hormones to affect the
development of secondary sex characteristics of a specific sex.
Intersex A general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with reproductive or sexual
anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. As defined by the Intersex Society of
North America.
TransOhio Transgender 101 - Terminology Page 1
(Updated August 2014)
Masculine of Center A term that “recognizes the breadth and depth of identity for lesbian/queer womyn who
tilt toward the masculine side of the gender scale and includes a wide range of identities such as butch, stud,
aggressive/AG, macha, dom, etc. (This term was coined by B. Cole of The Brown Boi Project)
MTF A person who transitions from “male-to-female,” meaning a person who was assigned male at birth,
but identifies and lives as a female. Also known as a “transgender woman.”
Sexual Orientation A term describing a person’s attraction to members of the same sex and/or a different sex,
usually defined as lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual, or asexual.
Traditional Gender Stereotypes Culturally defined code of acceptable behavior for men and women. Men/
boys are to exhibit masculine gender presentation, behaviors, and social roles and women/girls are to exhibit
feminine gender presentation, behaviors, and social roles
Trans* An umbrella term for the transgender and gender non-conforming community
Transfeminine A term for those who are assigned male at birth but identify more closely with the female end
of the gender binary gender spectrum.
Transgender is an umbrella term for people who transition from one gender to another and/or people who defy
social expectations of how they should look, act, or identify based on their birth sex. This can include a range
of people including: male-to-female (MTF) or female-to-male (FTM) transsexual people and, more generally,
anyone whose gender identity or expression differs from conventional expectations of masculinity or femininity.
Some transgender people experience their gender identity as incongruent with anatomical sex at birth.
Transition A multi-step process through which a person is able to better align their physical characteristics
with their gender identity. This includes medical (HRT and surgery), social (name change, preferred gender
pronouns, coming out) and legal (birth certificate, driver’s license, passport and other documentation).
Transgender people may go through any combination of the transition process. One’s transition status does
not determine if a person is “able” to identify as transgender.
Transman A term for a transgender individual who currently identifies as a man (see also “FTM”)
Transmasculine A term for those who are assigned female at birth but identify more closely with the male end
of the gender binary gender spectrum.
Transsexual A person who identities psychologically as a gender/sex other than the one to which they were
assigned at birth. This term is also often used to describe transgender people who have or will undergo
transition.
Transwoman A term for a transgender individual who currently identifies as a woman (see also “MTF”).
Two-Spirit Two-Spirit people are defined as LGBT and gender-variant members of the Native American
community. The term “Two-Spirit” was coined in 1990 by queer Native Americans gathering in Winnipeg.
Many contemporary LGBT Native Americans use the term “Two-Spirit” to maintain cultural continuity with
their traditions. In many cultures, some individuals possessed and manifested a balance of both feminine and
masculine energies, making them inherently sacred people. (http://www.baaits.org/two-spirits)
TransOhio Transgender 101 - Terminology Page 2
(Updated August 2014)