Terminology

Common Terms to Know

Transgender – an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender does not “match” the gender they were assigned at birth; other terms include nonbinary, genderqueer, genderfluid

Cisgender – people who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth

Gender – beliefs, feelings, and behaviors that a culture attributes to individuals based on their perceived sex. It involves gender assignment (the gender designation of someone at birth), gender roles (the expectations imposed on people based on their gender), gender attribution (how others perceive someone’s gender), and gender identity (how people define their own gender)

Misgender – referring to people as a gender with which they do not identify

Other Important Language Information

• To help remember “trans” vs. “cis”
  • In Latin, the prefix “trans-” means “across”
  • The prefix “cis-” means “on the same side”
  • So, transgender means across from your assigned gender, and cisgender means on the same side of your assigned gender
• Transgender vs Transgendered
  • It is incorrect to use “transgendered”
  • The ‘-ed’ tends to make it sound past tense, which indicates a ‘before’ and an ‘after’
  • Being transgender is constant
  • Reinforces misconception that all transgender people want or get surgery, and that they are only complete afterwards
• “A transgender”
  • Never use that language the way you might when saying “a man did x” or “a woman did y.” A transgender person/individual is fine, but just saying “a transgender did this” is wrong
  • It defines the transgender person as transgender only
• Using gender-affirming language
  • Instead of “sexual reassignment surgery” refer to it as “gender-affirming surgery”
  • Transgender individuals are not choosing their gender, but rather choose to live as their true gender
• Gender Neutral Pronouns
  • Hir’ instead of ‘him’ or ‘her’
  • ‘Sie’ or ‘zi’ instead of ‘she’ or ‘he’
  • Sometimes, ‘they’ can be used correctly in the singular