Transgender History, Terms

Sex: In contrast to the definition of “gender,” sex refers to biological sex at birth. Many people believe that there is a natural correlation between sex and gender. If you’re born female, you grow up to he a girl and then a woman.

Gender: In contrast to ‘sex,’ which is considered biological, gender is considered social or cultural by many. It’s the case that people born female may grow up feeling that theirbiological sex does not match their own feelings about their gender.

Intersex: Variations of human reproductive anatomy. Variations might include: people born genetically female (XX) without vaginas, wombs, or ovaries. According to Stryker, “someTransgender people who think their desire to cross gender boundaries has a biologicalcause consider themselves to have an intersex condition.”

Secondary Sex Characteristics: skin texture, body fat distribution, patterns of hair growth,overall body size, etc. These characteristics often mark us to other as men or women. Thesecharacteristics are often the result of hormones. Thus, some transgender people might take hormones to either feminize or masculinize their secondary sex characteristics.

Cross-Dressing: the practice of wearing the clothing culturally assigned to another gender.

• Transsexual: refers to people who who have a strong desire/need to liveas a gender other than that which was assigned them at birth. Often, peoplewho identify as transsexual might use hormones, have mastectomies, genitalreconstruction surgery, breast augmentations, etc.

Transgender: this term, according to Stryker, has become widespread in the last decade or so. It means “movement away from an initially assigned gender position. It most generally refers to any and all kinds of variations from gender norms and expectations.”

Genderqueer: political term used to connote people who identify as gender variant or transgender.

Gender-neutral pronouns: some transgender people prefer gender neutral pronouns like “ze” or “sie” in place of “he” or “she,” or the word “hir” instead of “his” or “her. Sometimes people prefer the use “they” or “their” or, in writing, use “s/he.”

Cisgender or Cissexual: terms that refer to people who are not transgendered or transsexual.