Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family (28 page)

S
EX.
The classification of people as male or female. At birth infants are assigned a sex, usually based on the appearance of their external anatomy. (This is what is written on the birth certificate.) However, a person’s sex is actually a combination of bodily characteristics, including chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics.

G
ENDER
I
DENTITY.
One’s internal, deeply held sense of one’s gender. For transgender people, their own internal gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Most people have a gender identity of man or woman (or boy or girl). For some people, their gender identity does not fit neatly into one of those two choices. Unlike gender expression (see below), gender identity is not visible to others.

G
ENDER
E
XPRESSION.
External manifestations of gender, expressed through one’s name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine and feminine changes over time and varies by culture. Typically, transgender people seek to make their gender expression align with their gender identity, rather than the sex they were assigned at birth.

S
EXUAL
O
RIENTATION.
Describes an individual’s enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to another person. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, or bisexual. For example, a person who transitions from male to female and is attracted solely to men would identify as a straight woman. Some people are asexual, meaning they lack a sexual attraction to either men or women.

T
RANSGENDER
(adj.). An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms—including
transgender.
Some of those terms are defined below. Use the descriptive term preferred by the individual. Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to change their bodies. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon medical procedures.

T
RANSSEXUAL
(adj.). An older term that originated in the medical and psychological communities. Still preferred by some people who have permanently changed—or seek to change—their bodies through medical interventions (including but not limited to hormones and/or surgeries). Unlike
transgender, transsexual
is not an umbrella term. Many transgender people do not identify as transsexual and prefer the word
transgender.
It is best to ask which term an individual prefers. If preferred, use as an adjective: transsexual woman or transsexual man.

T
RANSGENDER MAN.
People who were assigned female at birth but identify and live as men may use this term to describe themselves. Some may also use
FTM,
an abbreviation for female-to-male. Some may prefer to simply be called
men,
without any modifier.

T
RANSGENDER WOMAN.
People who were assigned male at birth but identify and live as women may use this term to describe themselves. Some may also use
MTF,
an abbreviation for male-to-female. Some may prefer to simply be called
women,
without any modifier.

C
ROSS-DRESSER.
While anyone may wear clothes associated with a different sex, the term
cross-dresser
is typically used to refer to heterosexual men who occasionally wear clothes, makeup, and accessories culturally associated with women. This activity is a form of gender expression, and not done for entertainment purposes. Cross-dressers do not wish to permanently change their sex or live full-time as women. Replaces the term
transvestite.
PLEASE NOTE: Transgender women are not cross-dressers or drag queens. Drag queens are men, typically gay men, who dress like women for the purpose of entertainment. Be aware of the differences between transgender women, cross-dressers, and drag queens. Use the term preferred by the individual.

T
RANSITION.
Altering one’s birth sex is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a long period of time. Transition includes some or all of the following personal, medical, and legal steps: telling one’s family, friends, and co-workers; using a different name and new pronouns; dressing differently; changing one’s name and/or sex on legal documents; hormone therapy; and possibly (though not always) one or more types of surgery. The exact steps involved in transition vary from person to person. The phrase “sex change” should be avoided.

S
EX
R
EASSIGNMENT
S
URGERY (
SRS
).
Refers to doctor-supervised surgical interventions, and is only one small part of transition (see
Transition
above). Not all transgender people choose to, or can afford to, undergo medical surgeries. The preferred term now is
gender confirmation surgery.

G
ENDER
D
YSPHORIA.
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association released the fifth edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-V) which replaced the outdated entry “Gender Identity Disorder” with “Gender Dysphoria” and changed the criteria for diagnosis. The necessity of a psychiatric diagnosis remains controversial, as both psychiatric and medical authorities recommend individualized medical treatment through hormones and/or surgeries to treat gender dysphoria. Some transgender advocates believe the inclusion of Gender Dysphoria in the DSM is necessary in order to advocate for health insurance that covers the medically necessary treatment recommended for transgender people.

C
ISGENDER.
A term used by some to describe people who are not transgender. “Cis-” is a Latin prefix meaning “on the same side as,” and is therefore an antonym of “trans-.” A more widely understood way to describe people who are not transgender is simply to say
non-transgender people.

G
ENDER
N
ONCONFORMING
A term used to describe some people whose gender expression is different from conventional expectations of masculinity and femininity. Not all gender-nonconforming people identify as transgender; nor are all transgender people gender nonconforming. Many people have gender expressions that are not entirely conventional—that fact alone does not make them transgender. Many transgender men and women have gender expressions that are conventionally masculine or feminine. Simply being transgender does not make someone gender nonconforming. The term is not a synonym for
transgender
or
transsexual
and should only be used if someone self-identifies as gender nonconforming.

G
ENDERQUEER
A term used by some people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the categories of man and woman. They may define their gender as falling somewhere in between man and woman, or they may define it as wholly different from these terms. The term is not a synonym for
transgender
or
transsexual
and should only be used if someone self-identifies as genderqueer.

I
NTERSEX
Replaces the outdated term “hermaphrodite.” Someone who is intersex is born with one of several medical conditions that leads to the person’s biological sex being ambiguous. Their external sex organs and/or reproductive anatomy may have characteristics of both males and females. Intersex advocates are urging the medical establishment to stop performing surgeries on intersex infants to force their bodies to conform to convention. Often the choice made by the doctor and reinforced by surgeries does not match the gender identity the person ultimately develops.

Adapted from the GLAAD Media Reference Guide

E
DITION
9
.
1
,
M
AY
2015

glaad.org/reference/transgender