Transgenderism, transsexualism and gender identity

Glossary of terms starting with the letter "A" to "S"

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This list continues for terms starting with letters "T" to "Z"

Our glossary of religious and spiritual terms is located elsewhere

We also have a glossary of other sexually related terms.

As mentioned elsewhere, it is impossible to obtain agreement on the precise meaning of terms concerning these topics. A consensus is rare. Most glossaries give only a single definition each term. We will try to explain the full range of meanings in common use.

	50% Rule: A common belief that 50% of all transsexuals die before the age of 30, usually by suicide. The number is probably greatly exaggerated today. This is a depressing term to start off a glossary. On the bright side, sexual reassignment procedures have a very high success rate if proper protocols are followed. Many post-operative transsexuals are quite pleased with their body modifications.
	Agendered: Synonym of Andrigyne.
	Ambigendered: Synonym of Andrigyne.
	Androgyne: A person who does not self-identify as male or female. Some regard themselves as being between male and female; others identify themselves as being without gender.
	Berdache: A term created by anthropologists to refer to Two-Spirit persons. It is now considered an offensive and inappropriate term by Native North Americans. 1
	Between genders: Synonym of Andrigyne.
	Bigendered: Synonym of Andrigyne.
	Billyboy: A term used in the Philippines to refer to a MTF transgender person.
	Cisgendered: An individual whose genetic gender matches their gender identity. That is, a person who perceives themselves as a female and who is a genetic female is cisgendered. The prefix "cis" is Latin for "on the same side." This includes over 99.9% of adults.
	Core gender identity: Synonym for "gender identity"
	Cross dresser: A person who wears the clothing of the opposite gender, for any reason. One of the most serious charges against Joan of Arc, who was convicted by a religious court and burned at the stake, was that she dressed in men's clothing. She seems to have worn men's clothing to protect herself from rape while in the prison. 2
	Drag king (a.k.a. DK): An entertainer -- generally a female bodied or female identified  -- who dress in clothing normally associated with men.
	Drag queen: An entertainer -- generally a gay man or transgendered woman -- who dresses in clothing normally associated with women, often to an exaggerated degree.
	Eonism: An early synonym for cross dresser, now defunct. It was derived from the name of Charles Eon de Beaumont, (1728-1810), who for many years dressed as a woman.
	F2M (a.k.a. FTM, FtM, F to M, F-M): Acronym for "Female to Male." It refers to a transsexual person who now identifies himself as male. The use of the term is sometimes restricted to individuals who are at least partly through the transition process.
	Faux queens (a.k.a. femme queens, femme performers, bio queens or Kittens): Women who dress in an exaggerated style to emulate drag queens.
	Gender: The definition of a person as male or female. It is sometimes based on the shape of their sexual organs. Other times, it is based on the presence of X and/or Y chromosomes in each cell of the body. Sometimes it is based on the individual's own gender identity -- what the person believes themselves to be.
	Gender confusion: See Gender Identity Confusion.
	Gender dysphoria: See gender identity disorder.
	Gendered culture: A culture in which everyone is believed to be either male or female, typically sorted by their genetic gender.
	Gender expression (a.k.a. gender presentation): A person's appearance, mannerisms and behaviors which are frequently associated with a specific gender.
	Gender fluid: Synonym of Andrigyne.
	Gender identity: The gender that one perceives themselves to be: male, female, ambivalent, or neutral.
	Gender Identity Confusion (a.k.a. gender confusion): A term used mainly by religious and social conservatives to refer to an transgendered person. The term implies that the individual is merely confused about their gender identity, so that they can change so that their perceived gender matches their physical or chromosomal gender. In reality, the vast majority of transgendered adults are quite certain of their gender, quite certain that their gender is different from their genetic gender, and totally unable to change.
	Gender Identity Disorder: An individual whose gender identity does not match their genetic gender. The American Psychiatric Association defines it as "persistent discomfort about one's assigned sex or a sense of belonging to the other sex . . . [and] . . . a desire to be . . . of the other sex." 3
	Genderneutral: Synonym of Andrigyne.
	Gender role: Two different sets of activities, thoughts, emotions, and/or behaviors traditionally considered normal for men or women within a culture. Examples are: women do the cooking in the family; men are sexually attracted to women.
	Gender transition: A process by which transgendered persons begin "living their lives in genders that are congruent with their self-identity, which are opposite their birth sexes." 4
	Genetic gender: A person's gender according to the sex chromosomes in each cell of their body. In the vast majority of cases, females have XX chromosomes; males have XY. Other combinations of chromosomes are possible, such as XXY, XXXY, XXXXY, XXYY. 5
	Genetic gender, genetic sex: Using the presence or absence of the X and Y chromosomes in the cells of a person's body to define a person as either male or female
	Genital Corrective Surgery (GCS): A synonym of Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)
	Genital Reassignment Surgery (GRS): A synonym of Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)
	Genital Reconstruction Surgery (GRS): Another synonym of Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)
	GLBT: An acronym for Gay Lesbian Bisexual and either Transgender or Transsexual. It is more often expressed LGBT. Sometimes, the letter "Q" is added to represent "queer;" sometimes "I" is added to represent intersexual.
	He-she: An extremely offensive term for a pre-op or non-op transsexual man who is biologically female.
	Hermaphrodite: An obsolete and now pejorative term that refers to a person who has portions of both male and female sexual characteristics and organs. The term has been replaced by intersexual.
	Intergendered: Synonym of Andrigyne.
	Intersexual: A person who was born with ambiguous genitalia and/or secondary sexual characteristics that do not match the common male or female shape. 6
	Kathoey (a.k.a. katoey): A term used in Tailand to refer to a MTF transgender person or an effeminate gay male.
	Ladyboy: Synonym for Kathoey ^
	LGBT: An acronym for Lesbian Gay Bisexual and either Transgender or Transsexual. Less often expressed "LGBT." Sometimes the letter "Q" is added to represent "queer;" sometimes "I" is added to represent intersexual.
	Lovemap: A type of picture or template that a person develops over time that describes their idealized love object. It might include gender, body shape, personality attributes, etc.
	M2F (a.k.a. MTF, MtF, M to F, M-F): Acronym for "Male to Female." It refers to a transsexual person who is a genetic male and now identifies herself as female. The use of the term is sometimes restricted to individuals who are at least partly through the transition process.
	Nongendered (a.k.a. agendered): A person who identifies themselves as having no gender.
	Nonoperative (a.k.a. non-op or none-op) transsexual: A transsexual who does not plan to undergo sexual reassignment procedures.
	Postoperative (a.k.a. post-op) transsexual: A transsexual who has undergone sexual reassignment procedures.
	Preoperative (a.k.a. pre-op) transsexual: A transsexual who plans to undergo sexual reassignment procedures in the future.
	Queer: This most often refers to something that is strange or odd. It is also often used in reference to gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersex, and asexual communities. It is also used as a synonym for GLBT and LGBT. Antonym: heteronormative.
	Real Life Test (RLT) or Real Life Experience (RLE): This is a prerequisite for sex reassignment surgery. A patient must live in their perceived gender role either as a student, in a volunteer position or at work. They must "out" themselves to friends and family and change their name.
	Sex-change Operation: A synonym of Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)
	Sexual identity: an individual's overall sexual understanding including their sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual), their genetic gender (male, female, intersexual), gender role (masculine or feminine), and their gender identity (transgendered or cisgendered).
	Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS): Surgical procedures intended to make the physical appearance of an individual more closely match the gender with which they identify. For MTF transexuals, this typically includes the creation of a vagina. For FTM transsexuals, SRS may include some combination of: a mastectomy (removal of the breasts), a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), the creation of a penis and scrotum, an oophorectomy (removal of both ovaries), electrology (removal of hair), reduction in size of the "Adam's apple), and facial surgery to feminize the appearance of the face.
	Shemale (a.k.a. she-male, she male) An extremely offensive term for a pre-op or non-op transsexual woman who is biologically a male.
	Sinistrality: Left handedness. This occurs at almost twice the rate among MTF and FTM transsexuals than in the general population.
	SRS: See Sex Reassignment Surgery.

This list continues with words beginning with T to Z

Additional definitions:

The FTM resource guide has a glossary of primary interest to female-to-male (FTM) transsexuals at: http://www.ftmguide.org/

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1.  Kathy Belge, "Berdache," About.com, at: http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/
2. "Cross-dressing," Wikipedia, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
3. "The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," Entry 302.3, 4th edition, (1994)
4. "Discrimination against transgendered people in American, International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy. Online at: http://www.ibiblio.org/
5. Vaughn Hambley and Carol Wilson, "What is XXY?" Klinefelter Syndrome, at:  http://www.47xxy.org/
6. The Intersex Society of North America maintains a home page at: http://www.isna.org/ They have a FAQ, which describes their newsletter and other materials on intersexuality.
7. "The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," Entry 302.3, 4th edition, (1994)

Copyright © 2007 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Original posting: 2007-JUN-08
Latest update and review: 2009-OCT-08
Author: B.A. Robinson

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