(NewsNation) — Below is a list of terms from NewsNation’s series on transgender issues.
The definitions have been taken from Johns Hopkins Medicine
Y JOYboth of which have full glossaries of terms on their respective websites linked above.
The terms have been listed in alphabetical order.
Sex assigned at birth: The sex (male or female) assigned to a child at birth, usually based on the child’s external anatomy. Also called birth sex, natal sex, biological sex, or sex.
Cisgender: A term for people whose gender identity generally matches the gender assigned to their physical sex. In other words, someone who does not identify as transgender. The word is derived from the Latin root “cis” which means “on this side”.
FTM: Female-to-male transgender person. Sometimes he identifies as a transgender man. Someone assigned the female gender at birth who identifies on the male spectrum.
Gender Affirmation: Adjective used to refer to behaviors or interventions that affirm the gender identity of a transgender person (eg, a doctor using hormones of the opposite sex for a transgender patient can be called gender affirming, as can the use of a pronoun correct gender).
Queer and/or non-binary gender: People whose gender identity and/or gender expression falls outside of the binary categories of male and female. They may define their gender as somewhere in between male and female, or they may define it outside of these terms. Nonbinary can be shortened to enby.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): The process in which transgender people choose to take a synthetic hormone prescription. For transgender women, that can include estrogen (E) and testosterone blockers. For transgender men, this would include testosterone (T).
LGBTQIA+: Abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and asexual. A general term used to refer to the community as a whole. Often shortened to LGBTQ+, but not as a means to exclude other identities. The “+” recognizes the diversity of identities, orientations and expressions of the LGBTQIA+ community that are not named in the acronyms.
MTF: Male-to-female transgender person. Sometimes known as a transgender woman. Someone assigned the male gender at birth who identifies on the female spectrum.
Transgender: A general term for people whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender people may identify as straight, gay, bisexual, or with some other sexual orientation.
Transition: An individualized process in which transgender people move from living in alignment with the sex they were assigned at birth to living in alignment with the gender identity they have. There are three general aspects of transition: social (eg, presentation, relationships, employment, nouns/pronouns); medical (eg, hormones, surgery, mental health) and legal (eg, change of gender marker and name on legal documents and identification). Each person’s transition path is unique.
GLAAD also defines the following aspects of the transition:
- social transition – Telling family, friends and co-workers, using a different name, using different pronouns, dressing differently, starting or stopping wearing makeup and jewelry, etc.
- legal transition – Change your name and/or gender marker on documents such as driver’s license, passport, Social Security record, bank accounts, etc.
- Medical transition – Hormone replacement therapy and/or one or more surgical procedures.