List of Definitions
Biological Sex - A biological classification based
on physical attributes such as sex chromosomes, hormones, internal
reproductive structures, and external genitalia. At birth, it is used to
identify individuals as male or female. For those whose sex is not
easily categorized as male or female, see Intersex below
Gender - A socially influenced concept of identity
based on the roles, behaviours, activities, and appearance that are on a
spectrum from masculine to feminine.
Gender dysphoria - Feelings of in congruency (not a
perfect match) between one’s physical sex and how they identify their
gender (e.g. feeling male yet seeing a female in the mirror). Gender
dysphoria can be mild or quite profound.
Gender expression – how a person presents his or her
sense of gender to others. Gender can be expressed in many ways, such as
through interests/hobbies or clothing that society associates with
either masculinity or femininity.
Gender identity – A person’s internal sense or feeling
of being male, female, or a blend, which may not be the same as their
biological sex or how they present to others.
Since gender identity is internal, one’s gender identity is not
necessarily visible to others.
Gender normative – Adhering to/Following mainstream
expectations of gender, e.g. feminine for women and masculine for men.
Gender Variant – Expressing gender in ways that
conflict with mainstream expectations of gender e.g. feminine boys/men
and masculine girls/women. Can range from a girl who perceives herself
as female engaging in typically masculine tasks or play and clothing, to
a person who was born male and takes female hormones, uses a feminine
name and dresses and lives as a woman.
Pronouns - The words one uses to refer to themselves
(e.g. he, she, his, hers, they etc.) Please try to use the pronouns
preferred by each individual.
Subject | Object | Possessive Adjective |
Possessive Pronoun |
Reflexive | |
Female Pronoun | She | Her | Her | Hers | Herself |
Male Pronoun | He | Him | His | His | Himself |
Gender Neutral Pronoun |
Ze | Hir | Hir | Hirs | Hirself |
Gender Neutral Pronunciation |
/zee/ | /here/ | /here/ | /heres/ | /hereself/ |
Cisgender – Someone whose biological sex
matches their gender identity. Cisgender is the opposite of transgender.
Transgender/Trans – A person whose gender identity,
appearance, or expression does not fit with conventional ideas of male
or female. Being transgender or transsexual does not determine any
specific sexual orientation. Therefore, trans people may additionally
identify as straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual depending on their
attractions.
Transsexual – A person who experiences intense personal
and emotional discomfort (see Gender Dysphoria) with their assigned
birth sex. They may opt for various changes to physically alter their
appearance to match how they see their gender. These range from simple
things like hair and clothing to sex reassignment surgeries as adults.
Because of its medicalized history, many transsexual people prefer the
terms “transgender” or simply “trans”.
Transvestite - Individuals who regularly or
occasionally wear the clothing socially assigned to a gender not their
own, but are usually comfortable with their anatomy and do not wish to
change it (i.e. they are not transsexuals). This term is considered
derogatory by many.
Transition - The period during which a person begins to
live as the gender that they identify most with, which differs from the
gender role they were assigned at birth. Transitioning may include
changing one’s name, taking hormones, having surgery, or changing legal
documents (e.g. driver’s license, Social Security record, birth
certificate) to reflect their gender identity.
FTM (or Female to Male) - A person who transitions from
“female-to-male,” meaning a person who was assigned female at birth, but
identifies and lives as a male. Also known as a “trans man/transgender
man.”
MTF (or Male to Female) – A person who transitions from
“male-to-female,” meaning a person who was assigned male at birth, but
identifies and lives as a female. Also known as a “trans woman/
transgender woman.”
Intersex – A person who is born with an anatomy
(genitals and/or other reproductive organs) that does not conform to
expectations of distinctly male or female. In some cases it is not
discovered until puberty.
Two Spirit – An Aboriginal notion of LGBT people as
special and honoured based on their unique abilities to understand both
male and female perspectives.
Queer – A historically negative term for homosexuality.
Recently many LGBT people, especially youth, have reclaimed it as
positive and inclusive of all sexual minority and gender variant people.
Genderqueer - A term used by some individuals who
identify as neither entirely male nor entirely female.
Pangender - A person whose gender identity is comprised
of all or many gender expressions
Androgynous - A person appearing and/or identifying as
neither man nor woman, presenting a gender either mixed or neutral.
Asexual - A person who is not sexually attracted to any
gender.
Cross-dresser - A term for people who dress in clothing
traditionally or stereotypically worn by the other sex, but who
generally have no intent to live full-time as the other gender.
Drag Queen - generally used to accurately refer to men
who dress as women (often celebrity women) for the purpose of
entertaining others at bars, clubs, or other events. It is also used as
slang, sometimes in a derogatory manner, to refer to all transgender
women.
Drag King - used to refer to women who dress as men for
the purpose of entertaining others at bars, clubs, or other events.
Transphobia – Fear, ignorance, and mistreatment of
people who are trans and/or gender non-conforming, which is directly
related to the silence and invisibility that has historically hidden
them. More specifically, Transphobia is manifested in a number of ways,
including violence, harassment and discrimination of transgender or
gender non-conforming individuals and their allies (partners, friends or
family).
Ally - Someone who is not LGBT but who is supportive of
LGBT people and their well-being. For the trans community, this can be
anyone – a friend, family member, partner, community member - who
advocates for and supports members of the trans community. There are
several ways to be a trans ally, including helping to give voice to
issues regarding trans rights and needs.
PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSORS |