first we must ask:
What is Gender?

Transgender is a descriptive term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. This might mean a transgender person identifies as male or female, or it might mean that they identify as neither -- or both. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same thing — your gender doesn't affect who you're sexually attracted to.

As you explore this site and the resources we've linked to, you might come across some words and concepts that are unfamiliar to you, but will help make conversations with your friends and family much easier. We've borrowed many of these definitions from the Human Rights Campaign website.

Also, check out The Gender Book for even more information on the topic of gender!  

Glossary

DISCLAIMER: Different sites and people define some of these terms slightly differently. The definitions here are meant to familiarize you with the terms. 

Androgynous: Identifying and/or presenting as neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine.

Asexual: The lack of a sexual attraction or desire for other people.

Biphobia: Prejudice, fear or hatred directed toward bisexual people.
​
Bisexual: A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.

Cisgender: A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.

Closeted: Describes an LGBTQ person who has not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Coming out: The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts and appreciates his or her sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with others.

Gay: A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender.

Gender dysphoria: Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the term - which replaces Gender Identity Disorder - "is intended to better characterize the experiences of affected children, adolescents, and adults."

Gender-expansive: Conveys a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system.
​
Gender expression: External appearance and mannerisms, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.
​
Gender identity: One’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.

Gender non-conforming or gender non-binary: A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category.

Genderqueer: Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as "genderqueer" may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories.
​
Gender transition: The process by which some people strive to more closely align their internal knowledge of gender with its outward appearance. Some people socially transition, whereby they might begin dressing, using names and pronouns and/or be socially recognized as another gender. Others undergo physical transitions in which they modify their bodies through medical interventions.
​
Homophobia: The fear and hatred of or discomfort with people who are attracted to members of the same sex.

Lesbian: A woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women.

LGBTQ: An acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.”

Living openly: A state in which LGBTQ people are comfortably out about their sexual orientation or gender identity – where and when it feels appropriate to them.

Outing: Exposing someone’s lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender identity to others without their permission. Outing someone can have serious repercussions on employment, economic stability, personal safety or religious or family situations.

Queer: A term people often use to express fluid identities and orientations. Often used interchangeably with "LGBTQ."
​
Questioning: A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Same-gender loving: A term some prefer to use instead of lesbian, gay or bisexual to express attraction to and love of people of the same gender.

Sexual assigned at birth: This term refers to the sex that is indicated on a person's birth certificate, as it was interpreted at that time. 

Sexual orientation: An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.

Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.
​
Transphobia: The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, transgender people.