Gender identity reference
Gender identity glossary: A–S
A concise guide to current, historical and disputed terms concerning gender identity, transgender experiences, expression and transition. Language changes over time, so context and a person's own terminology matter.
A
- Agender
- A person whose gender identity includes no gender or an absence of gender. Individual meanings vary. Current usage
- Androgyne
- A person whose identity may combine masculine and feminine qualities, lie between conventional gender categories, or exist outside them. It is not necessarily synonymous with agender, bigender or gender-fluid. Meaning varies
- Androphilia
- Attraction to men or masculinity. The term describes the direction of attraction without identifying the gender of the person experiencing it.
- Autogynephilia
- A disputed clinical theory once proposed to categorize some transgender women. Many researchers and transgender advocates reject its assumptions and explanatory value. Disputed term
B
- Bigender
- A gender identity involving two genders, whether experienced together, separately or with changes over time. It should not automatically be treated as a synonym for androgyne.
- “Berdache”
- An outdated colonial term formerly used by some anthropologists for Indigenous people with distinct cultural gender roles. It is widely regarded as inappropriate; use the specific community's language or Two-Spirit where that term is self-chosen. Historical and inappropriate
C
- Cisgender
- A person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex they were assigned at birth. The Latin prefix cis means “on this side of.” It is a descriptive counterpart to transgender, not a judgment.
- Cross-dresser
- A person who wears clothing culturally associated with a gender different from their usual presentation. Clothing does not by itself establish gender identity or sexual orientation. “Cross-dresser” is generally preferred to older clinical labels.
- Core gender identity
- An older expression for a person's internal sense of gender. In most contemporary writing, gender identity is sufficient.
D
- Drag king
- A performer who presents a stylized masculine character. Drag is a performance form and does not, by itself, identify the performer's gender or orientation.
- Drag queen
- A performer who presents a stylized feminine character. People of various genders and orientations participate in drag.
- Disorders of sex development
- One clinical expansion of “DSD,” used for variations in sex characteristics. “Differences of sex development” is also used, while many people prefer “intersex.” Terminology should follow the individual and relevant clinical context.
E
- Eonism
- A historical European term associated with cross-dressing. It is obsolete in contemporary discussion. Historical term
F
- FTM / female-to-male
- Older shorthand for a transgender man or a transition from female assignment at birth toward a male identity. Some people still use it for themselves; “trans man” is often clearer and does not frame identity as movement between fixed endpoints. Use by preference
G
- Gender
- A broad concept involving identity, social roles, expectations and expression. It is related to, but not interchangeable with, sex characteristics or sex assigned at birth.
- Gender-affirming surgery
- An umbrella term for surgical care that aligns aspects of a person's body with their gender. “Gender confirmation surgery” is also used. Not every transgender person wants, needs or can access surgery, and medical details are private.
- Gender dysphoria
- Clinically significant distress that can arise from incongruence between a person's experienced gender and assigned sex or associated social treatment. Being transgender is not itself a mental disorder, and not every transgender person experiences dysphoria.
- Gender expression
- How a person communicates gender through appearance, clothing, voice, behavior or mannerisms. Expression may or may not match cultural expectations and does not necessarily reveal identity or orientation.
- Gender-fluid
- A gender identity or experience that changes over time. The pattern and frequency differ by person.
- Gender identity
- A person's deeply held internal sense of gender—for example, woman, man, nonbinary, another gender or no gender.
- Gender Identity Disorder
- An obsolete diagnostic name replaced in contemporary psychiatric classification by “gender dysphoria.” It may appear in older records and scholarship. Obsolete clinical term
- Gender nonconforming (GNC)
- Describes expression or behavior that differs from expectations associated with a person's gender or assigned sex. It is not necessarily a gender identity.
- Genderqueer
- An identity outside or across conventional categories of woman and man. Some people embrace the term, while others do not; it is best used for people who choose it.
- Gender role
- Social expectations associated with gender in a particular culture and period. Roles vary widely and change over time.
- Gender transition
- A personal process of living in closer alignment with one's gender. It may involve social, administrative or medical steps, in any combination. There is no single required sequence.
- Gynephilia
- Attraction to women or femininity. Like androphilia, it describes the direction of attraction without specifying the person's own gender.
H
- Heteronormativity
- A social framework that treats heterosexuality and conventional binary gender roles as universal or preferable. The concept is used when examining how institutions and customs can exclude people with other identities or family structures.
- Hijra
- A culturally specific identity and community in South Asia with long histories that cannot be reduced to a Western transgender category. “Hijra” is the usual English spelling; context and self-identification matter.
I
- Intergender
- An identity between, across or beyond woman and man. Meanings differ among those who use it.
- Intersex
- An umbrella term for innate variations in sex characteristics—such as chromosomes, hormones, gonads or anatomy—that do not fit typical definitions of female or male bodies. Intersex concerns sex characteristics and is distinct from gender identity, although a person may be both intersex and transgender.
K
- Kathoey
- A Thai cultural term that may refer to transgender women, feminine people assigned male at birth, or another locally understood identity. English translations are incomplete; use it with cultural context and according to self-identification.
L
- LGBT / LGBTQ+
- Initialisms referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and additional sexual- and gender-minority communities. The letters and order vary by context. Sexual orientation and gender identity remain distinct concepts.
M
- MTF / male-to-female
- Older shorthand for a transgender woman or a transition from male assignment at birth toward a female identity. Some people use it for themselves; “trans woman” is often clearer. Use by preference
- Māhū
- A culturally specific identity in Native Hawaiian and Tahitian traditions. It should not be treated simply as a translation of a Western transgender category.
- Mx
- A gender-neutral English honorific, usually pronounced “mix” or “mux.” It is used by some nonbinary and transgender people and by others who prefer not to indicate gender.
N
- Nonbinary
- An umbrella term for gender identities not exclusively woman or man. A nonbinary person may also use terms such as genderqueer, gender-fluid, agender or bigender.
- Non-operative
- An older label for a transgender person who has not had, or does not plan to have, gender-affirming surgery. Because it defines someone by medical history, it should generally be avoided unless self-selected or clinically necessary. Older usage
P
- Pangender
- An identity involving many or all genders within a person's cultural understanding of gender.
- Post-operative / pre-operative
- Terms describing whether a planned surgery has occurred. They are often reductive and may invite unnecessary disclosure of private medical information. Use only when medically relevant or self-chosen. Use cautiously
Q
- Queer
- A broad identity term reclaimed by many people whose orientation or gender differs from conventional expectations. Because it has also been used as abuse, it should not be applied to an individual without knowing that person's preference. Reclaimed; preference matters
R
- Real-life experience
- A historical clinical requirement that asked transgender patients to live publicly in their gender for a set period before certain care. Contemporary approaches emphasize individualized assessment and informed decision-making rather than a universal test. Historical clinical usage
S
- Sex assigned at birth
- The classification—usually female or male—recorded at birth, generally from visible anatomy. “Assigned female at birth” (AFAB) and “assigned male at birth” (AMAB) describe that event without determining current identity.
- Sex characteristics
- Physical features associated with sex, including chromosomes, hormones, reproductive anatomy and secondary characteristics. These features vary naturally and do not alone define gender identity.
- Sexual identity
- A person's understanding and description of their sexuality. Depending on context, it may include orientation, attraction and relationships. It should not be used as a substitute for gender identity.
- Sex reassignment surgery
- An older umbrella term for surgeries now more often called gender-affirming or gender confirmation surgery. Language varies among patients and clinicians. Older clinical term
Source and scope
Reference notes
This revision updates language while preserving the educational purpose of the archived glossary.
What changed in this review
Outdated numerical claims, reductive chromosome-based definitions and prescriptive medical sequences were removed. Historical diagnostic language is identified as such, culturally specific identities are presented with context, and derogatory labels are acknowledged without reproducing abusive wording.
Background references retained from the archive
- The archived page drew on psychiatric classification materials, transgender-law resources and intersex educational organizations. Direct wording from those documents has been paraphrased.
- Older sources may use terminology no longer preferred. Their inclusion in an archive records historical usage and does not endorse it.
- For adjacent topics, see the sex-related glossary, terms T–Z, and transgender topics menu.
Reader guide
Frequently asked questions
Are transgender and intersex the same?
No. Transgender describes gender identity in relation to sex assigned at birth. Intersex describes variations in sex characteristics. A person can be intersex, transgender, both or neither.
Is gender identity the same as sexual orientation?
No. Gender identity concerns who someone is; sexual orientation concerns patterns of attraction. One does not determine the other.
Why are obsolete terms included?
They help readers understand older books, policies and medical records. They are clearly labeled so historical recognition is not mistaken for recommended use.
What term should I use for another person?
Use the language that person uses for themselves. When uncertain, neutral wording such as “person” may be preferable to guessing.
Does every transgender person medically transition?
No. Transition is individual and may be social, administrative, medical, some combination of these, or none. Medical history is private unless a person chooses to discuss it.
Where does the glossary continue?
Terms beginning with T through Z are on the continuation page.
How can I report a correction?
Use the contact page or email info@religioustolerance.en-html.org with the page title and suggested correction.