Transgender Awareness Week is a time to educate ourselves and our community about the issues faced by transgender individuals. It is a week to remember those who have faced violence and death due to prejudice and to celebrate the lives and contributions of transgender people in every community. This is the first in a five-part educational series for Transgender Awareness Week.

Transgender Awareness Week Part 1

The Basics

Q&A

How do I address someone who is transgender?

Transgender people should be identified with the pronoun that corresponds with the gender with which they identify. Echo the individual’s language. If you are unsure of someone’s gender, it is appropriate to respectfully ask their name and what pronoun they prefer, but do not ask them in front of other people. Some genderqueer people prefer gender neutral pronouns, such as “zie” and “hir.” Also, keep in mind that transgender people might use different pronouns with different groups of people for reasons of safety or comfort. Do not disclose someone’s transgender identity to anyone else without their explicit permission. This could compromise their safety or privacy.

Do all transgender individuals want to have sex reassignment surgery (SRS)?

Actual or desired surgical status is separate from one’s gender identity.  Some transgender individuals feel “complete” once they have had surgery, while others opt to not have surgery because of limited funds, medical complications, or because they feel “complete” without surgery.

Transmen and Transwomen face different issues when deciding whether to transition through surgery. For example, many transmen choose not to undergo “bottom surgery”, or surgery that focuses on altering the genital system, because they are not pleased with the options available. Some specific operations may not accomplish much and can lead to decreased feelings of arousal. They may instead only choose to undergo “top surgery”, or surgery performed above the waist. It is important to remember that the risks and benefits involved with SRS are not the same for all transpeople. For more reading on the female-to-male transition experience, check out Becoming a Visible Man by Jamison Green.

Are transgender women only attracted to men, and transgender men only attracted to women?

Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same thing. Transgender individuals, like non-transgender and cisgender individuals, display the broad range of human sexuality. Transgender people can be straight, gay, bisexual, lesbian, or queer-identified.

Is being transgender a mental illness?

Absolutely not. Mental health professionals diagnose transgender individuals with Gender Identity Disorder, however, transgender identity is not a mental illness. Transgender individuals can experience great emotional distress from having their assigned sex be in conflict with their understanding of their own gender. This can be relieved through freely expressing their personal gender identity in safe, trans-inclusive environments.

Why are people transgender?

A number of theories exist but there is no scientific consensus as of yet. Some medical theories speculate that fluctuations or imbalances in hormones during pregnancy may be a factor. Some biologists claim that gender variation may just be natural and that more varieties than simply male and female exist. Many cultures believe in a multitude of genders and have different definitions of masculine and feminine. For example, the term “two-spirit” has historically been used to describe the mixed gender role embodied by some individuals among Indigenous North American tribes.

What is the Difference Between Transgender and Intersex?

Both intersex and transgender people want to define their own gender identity but it is important to recognize their differences.  Transgender refers to a difference between one’s internal sense of gender and the sex they were assigned at birth. Intersex refers to several conditions where one’s genetic, reproductive or sexual anatomy does not fit societal definitions of male or female.  For instance, some intersex people may be born with a penis and have female internal reproductive organs.  Other intersex people have external genitals that are not clearly male or female. There is some overlap between transgender and intersex people: some transgender people have identifiable intersex conditions, and some intersex people decide their gender is not the gender they were assigned.  However many transgender people are not intersexed, and many intersex people do not seek to change the gender they were assigned.  Variation in sex anatomy and characteristics are normal and natural.  This makes the designation of intersex conditions inherently a human decision.  Some intersex people have had nonconsensual surgeries performed on them so that their bodies fit with societal definitions of male and female.  While some intersex conditions manifest in metabolic differences that need medical treatment, nonconsensual surgeries for non-medical reasons are being recognized as psychologically and medically harmful.  

Phrases to Avoid

• “Have you had “the surgery”?” or “Do you have a penis?”  Never ask a transgender person about their genitals or medical procedures. You wouldn’t ask other people this kind of personal question. There is no single surgery or medical procedure that all transgender people undergo, and having surgery or taking hormones does not determine someone’s gender identity.
• “Pre-op” or “post-op” – Identifying people by their genital status/surgery may feel invasive or disrespectful.
• “Transvestite” – An outdated term for a cross-dresser, drag king, or drag queen.
• “Transgendered” – “transgender” is the preferred term.  
• “A transgender” – This is an objectifying usage. You wouldn’t say “a gay.”
• “Tranny” – This is considered pejorative that has historically been used by non-transgender people as an epithet.
• “She-male” – This is a pornographic term for transgender women and is never acceptable.
• “Hermaphrodite” – An outdated word for an intersex person that is now considered offensive and is widely regarded as scientifically incorrect terminology.

Definitions

• Transgender: A broad umbrella term that applies to people who embody an innate sense of gender identity other than their birth sex. There are many kinds of people who fit this term and the rest of these terms describe some of them.
• Transsexual: Persons who seek to live in a gender different from the one assigned at birth and who may seek or want medical intervention (through hormones and/or surgery) for them to live comfortably in that gender. Transsexuals generally live full time as a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth.
• Trans man or “female-to-male” (FTM): A person who is assigned female at birth but identifies as male.
• Trans woman or “male-to-female” (MTF): A person who is assigned male at birth but identifies as female.

• Keep in mind, FTM and MTF are terms that are growing out of favor.
• It’s easy to remember when to use transman versus transwoman when you consider that the terms are meant to show respect to an individual's chosen identity.

• Genderqueer or gender-non-conforming: People who may think of themselves as being both man and woman, as being neither man nor woman, or as falling completely outside the gender binary.
• Cross-dresser: Someone who dresses in attire of a different gender. Cross-dressers generally do not have a desire to change their sex or gender.
• Drag queen or drag king: Someone who dresses in attire intended to strongly emphasize gender for the purposes of entertainment or personal fulfillment.
• Transphobia: Discrimination or prejudice against transgender people.

• Sex: Refers to the designation of the variety of biological differences between females and males. This is the scientific term for what makes males and females different. Not everyone fits into two categories.
• Gender Identity: Self-conception of one’s gender, which may or may not be congruent with physiology. This describes how people perceive their own internal sense of maleness, femaleness, or other gender identity, not necessarily their physical sex.
• Gender expression: Physical manifestation of one's gender identity, often expressed through clothing, accessories, mannerisms, and chosen names.

• Sexual Orientation: Describes to whom people are romantically or sexually attracted. Transgender people may be straight, gay, bisexual, or a variety of other sexualities.
• Intersex: Intersex people have physical characteristics that do not match the typical understandings of male and female. Some intersex people identify as trans gender while others do not.
• Cisgender: A person who is comfortable with the gender assigned to them at birth. Sometimes used as a blanket term to refer to non-transgender people.
• “Transition”: The process of living and being perceived as a gender other than that assigned at birth. The process of transitioning varies among transgender individuals. It may include counseling with a professional therapist, undergoing hormone therapy, having surgery of the face, chest, genitals or other areas, changing one’s name or preferred pronouns, or dressing as the preferred gender. Some transgender people do not transition at all, because they do not have the financial means, do not feel comfortable, fear for their safety, or do not feel that it is necessary.

Compiled with information from the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Intersex Society of North America, Transgender Michigan, and the Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation at Stanford University.

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