FAQ & Terms

Frequently Used Terms:

Gender identity: A term to describe our sense of who we are and how we see and describe ourselves. Most people identify as male or female (binary identities). Some people feel that their gender identity is different from what they were assigned at birth (sometimes called biological sex). Some people do not identify as having a binary identity.

Transgender: A term used to describe people whose gender identity is different than their assigned gender at birth.

Transexual: A term that denotes or relates to a transgender person, especially one whose bodily characteristics have been altered through surgery or hormone treatment to bring them into alignment with their gender identity. May be considered outdated to some and resonate with others.

Cisgender (cis): A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with their assigned gender at birth.

Transmasculine: A term to describe people who were assigned female or intersex at birth but identify with masculinity. Often used to describe transgender men, nonbinary and gender fluid people who were assigned female at birth.

Intersex: A term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.

Nonbinary: A term used to describe people whose gender identity is not male or female. In addition to nonbinary, others may use the term genderqueer, agender, bigender, and more. Each of these terms mean something different; they all highlight the experience of gender that is not simply male or female.

Pronouns: Pronouns can sometimes be a signifier for someone’s gender identity, but not always. Some examples include “she/her” or “he/him” or gender-neutral pronouns, such as “ze/hir,” [pronounced: zee/heer] or “they/them”. Some people use specific pronouns, any pronouns, or none at all.

Transition: A period of time when a person begins to live according to their gender identity, and not the gender they were assigned at birth. Transition is an individual process and different for each of us. Some use words like social transition and medical transition to differentiate between types of transition. Not all trans persons transition.

Passing and/or Cis Passing: A term used by some to describe the experience of trans and/or nonbinary persons being perceived by people, and mainstream society, as cisgender and/or heterosexual. This term can be controversial. Not every trans and/or nonbinary person wants to pass. Some are unable to pass for a variety of reasons. Others reject the idea of passing as it may reinforce the false belief that we are somehow being deceptive when we are seen as our authentic gender identity.

Blending or blending in: Some consider this as a more acceptable word to describe the experience of passing.

Sexual orientation: Describes whom you are or are not attracted to. Gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, etc.

Gender dysphoria: A term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their gender assigned at birth and their gender identity.

FTM: Stands for “female to male”. This was a commonly used and accepted way to describe transmen, transexual men, transmasculine persons.This term is not currently used as much as it was before the 2000’s.

MTM: Stands for “male to male”. MTM was used by a group of transmen who did not identify as FTM. Persons who identified as MTM did not describe themselves as having a female history typically.

MTF: Stands for “male to female”. This was a commonly used way to describe transwomen, transexual women, transfeminine/transfemme persons. This term is not currently used as much as it was before the 2000’s.

AFAB: A term to describe persons who are assigned female at birth.

AMAB: A term to describe persons who are assigned male at birth.

WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health), https://wpath.org/ : WPATH, formerly known as the (Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, interdisciplinary professional and educational organization devoted to transgender health. Their members engage in research to develop evidence-based medicine and strive to promote a high quality of care for transsexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming individuals internationally.

USPATH (The United States Professional Association for Transgender Health):USPATH will be a nonprofit organization and will form when a Board of Directors is elected by the US members of WPATH. Then that board will solidify bylaws, organize committees, and conduct business under the WPATH umbrella.

WPATH Standards of Care(SOC): WPATH promotes the highest standards of health care for individuals through the articulation of Standards of Care.The goal of the SOC is to provide clinical guidance for health professionals to assist transsexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming people with safe and effective pathways to achieving lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves, in order to maximize their overall health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment. This assistance may include primary care, gynecologic and urologic care, reproductive options, voice and communication therapy, mental health services (e.g., assessment, counseling, psychotherapy), and hormonal and surgical treatments. It can be downloaded here: https://wpath.org/publications/soc

Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT): Hormones that align with a person’s gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. These hormones can be used to make the body more masculine or more feminine so that it is more closely aligned with the person’s inner sense of self. Not all trans and nonbinary persons use HRT.

Synthetic Testosterone: Some transmen/transmasculine/nonbinary persons opt to go on HRT. Testosterone or “T” is available in gels, pellets, patches, creams and more. Testosterone is a controlled substance in the USA and requires a doctor’s prescription. There are two main types of injectable testosterone:

Testosterone cypionate (aka depo-testosterone) is an androgen and anabolic steroid that is administered intramuscularly.

Testosterone enanthate (aka delatestryl) is an androgen and anabolic steroid that is administered intramuscularly.

Gender Affirming Surgery (GAS): Surgeries typically performed by plastic surgeons or urologists. The goal is to give transgender individuals the physical appearance and functional abilities of the gender they know themselves to be. There are many available gender affirming surgeries.

Gender Affirming Surgery Letter (GASL): Health professionals will be asked to write letters of support for gender affirming surgeries prior to surgery. Guidelines for letters are found in the WPATH Standards of Care.