Transgender - wizzi.site

LGBTQ-alphabet, Non binary spectrum (gender), Trans-

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What is transgender?

Transgender (often abbreviated to trans) is a term for people whose gender identity does not match the sex assigned to them at birth. This can mean that someone identifies as a gender other than their birth sex, or as a gender outside the binary classification of male and female. Transgender people may or may not choose medical or social transition depending on their personal needs and situation. The term is a broad umbrella that includes various identities, such as trans men, trans women, non-binary people and others who do not identify with their assigned gender.

The term usually refers to men assigned a female gender at birth (trans men), and women assigned the male gender at birth (trans women); these examples are known as binary transgender individuals.

Non-binary people also fall under the term transgender because their gender does not match the gender assigned at birth. However, not all non-binary people identify as trans.

Ravi knew from an early age that something wasn’t right. When people addressed them by their birth names and pronouns, it felt like those words didn’t really belong to them. Them couldn’t name it exactly, but knew that the way the world saw them didn’t match how they felt about themselves.

One day Ravi read an article about transgender identities and felt a wave of recognition. “That’s me,” they thought. “I’m not wrong, I’m just transgender.” From then on, Ravi began to explore their identity step by step. Them first shared it with a close friend, who responded understandingly and asked what name and pronouns felt right. That gave Ravi the courage to share it with others as well.

Later, when they introduced their new names in a safe environment and heard the proper pronouns, it felt like everything fell into place. “Finally,” Ravi thought, “I’m being seen as I really am.” The process was not always easy, but it gave them the freedom and confidence to live their lives in a way that truly suited them. For Ravi, being transgender meant not only a change in how others saw them, but more importantly, the opportunity to fully accept themselves.

Gender differentiation

Transgender is not a gender identity, but a gender differentiation. It indicates a difference between one’s assigned gender at birth and one’s actual gender. Some transgender individuals feel from a young age that their gender identity is different from what they were assigned, while others go through a longer search before they realize they are transgender.

People whose body and gender identity do match their assigned gender are called cisgender.

Gender and gender assignment

Transgender identities can be complex, especially because gender is assigned at birth in a binary way (male or female). As a result, there are situations where people experience partial incongruity, such as transfeminine AFAB individuals (people who are designated female at birth but identify as female-oriented non-binary). This seems contradictory, but shows how gender identity does not always fit within binary assignment.

Some gender identities are partially associated with a particular sex, such as demigirls (non-binary women) and people with gender fluid identities. This can mean that someone largely identifies as female or male, but not completely.

Gender identity versus gender expression

It is important to distinguish between gender identity and gender expression. Many drag queens/dragkings and crossdressers are trans or have a non-binary gender identity, and use drag as a way to explore their gender identity. But that does not necessarily make drag performers and crossdressers transgender. They may dress as another gender for artistic or personal reasons, without implying that their gender identity is different from their assigned gender.

Transidentities

Transmasculine / transmasc people or FtM, F2M (female to male)
Transfeminine or trans fem people or MtF, M2F (male to female)
Transneutral people or MtN/M2N (male to neutral) or FtN/F2N (female to neutral)
Trans man
Trans woman

Dysphoria and euphoria

The transgender experience is often accompanied by feelings of gender dysphoria and gender euphoria.

Gender dysphoria is the feeling of discomfort due to a person’s gender identity not matching the sex assigned at birth. This feeling can range from mild discomfort to severe depression and anxiety, especially when a person is structurally misgendered by others. Research shows that mental health improves significantly when a person is gendered correctly or undergoes transition.

Not every transgender person experiences dysphoria. Some experience it to a greater or lesser degree, others not at all. The different forms of dysphoria are:

Cognitive dysphoria: A feeling of discomfort due to how a person perceives themselves, often influenced by guilt or self-doubt.
Social dysphoria: Discomfort when others misperceive someone, such as by using the wrong pronouns, names or gender-specific forms of address.
Physical dysphoria: Discomfort about one’s own body, especially regarding sexual characteristics.

Signs of gender dysphoria

Only experience comfort when seen or treated as the desired gender (gender euphoria).
Feelings of isolation from friends, family, colleagues and society in general.
Experiencing discomfort when perceived as the wrong gender.

Causes of gender dysphoria

Hormonal or chromosomal abnormalities.
Problems during pregnancy or early development.
Intersex characteristics.
External pressures and gender stereotypes.
Neurodivergence.

Gender euphoria

Gender euphoria is the opposite of dysphoria: a feeling of comfort, satisfaction and happiness when a person is seen as one’s own gender. Some argue that being transgender is mostly about euphoria rather than dysphoria, because experiencing a strong gender identity is more common than purely the discomfort of dysphoria.

Within transmedicalist circles, on the other hand, it is claimed that a person can only be transgender if they experience dysphoria. This is criticized because it limits transition processes for people who actually benefit from them because of euphoria. Non-binary individuals and people who partially identify with their birth sex are also excluded from this definition.

Transition

Transgender individuals can express their gender in different ways. Some choose to transition socially or physically; others do not.

A social transition may include:

Changing names and/or pronouns.
Adopting a different style of clothing.
Hair style modification.
Coming-out to family, friends or at work.
Changing official documents.

A medical transition may include:

Hormone therapy (testosterone or estrogen).
Surgical procedures such as breast removal (upper surgery), breast augmentation or gender confirmation surgery.
Voice training or laser hair removal.

Not all transgender persons choose to transition completely:

Some choose social transition, but not medical transition;
some undergo certain aspects of transition, but not others – for example, hormone therapy, not surgery.
Some change their names and pronouns, but still dress as their assigned gender at birth because they are gender non-conforming.

Passing and legal recognition

Passing refers to the phenomenon in which a transgender person is seen as the gender with which they identify. This can be socially important but is not relevant to everyone, especially non-binary or gender non-conforming people.

Historically, passing was often used to gain privileges. For example, women dressed as men in order to work, travel or fight in wars.

In some countries, transgender people can change their gender on official documents such as passports and birth certificates. In some regions, this can also be done to non-binary or an “X” gender designation. However, not all transgender persons have access to these legal changes.

Changing a name is an important part of transition. A transgender person’s previous name is often called a deadname. Knowingly using a deadname is called deadnaming, which is considered disrespectful and harmful.

Transgender vs. transsexual

Transsexual is an older term that comes from the medical and psychological world. Transsexual used to be a synonym of transgender, and is still used by older transgender people.

In current times, transgender is primarily used as a medical term to refer to people who have changed their bodies or wish to do so through medical routes, such as hormonal therapy or physical surgery. Most people prefer the word transgender because it sounds less medicalized and includes those who have not undergone, can undergo or want to undergo a medical transition.

Other medical diagnoses for transgender individuals seeking medical help are gender dysphoria and gender incongruence. Again, you use these terms primarily in a medical context.

History of transgender persons

Transgender individuals have been documented throughout history, although other terms were used before the modern term “transgender” was introduced by J. Oliven in 1965.

Some well-known historical transgender persons:

Michael Dillon (1944) – First trans man to undergo full medical transition.
Roberta Cowell – First British trans woman to undergo gender-affirming surgery.
Eleanor Rykener (1394) – A medieval trans woman who worked as an embroiderer and barmaid, professions exclusive to women at the time.

In 2022, transgender was reported as one of the most common queer identities, along with non-binary and gender non-conforming.

Language

Sometimes “trans” is written as trans+ or trans*. The asterisk or plus sign indicate that all transgender, non-binary and related identities (such as drag queens/drag kings and crossdressers) are included, without requiring “transgender, non-binary and related identities” to be written in full each time.

Terminology

What is gender dysphoria?

Many transgender people (but not all) experience gender dysphoria, a feeling of unease or self-hatred that stems from a gap between their inner sense of gender and their outer appearance, their bodies, or how others perceive them. Gender dysphoria, often simply called dysphoria, can vary in intensity; it can be severe, moderate, mild, or not at all.Causes of dysphoria can vary between people and can change over the course of a person’s life or during transition.

What is passing in transgender people?

Passing or “passing for” is a term used in several subcultures when you can come across for something you are not. In the case of by trans persons, it is used to describe their appearance, and whether they can be mistaken for a cisgender person. For example, a trans woman would“fit in” when people assume she is a cisgender woman.

What is transition?

Transition refers to the act in which a person begins to live as the actual gender, rather than the gender assigned at birth. Transition can be social or medical. Social transition usually involves using your own name and first name and often changing your clothes, hair and other external features to present yourself as your actual gender. Medical transition is changing one’s body to get closer to one’s desired body. It can include hormone replacement therapy and surgery. Both can help with dysphoria.

What is the dead name or birth name?

The dead name or birth name of a transgender person is the name his/her/their parents gave him/her/their name at birth. Many transgender people choose to change their name as part of their transition, although not everyone does.

Intentionally using a transgender person’s previous (dead) name while knowing their real name is called deadnaming.

Flag

Original flag

The transgender flag was designed by trans woman Monica Helms in 1999 and was first displayed in a pride parade in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2000. The flag features:

two blue stripes, the traditional color for baby boys,
two pink stripes, the traditional color for baby girls,
a white stripe, representing non-binary, transitional and intersex persons

Variations

There are many variations of the transgender flag, and many more have been created over the years. A few common variations:

Black Trans Flag

The black transgender/POC flag was created by trans activist and writer Raquel Willis as a symbolic expression of the level of violence against people who are both people of color and transgender, as a way to spread awareness and make trans people of color proud. It was first used in the United States of America in 2015 in Black Trans Liberation Tuesday. However, some feel this flag erases non-binary identities by replacing the white stripe.

Symbol

The most common transgender symbol is a mix of the female (Venus) symbol, male (Mars) symbol, and the androgynous (Venus and Mars mixed) symbol. This symbol was designed in the early 1990s by Holly Boswell, Wendy Parker, and Nancy R. Nangeroni.