About A Boi

Biological Sex: Male/Female – Sex is determined by our chromosomes (XX for females, XY for males); our hormones (estrogen and progesterone for females, testosterone for males); and our internal and external genitalia (vulva, clitoris, vagina for females, penis and testicles for males). Even though all of these aspects of sex should be taken into consideration before a doctor “assigns” a newborn a male or female label, almost all doctors

Gender:  Boy/Girl, Man/Woman – Gender is the category to which a person is assigned at birth, usually matched to the sex of the person.  Gender is independent of biological sex, but most people mistakenly think they are synonymous terms.  Gender is a social construct involving separate roles for men and women, and it varies across cultures.  Many cultures have more than two genders, and almost all cultures attach different values, expectations, and roles to each gender.  Gender is a sort of performance, with men and women having different lines, costumes, attitudes, and roles to perform, with the audience being every single person who sees us throughout the day.

Gender Expression:  Gender expression is the way we present our gender to others each and every moment of the day.  This includes a person’s choice of clothing, hairstyle, their body language and mannerisms, a person’s voice (whether it is a high, shallow pitch or a low, deep pitch), the particular gender roles a person performs, etc.  If you can think of the most masculine person you know and the most feminine person you know, you are probably determining that by their gender expression. You can use what you know about that person to examine your perception of masculinity and femininity.  What is it about that person’s clothing, hair, body language, voice, and behaviors that make them masculine or feminine?  All of these are determined by our culture, the media, and fashion trends.  The way gender is presented changes over time.

Gender Role: Gender roles are the sets of expectations that one will look, dress, and behave in a manner that is identifiable as a man or woman.  ie. Currently, in the United States, the “normal” gender role for a man includes having short hair or at least a masculine haircut, wearing clothes designated for men, being assertive, a leader, having a firm handshake, being decisive, etc.  For women, the gender role includes being passive, having long or short stylish hair, wearing popular women’s fashion, being nurturing and compassionate, etc.  Obviously, these roles are changing and are very stereotypical and can be argued against from a feminist perspective, but whether we like it or not, this is the current norm for our society.

Gender Identity:  This is one’s sense of self as a boy or a girl, man or woman, non-gendered, bi-gendered, transgendered, intersexed, or any other alternatively-gendered person. A person’s gender identity is commonly communicated to others through their gender expression.  One’s gender should be determined by the person’s gender identity and/or gender role.  Gender identity does not always line up with the same gender that was assigned to a person at birth - meaning, a person’s sense of being a man or woman has nothing to do with whether they are male or female, but it is a feeling that exists within themselves that they must come to terms with and express in a way of their own choosing.  Gender identity is a term hard to understand by people who have no problems lining their gender up with their sex.  When you are simply a man or simply a woman, it isn’t often that you contemplate your gender identity as a man or a woman so this is sometimes the hardest concept involved in transgenderism to explain to non-gender-variant people.

Gender Dysphoria:  This is the overall psychological term used to describe the feelings of pain, anguish, confusion, and anxiety that arise from a mismatch between a person’s biological sex and gender identity. Gender dysphoria is caused by a combination of parental and societal pressures to conform to gender norms that are in compliance with a gender identity that matches that of a person’s birth sex. (Note: Transgenderism itself is not caused by parental or societal pressures, but the negative feelings due to being transgendered, the dysphoria, are caused by parental and societal pressures because there is a pressure to be one or the other, male or female, not something in between.  In societies where transgendered people are revered, gender dysphoria does not exist.)  Almost all trans/genderqueer people suffer from gender dysphoria in varying degrees, and a majority struggle for most of their lives to conform to a gender role that is not representative of their actual gender identity, putting their own needs aside and attempting to please the rest of the world in spite of intense suffering that non-trans people can never understand and trans people can never put into words.  Gender dysphoria includes feelings of guilt and shame due to the person’s inability to be “normal” even though they feel they have no choice in the matter.  The guilt and shame can sometimes lead to years of silence until the trans person finds it impossible to continue living what feels like a lie and decides they have no choice but to “come out.”  Countless other trans people never tell, and they live their entire lives feeling like a character in a play, and they don’t know their lines and can never take off their costumes.  Many trans people who never tell cannot take the intensity of gender dysphoria for their entire lives so they commit suicide rather than face the judgment of family and society.  There is no way to ever know how many people are transgendered because so many never admit it to themselves or others. So….

Transgender: Transgender is often used as an umbrella term to describe people who do not fit into society’s assigned gender roles.  Here are a few definitions from different resources for the term:

-         when a person’s gender experience does not “match” the sex they were assigned at birth

-         those who transgress societal gender norms

-         those who defy rigid gender constructions and express or present a breaking and/or blurring of cultural/stereotypical gender roles

Many medical researchers believe that transgenderism is rooted in complex biological factors that are fixed at birth.  Trans people include pre-operative, post-operative, and non-operative transsexuals, crossdressers, intersexed persons, female-to-male (FTM) transmen, male-to-female (MTF) transwomen, gender queers, and many, many other identities far too numerous to list here.  The term “transgender” describes several distinct but related groups of people who use a variety of other terms to self-identify, and some people do not wish to be included under this umbrella term. For example, many transsexuals consider themselves an entity of their own and do not want to be grouped up with transgendered people.  Also, many intersexed people do not see intersexuality as a gender identity conflict that should be included under the term “transgender”.  The important thing to remember when it comes to labeling is that the person in question should be allowed to self-identify, and whether you understand what the identification means or you disagree with it, it is a personal right of that person to decide how they will identify.  Identity is not a choice, but it is a long process of soul-searching and coming to terms with oneself before someone can put into words a “label” that suits their identity. Many people go through many different identities before they find the “right” one for them.  This statement also attempts to claim that one can sum up an entire self in one identity, which is entirely improbable.

Androgyny (also androgynous, bi-gendered, no-gendered): A person who identifies as both or neither of the two culturally defined genders and/or who expresses and/or presents merged culturally/stereotypically feminine and masculine characteristics, or mainly neutral characteristics. May or may not express dual gender identity.

Binary Gender System: A culturally defined code of acceptable behaviors which teach that there are men and women, who are masculine and feminine, and that there is nothing outside this system. The problem that occurs when we talk about gender is that everything is set in the binary system, but the gender issues that we are talking about exist in a multi-gender system and do not neatly fit into a binary system.

Binding: The practice of taping or compressing the chest or "breast tissue" so that one can pass as a man, this is done with extremely tight bras, elastic bandages, and other methods.

 Bottom Surgery: Surgery "below the waist", to either create a vagina (for a male-to-female, MTF) or a penis and testicles (for a female-to-male, FTM). There are many different issues that cause each person to make the decision to either have or not have the surgeries. Some factors include: desire, expense, physical health, age, and access to medical care and information. There are also many difficulties that can occur with these surgeries, which will factor into each individual's decision-making.

 Drag (also Drag King, Drag Queen, Female/Male Impersonator): Wearing the clothing of another gender, often with exaggerated cultural/stereotypical gender characteristics. Individuals may identify as Drag Kings (female in drag) or Drag Queens (male in drag). Drag often refers to dressing for functional purposes such as entertainment/performance or social gatherings. Drag has held a significant place in GLBT history and community.

F2M/FTM (Female to Male): Used to identify a person who was female bodied at birth and who identifies as male, lives as a man, or identifies as masculine.

Gender Queer: A term which is used by some people who may or may not fit on the spectrum of trans, or be labeled as trans, but who identify their gender and their sexual orientation to be outside the assumed norm.

Gender Reassignment Surgery--GRS (also Sex Reassignment Surgery--SRS): Permanent surgical refashioning of genitalia to resemble the genitalia of the desired gender. Sought to attain congruence between one's body and one's gender identity.

Hormone Therapy (also Hormone Replacement Therapy, HRT, Hormonal Sex Reassignment): Administration of hormones to affect the development of secondary sex characteristics of the opposite assigned gender; this is a process, possibly lifelong, of using hormones to change the internal body chemistry. Androgens (testosterone) are used for female-to-males, and Estrogens are used for male-to-females.

Intersexed (also Hennaphrodite): An Individual born with full or partial genitalia of both genders, or with underdeveloped or ambiguous genitalia. Surgery is common in infancy, when a singular gender is assigned. Many who have surgery develop feeling a sense of loss of an essential part of themselves.

M2F, MTF, Male-to-Female: Used to identify a person who was male bodied at birth and who identifies as a female, lives as a woman, or identifies as feminine.

Passing: The ability for a person to present themselves in another gender than which they live full-time or in which they were assigned at birth.

Real Life Test (also Life Test): A period of time required of individuals seeking gender reassignment surgery during which they must live full-time expressing and presenting the gender in which they identify. Many doctors require a Real-Life Test of two or more years before advancing to surgery.

Secondary Sex Characteristics: The changes that occur when a person reaches puberty. They include but are not limited to: facial and body hair growth, muscle development, voice changes, breast development, and the ability to reproduce.

Standards of Care: A set of minimum guidelines formulated by the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, Inc. (HBIGDA) for care of transsexual individuals and providing requirements for consumers and service providers.

Top Surgery: Surgery "above the waist," usually breast augmentation for MTFs and breast reduction for FTMs. There are many different issues that cause each person to make the decision either to have or not have the surgeries, some factors include: desire, expense, physical health, age, and access to medical care and information. There are also many difficulties that can occur with these surgeries, which will factor into each individual's decision-making process.

Transgenderist: People who choose to cross-live full time, but who choose not to have Sex Reassignment Surgery/Gender Reassignment Surgery. They may or may not have some surgeries, and they may or may not use hormones.

Ze: Used in place of she/he, a new pronoun when you need to talk about an individual whose gender does not neatly fit into a particular box.