Allison’s Queer Transgender Glossary

Here are some definitions of queer- and trans-specific terms I use in my writing. It is not exhaustive, and there is variation in how folks use these terms. This is how I use them. If you feel that I’ve got something wrong here, feel free to educate me, but don’t be rude or confrontational — that just kills the conversation.

AFAB, AMAB
Assigned female/male at birth. See sex (as) assigned at birth.

agender
See nonbinary.

binary 
Tending to identify either as female or as male. See also nonbinary.

cis 
A respectful term meaning ‘not trans’. Most binary trans people envy cis people their cis-ness. We’re trying to get over that.

cisgender
Someone whose gender identity matches up with their sex as assigned at birth.

clock
To read someone as their sex as assignd at birth, rather than as their identified gender, when they are presenting as their identified gender and, usually, trying to pass (which see; see also read).

deadname
To call a trans person by a former, gender incongruent name. Not a nice thing to do.

endo
Endocrinologist; a specialist often employed to manage a trans person’s hormone therapy, esp. during transition.

femme 
To present a distinctly feminine, rather than masculine or androgynous, aspect.

full-time
Living in one’s identified gender publicly, day and night; usually preceded by a more private ‘part-time’ period. Yeah, transition is like working a job.

gatekeeper 
Someone in the medical, psychotherapeutic, or bureaucratic systems who has power over whether or not someone has access to necessary treatments, documents, &c.

gender identity, identified gender
The gender someone feels themselves to belong to; may or may not be congruent with their sex as assigned at birth.

genderfluid
See nonbinary.

het, hetero
Heterosexual.

identified gender
See gender identity, identified gender.

intersex 
Born with atypical sex chromosomes and/or ambiguous or misleading internal or external genitalia. If you call these folks hermaphrodites they will probably kill you.

manstruation
A thing a trans guy I know talks about. This whole transgender thing can get a little peculiar at times.

misgender 
To use pronouns or other descriptors for someone which contradict their identified gender; e.g., ‘she’ when referring to a trans man (don’t do this, testosterone makes them cranky sometimes).

nonbinary 
Identifying not with the binary gender model, i.e., either female or male, but rather somewhere in-between or outside that model.

non-op
Non-operative; usually a trans person who does not intend to have gender reassignment surgery (GRS). See also pre-op.

out, out of the closet
To stop hiding, and/or to declare, one’s queer status. The step from shame to Pride. Increasingly used by non-queer people to describe non-queer disclosures. Not sure how I feel about that…

pass, passing privilege
The ability, or ‘privilege’, of a trans person to be read or clocked as their identified gender, rather than as their sex as assigned at birth.

An unfortunate term, as it seems to imply that someone is ‘passing themselves off’ as something they’re not; whereas passing, for a trans person, means being recognised as who they actually are. Some trans people (including me) see this term as problematic, even stigmatising, but we don’t have a good alternate yet. So I like to imagine some old geezer saying ‘Hey-up, she’s passin’ good lookin’!’

Learn more on why the term ‘passing’ is problematic; the speaker is Chase Ross. (10 min. video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjCopTI8P9o 
And here is an important discussion that includes the concept of ‘passing’; the speaker is Kai Cheng Thom. (3 min. video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3UfsU5Blgk

presentation, gender presentation 
How one displays or broadcasts one’s gender, through appearance and behaviour; typ. including some of: one’s name, clothing, hair and makeup, ornament, vocal pitch, inflection and vocabulary, physical gesture, posture and stylised movement, secondary sex characteristics, even choice of occupation, and oh, so much more…

pre-op
Pre-operative; usually a trans person who has not yet had gender reassignment surgery (GRS). Sometimes used as inclusive of non-op.

Pride 
The state of being rid of shame through being out; also, public expressions of this.

queer 
An umbrella term encompassing pretty much everything not cis-hetero; e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, agender, intersex, and much, much more…

queer alphabet soup 
Often shortened to LGBTQ+; at the moment the full bowl seems to be 
LGBT*(T)Q1Q2GQIAASCP(GSM), but that’ll probably have changed by the time you read this; see A Beginner’s Guide to the Great Alphabet Soup Of Queer Identity.

read, read as
To be identified by others either correctly, as your identified gender, or incorrectly, to be misgendered (which see).

real life test (RLT)
A former requirement for transsexuals, prior to being allowed by gatekeepers to have gender reassignment surgery. Still enforced in places, and a usual de facto norm during transition.

sex (as) assigned at birth
Someone checks between your legs right after you pop out of your mum and decides what you’re going to be the rest of your life. Not necessarily a good idea. See sexing, AFAB, AMAB.

sexing, sexed
A term I’ve borrowed from livestock handling; the act of identifying the birth sex of a young animal, esp. poultry.

shame 
Guilt comes from doing wrong. Shame comes from being wrong. There is no such thing as being wrong, but that’s not what we learn…

stealth, stealth life
Adopting a life in one’s identified gender without disclosure of past trans status; requires passing privilege and a change of location and associates. 
This would be me.

straight
Not bisexual or homosexual. I consider myself to be a straight woman.

trans, trans*
Typ. short for transgender, but also for transsexual. I tend to use it to mean transitioning, or having transitioned, from somewhere on one side of the gender spectrum to somewhere on the other side of the gender spectrum. As you can tell, I’m still kinda trying to get my head around genderfluid and agender…which makes me feel a bit like a cis person…?

trans man 
A man whose sex at birth was assigned as female (or sometimes intersex).

Trans Pride
A fairly recent movement, wherein people who are out as trans dump their shame and declare their pride in their status as trans.

trans woman
A woman whose sex at birth was assigned as male (or sometimes intersex). That would be me.

transgender
An umbrella term for pretty much everything that doesn’t fall under the rubric of cisgender; e.g., transsexual, intersex, nonbinary, agender, &c.

transition
A process some trans people go through to bring their lives into better congruence with their identified gender; may include life changes ranging from dressing and behaving within the norms for their gender, to taking hormones, to surgical intervention. May also include such externals as severing ties with friends and family who are not accepting, and/or moving to a place where their past is unknown.

transsexual
A transgender, usually binary-identified person who alters their biology to be more congruent with their identity; e.g., through hormones, surgical interventions, &c. Some trans people see this term as stigmatising. And by the way, if you call me or anyone else a ‘tranny’ and I hear you, I will probably try to kill you. Or at least want to.

zeitgeist
Not a trans term; I just like the word. We’re trying to influence this.