|
Term Definitions
These definitions are community works in progress. Be careful to ask what people mean when they use certain terms, if the exact meaning is important. Many people use these terms in many different ways.
Transgender - an umbrella term for people who transgress gender norms or cross society's idea of gender lines. Transgender is about gender identity and gender expression, not sexual orientation. Transgender people can identify their sexual orientation as heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.
Gender Expression - Self-expression, actions, behavior, dress, grooming, etc. related to culturally prescribed norms for the categories of male and female.
Gender Identity - Inner sense of being male or female, both, or neither. Includes sense of self and one's image presented to the world. A self-identification.
Assigned Sex/Gender - Based on physical anatomy of genitalia, usually assigned at birth. One's assigned gender is frequently assumed to be in accord with one's biological sex, although this is often not the case.
Intersex - a general 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. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside. The vast majority of intersex people are not transgender.
Cisgender - A person whose gender identity matches their assigned sex, i.e., a non-transgender person.
Transphobia - The irrational fear of those who are gender variant or transgender and/or the inability to deal with gender ambiguity.
Discrimination - Prejudice + power. It occurs when members of a more powerful social group behave unjustly or cruelly to members of a less powerful social group. Discrimination can take many forms, including both individual acts of hatred or injustice and institutional denials of privileges normally accorded to other groups. Ongoing discrimination creates a climate of oppression for the affected group.
Some different types of transgender people:
Transsexual - person whose gender identity does not match the gender that was assigned to them at birth. They transition and live full time in a different gender. They generally seek the use of hormones and surgery to bring their sex in line with their gender identity.
FTM – female-to-male transsexual man
MTF – male-to-female transsexual woman
Genderqueer - people who identify their gender outside of the binary categories of male and female, for example, identifying as neither man or woman, identifying as both, etc. They may have a fluid or non-conforming gender presentation and may use masculine, feminine, or gender-neutral pronouns such as ze and hir.
Cross-dressers - person who wears clothing opposite their assigned gender, usually not all the time. Does not identify as the opposite gender identity.
Gender Non-Conforming People - anyone whose gender expression does not match stereotypes of how men and women are "supposed to" look and act. Some identify as transgender and others do not.
Adapted in part from a Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition handout.
Links
Trans 101 and learning about trans issues
Gendercrash Trans 101
Primer on non-trans privilege
Trannys Talk Back (written at Harvard)
Translife.net
A bit of a misnomer, this piece is about accomodating a middle school transgender boy.
The Harvard BGLTSA website
These worksheets okit a few reasons for disproportionate rates of poverty and homelessness in trans populations and disproportionate exposure to criminal justice systems and special harms from these systems facing low-income trans populations. Courtesy of Sylvia Rivera Law Project.
Books are available at the BGLTSA resource center in Holworthy Basement open from 11 am to 5pm, or from Contact in Thayer basement from 8pm to 1am on Thursday, Friday and Sunday nights.
Both have large recommended reading lists.
Info about GIE non-discrimination
List of other colleges who have implemented GIE non-discrimination
|
