Key 1:Trans language and terminology.
Key 2: LGBTQ language and basic respect.
Key 3: Transitioning, hormones and sports.
Key 4: Sex vs Gender (Biology)
Key 5: Cisgender vs Transgender
K-1
The terms for people who's sex assigned at birth differs to their gender have had many terms throughout history, the current and most popular/accepted being Transgender, or simply Trans. Trans itself is an umbrella term to include anybody who is not Cis (More on 'Cis' in K-7). This includes many people, including, but by no means limited to: Nonbinary, Genderfluid, Agender, etc.
The term that 'Transgender' typically refers to in media is what is known as MTF, and FTM. FTM stands for Female To Male, regarding someone who's sex which was assigned at birth is female, and MTF someone who's sex was assigned at birth as Male. These terms basically mean that they are Transitioning from their sex, of which a doctor had assigned to them, to their gender- so their gender and body match, basically.
There are many terms for Transgender people, and the language we use changes rather quickly- as given with the term Queer, of which used to be classified as a slur, but was reclaimed by the LGBTQ community. There are a few that I have not mentioned, of which I will briefly:
Gender Identity - A person's gender, of which does not always match their sex.
Gender Expression - Not to be confused with Gender Identity, this is how one may dress, or express themselves, such as crossdressing.
Now, I will go more in depth with the following terms later, as they are more complicated. There are far more, but I'll talk about them as I go on.
There are many other terms which are more cultural based, like the 'Trans Egg' meme, but I will not be talking about those, as they are less important.
To add, a Trans-woman is someone who's sex assigned at birth is Male, and who's gender is female. A Trans-man is the opposite of this. This is the same as MTF, and FTM. In a sentence, it would look something like-
'Michael was assigned Female at birth, which means he is a Trans-man.' Simply replace Trans-man with Trans-woman, and Female with male, and that is how it is used, typically.
Another thing to add, that it is extremely disrespectful to ask someone for their deadname (The name given to someone before they had transitioned/came out as another gender, and changed their name), instead of their chosen name. If you want to know a Trans person's name, simply ask for their name. Asking for their deadname is highly disrespectful & rude, as it basically says that you want to offend them, whether you meant it like that or not.
K-2
LGBTQ, as most people know, stands for- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer/Questioning. It has been changed recently to include Intersex people, and Asexuals. (LGBTQIA+) This is not as commonly used as LGBTQ, or LGBTQ+, however.
For basic respect, I believe it's pretty simple.
Treat them like you would anyone.
That's it.
For the rest of LGBTQ language, here are some terms that are commonly used-
Sexual Attraction - A sexual attraction towards another person.
Romantic Attraction - An attraction towards another person, not to be confused with Sexual Attraction.
Intersex - This refers to someone born with both biological attributes. Intersex people may indetify as M, F, NB, or otherwise, however.
Lesbian - A woman who is attracted to other women
Gay - A man who is attracted to other men
Bisexual - Someone who is attracted to all genders (Though, some may use different language)
Orientation - A term to describe a person's attraction to other people. This applies for both sexual and romantic attraction, regardless of their sexuality.
Outed - This refers to someone who's sexual orientation or gender identity has been disclosed to another person without their consent.
Coming out - This refers to someone telling others about their sexual orientation or gender identity, whilst before being secretive about it.
Passing - When a Trans person is perceived to be Cisgender, based on appearance alone.
Pronoun - This is not just a LGBTQIA term, and is a basic part of our language- including words like I, Me, he, she, they, etcetera.
K-3
Transitioning is the act of taking Hormones, or undergoing surgery, to make your body align with your gender. HRT, or Hormone Replacement Therapy (Originally made for Cis people with hormone issues) is something Trans people take to essentially make their body look more like their gender- 'T', or Testosterone for Trans-men, and 'E', or Estrogen, for Trans-women. Please note that these are both hormones that everyone has in their body- just certain sex's have more or less of each.
Sports is a highly controvertial topic in the general Trans community, and the world at large- with some arguing that Trans Women should not be allowed in sports, due to their SAB (Sex Assigned at Birth) being Male.
This, however, is entirely incorrect- before a Trans athlete is allowed to compete, their hormone levels MUST be checked and go through regulations. Trans-women do NOT have any advantages over Cis-women, and if they did, they would've won far more than they have. If they were truly 'dominating' women's sports, they would've had a gold medal by now.
They haven't.
No Trans-athlete has won a gold medal as of the time I'm writing this, and HRT does, infact, alter your body, as it is like going through puberty again. If a Trans-man takes T, he will begin to grow a beard, and more defined muscles, in some cases, and if a Trans-woman takes them, she will begin to grow breasts and other aspects.
There are also surgeries trans people can undergo to essentially remove their genitalia to make it match their gender's- i.e. remove the phallus for trans-women, and 'add' one for Trans-men. The surgery is far more 'graphic' than this, but Gamejolt will likely take my post down if I go into details- feel free to research this part yourselves.
K-4
Biology is an interesting subject in the regards to Trans people, and it is something often used AGAINST them, when that is just not the case.
Sex and Gender are not the same thing- your sex is what you were assigned at birth, what's 'in your pants', and your Gender is what you express- you feel- yourself to be. Your gender cannot be changed, hence why conversion therapy does not work. Your gender is how YOU feel, your sex is what you were born with. Biology DOES cover this, and those who use 'basic biology' against Transitioning haven't gone any further than year 5 biology.
The majority of people's sex match their gender- hence why Cis-people are the majority of the population. This, however, does not mean that being Trans is a trend, or something new or learnt, it is because for most of history, being transgender has been illegal, the punishment being death, or worse, same with being LGBTQIA.
K-5
This is the most common confusion I've seen- the word 'Cis' is not a slur, it is short for Cisgender- the prefix meaning 'on the same side of'. The word means your sex you were assigned at birth matches your gender, thus you are a cis-woman. A Trans person is the opposite of this, as earlier mentioned.
Cis: Someone who's sex matches their gender
Trans: Someone who's sex does NOT match their gender.
(Simply searching up the term 'Cis' gives you this', by the way.)
That's it, but I thought I'd make this just because I've seen people confuse these terms WAYYYYY to much, and it's frustrating.
SOURCES!
https://glaad.org/reference/trans-terms/
https://www.coe.int/en/web/gender-matters/sex-and-gender#:~:text=Sex%20refers%20to%20
6 comments