Definitions of Gender Terms:
- Sex
- The assignment of female or male by a doctor at birth. Although sex is often defined in terms of genitalia, whereas a penis is male and a vagina is female, these terms can be redefined. For example, a penis can be a female organ and a vagina can be a male organ.
- Gender
- The expression or behavior of a person qualified by society as masculine, feminine, androgynous or any mix thereof.
- Gender Identity
- A subjective definition of oneself in relation to the terms “man”, “woman”, “genderqueer”, etc.
- Gender Expression
- How one expresses oneself, in terms of dress and/or behaviors that can be characterized as "masculine", “feminine” or “androgynous”.
- Gender Queer
- A highly individualized identity that often involves the recognition of gender fluidity within oneself.
- Trans/Transgendered
- Those who transgress societal gender norms; often used as an umbrella term to mean those who defy binary gender expressions. This includes androgynes, cross-dressers, genderqueers and transsexuals.
- Transsexual (TS)
- A person whose gender identity does not match their assigned sex; who has an internal image of themselves as the opposite sex from their assigned sex. Some transsexuals desire to change their bodies so that they are more in line with their gender identity. The term is often qualified as F-to-M (female to male) or M-to-F (male to female) to represent the direction of transition.
- Intersex
- Any number of medical conditions in which an individual does not fit the general conditions of male or female. This can involve ambiguous genitalia, secondary sex characteristics, hormones and/or chromosomes. Intersexuality is a medical condition and is not the same as transgender, although some members of this community may choose to identify as transgender.
- Drag King/Drag Queen
- People who present larger-than-life images of men and women, exaggerating sexual stereotypes for entertainment or self-gratification.
- Cross-Dressers
- Those who wear the clothing of the opposite sex on occasion; they crossdress for personal reasons, for example, a need to express their feminine and masculine sides.
- Transition
- Movement from one identity to another.