Home > Blog Posts > Personal > Glossary

Glossary

Published: Aug 22 2017

Estimated Read Time:

Disclaimer

Some of these definitions are simplified. Some people might prefer one term over another that is similar. Feel free to use them as search terms and expand on the topic as needed. 

After creating this list I decided to try to find something similar and found these sites: http://www.stop-homophobia.com/lgbt-terms-and-definitions and http://www.wearefamilycharleston.org/lgbt-a-z-glossary/

There are plenty of lists if you search for them though. I think the important thing is to recognize and respect the language that someone chooses to use.

 

  • AA

    Antiandrogen, androgen antagonists or testosterone blockers.

  • Asexual

    Someone who does not desire or have interest in sexual activity. Not the same as just abstaining from sex. Sometimes shortened to 'ace'.

  • AFAB (FAAB)

    Assigned Female At Birth.

  • Ally

    Typically a cis person who stands up for or supports LGBT issues. Can inlcude people in the LGBT realm as well.

  • AMAB (MAAB)

    Assigned Male At Birth.

  • Asexual

    Someone who does not desire or have interest in sexual activity. Not the same as just abstaining from sex. Sometimes shortened to 'ace'.

  • Bottom Surgery

    See GRS

  • Cis

    Shorthand for cisgender. Someone who identifies as the gender they were assigned. the majority of the population. Also similarly used with other words the same way as trans (eg: cissexual).

  • Cisgender (Cissexual)

    See Cis
    Someone whose gender identity matches with their assigned at birth gender.

  • Cishet

    Short for cisgender, heterosexual. The majority of the population. This is usually what people mean when they talk about the majority of people. Society tends to place this as the default.

  • Clock (clocked/clocking)

    Recognized as transgender or not cis.

  • Coming Out

    Acknowledging your gender or sexual identity to other people.

  • Dysphoria

    A state of unease or generalized dissatisfaction with life. I have generally seen this as shorthand for 'gender dysphoria', ie specifically relating to gender identity.

  • Euphoria

    A feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness. Also can be combined to 'gender euphoria', ie happiness related to gender identity.

  • FFS

    Facial Feminization Surgery. Surgical procedures to feminize a person's face to be more feminine. Various surgeries: brow lift, rhinoplasty, cheek implantation, lip augmentation, etc. 

  • FTM

    Female To Male.

  • Gender Identity

    Personal perception of your gender. Disconnect between this and your physical manifestation can be a cause for dysphoria.

  • GRS (SRS/GCS/GAS)

    Genital Reconstructive Surgery. Surgical procedure(s) to alter appearance and/or function of a person's genitals to match their gender. Also: Gender Reassignment Surgery, Gender Confirmation Surgery, Gender Affirming Surgery, Sex Reassignment Surgery, Sex Realignment Surgery.

  • HRT

    Hormone Replacement Therapy. eg: testosterone for trans men, estrogen and AA for trans women.

  • Intersex

    Umbrella term for multiple medical conditions. This could be anything from a chromosomal variation to a genital variation. Sometimes the condition isn't known until autopsy or not ever known.

  • MTF

    Male To Female.

  • Non-Binary

    Someone who does not identify as male or female.

  • Pass (or passing)

    Short for "passing as cisgender". Not noticeably transgender.

  • Queer

    A flexible term to cover anything that isn't heterosexual. More inlcusive than just gay or lesbian or bisexual. Also used as a slur.

  • Stealth

    A trans person who is not open about their transition. Easier for someone who passes.

  • Top Surgery

    Mastectomy. Removal of breast tissue.

  • Trans

    Shorthand for transgender. Someone who does not identify as the gender they were assigned. Also used as shorthand for transition and can be added to other words (eg: transsexual). Sometimes a prefix (transgender), usually an adjective (trans woman, similar to tall woman, short woman, etc).

  • Transgender

    See Trans
    Someone who transitions from one gender to another. 

  • Transition

    The process of altering yourself to align with your gender identity. eg: using HRT

  • Trans man

    A transgender man. Two words.
    See FTM AFAB

  • Transsexual

    See Trans
    Someone who transitions from one sex to a different sex. Sometimes used as a synonym for transgender. Transsexual is the more dated term but also may be accurate for individuals who have undergone GRS.

  • Transvestite

    Dated term for crossdresser. Someone who enjoys wearing clothes designed for the opposite sex.

  • Trans woman

    A transgender woman. Two words
    See MTF AMAB

 

Caution

Below here are words that are generally frowned upon. Everyone is different and will react to them in their own way. One person may be fine with a word and another may take offense. They exist though so I am adding them to the list.

  • Ladyboy

    Asian transgender women. Especially Thailand and Phillipines. Also a heavily used porn keyword which is why I put it on this list.

  • Shemale

    A porn term for transgender porn. Typically featuring trans women who have not had SRS. 

  • Tranny

    Short for transsexual, transgender, or transvestite individuals, nearly always as an insult.

 

 

Related Posts:

Previous:
Isolated Incidents

Next:
Just One Weekend