Important Terms and Information
- Gender identity refers to how a person identifies their gender, such as male, female, transgender or a number of other terms.
- Gender expression refers to how a person expresses their gender through their appearance (clothing, hair, makeup, etc.), behavior, names, etc.
- Transgender is a term for people whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender is a label that a person assigns to themselves—it is not imposed on them by others.
- About 1.4 million people in the United States identify as transgender, or about 0.6% of the population.
- Gender dysphoria occurs when a person feels as though their physical body does not match their gender identity. It can be a very distressing experience that is felt by many, but not all transgender people.
- A transition refers to the social, emotional and physical changes a person makes in their transgender journey to become who they are on the inside, which can take years.
- Binary was once a term used to refer to gender, but this is not true anymore. The language around gender changes all the time.
- Cisgender denotes or relates to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex.
- Non-binary is one of the most common terms people use to describe themselves when they do not identify as male or female. Other terms include genderqueer, agender, bigender and more.
- Gender is a spectrum and there are many terms a person can use to refer to their gender. Gender is also a lifelong process of self-discovery and expression.
Additional Resources
- Greater Boston PFLAG
- North Shore Alliance of GLBTQ Youth
- SAYFTEE
- Mass General for Children Transgender Program
North Shore Physicians Group Transgender Health Program
Location:
900 Cummings Center, Suite 107T
Beverly, MA 01915
978-524-7058