Cisgender. An adjective describing people whose gender or gender identity matches the one they were assigned at birth.

Cissexism. An assumption that everyone is or must be cisgender; or, the belief that cis people are superior to transgender individuals; or, using this belief to center exclusion or transphobia. Cissexism disregards other gender modalities and discriminates against genderqueer persons. 

Dysmorphia. Distress, sometimes extreme, that a person experiences about a characteristic of their body or physical appearance.

Gender. The socially constructed characteristics that people are assumed to have based on their assigned sex. This includes norms, behaviors, and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl, or boy. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.

Gender binary. The system in which gender is constructed as two strict categories, male and female. Under the gender binary, a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and social role and behavior are expected to align with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Gender dysphoria. Clinically significant distress caused by a mismatch between a person’s assigned birth gender and the one with which they identify.

Gender euphoria. Joy or happiness felt about one’s own gender identity, gender expression, or the way one or both of them are perceived.

Gender-expansive. Having a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than is allowed for by the gender binary. The phrase is often used as an umbrella term for young people still exploring the possibilities of their gender expression and/or gender identity.

Gender expression. The external manifestation or appearance of one’s gender identity, usually through behavior, clothing, body characteristics, or voice. A person’s gender expression may or may not match the behaviors and characteristics typically associated with their gender.

Gender-fluid. Not identifying with a single, fixed gender, or having a fluid or unfixed gender identity.

Gender identity. An individual’s internal sense of being a man, a woman, neither of these, both of these, or some other gender or genders.

Genderqueer. Rejecting static categories of gender in favor of a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as genderqueer may see themselves as being both male and female, as neither male nor female, or as falling completely outside these categories.

Intersex. Having genetic and/or developmental differences from the norm in sex traits and/or reproductive anatomy. Intersex variations appear in many forms, including differences in genitalia, chromosomes, gonads, internal sex organs, hormone production, hormone response, and secondary sex traits.

Nonbinary. Not identifying exclusively as either a man or a woman. Nonbinary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, as being somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many nonbinary people also identify as transgender, not all do. “Nonbinary” can also be used as an umbrella term encompassing identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer, and gender-fluid.

Sex assigned at birth. The sex—male, female, or intersex—that a doctor or midwife categorizes a child as at birth, on the basis of their external anatomy.

Transgender. Having a gender identity and/or expression different from what is culturally associated with the sex the person was assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or any other orientation.

Transitioning. Undertaking a set or series of processes to live more fully as one’s true gender. There are several kinds of transition. Social transition may include changing one’s name and pronouns; medical transition may include hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries; and legal transition may include changing one’s legal name and/or sex and obtaining updated identity documents. Transgender people may choose to undergo some, all, or none of these processes.

Most of these terms are taken from the Human Rights Coalition. The UUA publishes its own list, but it includes some outdated terms, so we suggest using this one.