Transgenderism

In the UK, people are assigned one of two available genders (male or female) at birth, based on their physical appearance. By 'transgender' we refer to anyone who feels that the gender assigned to them at birth incompletely describes (or does not at all describe) their actual identity.

The term 'cisgender' is used to describe people who are not transgender: where their sex and their gender identity are the same. (Cis/trans are also not binaried qualities, and it should be emphasised that they are also subject to some self-definition.)

'Sex' refers to biological characteristics, while 'gender' encompasses psychological, social and cultural factors. 'Sexuality' refers to sexual orientation, and transgender people show broadly the same range of sexual orientations as cisgender people.

'By "Trans / Transgender" we are referring to all people who consider themselves to fall under the trans / transgender and gender variant umbrella. This includes, but is not limited to: Cross-dressing & transvestite people, trans women, trans men, transsexual men & transsexual women, people identifying as androgyne, polygender, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, dual gendered, & non-gender identifying, gender questioning people, gender variant & gender diverse people, transgender people & intersex people and anyone who feels that the gender assigned to them at birth incompletely describes or does not at all describe their own personal gender or non-gender identity.'

- from the Transgender Resource and Empowerment Centre website (in Manchester, serving the North-West.)

An alternative definition is suggested here:

'Transgender or Trans – Traditionally defined as a person who doesn't identify with the gender they were assigned at birth, I prefer to shift the focus away from assigned gender and define transgender as a person who's gender is not universally considered valid. That means that someone, somewhere, will tell a transperson that they are not the gender they say they are.'

- from http://nodesignation.wordpress.com/definitions/

Copyright L Demtchenko, 2010. If reproducing elsewhere, please include credit and a link back.