Some important definitions
Sex: refers to someone's biological identity as a male or female – characterised by having male or female genitalia.
Gender: features of maleness or femaleness expressed through personal characteristics – society plays a large part in defining “acceptable” male and female roles, though many of us feel that we don't fit fully into either of these definitions. A personal feeling of maleness, femaleness, or being somewhere in between is known as Gender Identity.
Transgender is an umbrella term that we use to describe someone who does not conform to society's view of being male or female. It includes a variety of gender identities and expressions, some of which are explained below.
Transsexual: a medical term used to describe people whose gender and biological sex are different, for example someone whose biological sex is female, but they identify as male gender.
Transsexual people often seek medical treatment to align their biological sex with their true gender.
MTF: male to female transsexual person. FTM: female to male transsexual person.
Intersex: people born with chromosomal abnormalities or ambiguous genitalia (for example they may have an external penis, but internal female reproductive organs such as ovaries). At birth, doctors and parents often decide whether the infant should be male or female and then they get surgery to assign them this gender. They may develop issues with their gender identity as they grow up.
Other transgender identities include:
- Drag queens
- Drag kings
- Gender benders and gender blenders
- Cross-dresser
- Androgyny – having both masculine and feminine characteristics, or also describes being neither male nor female
- Anyone else who identifies as transgender
Most of this information has been sourced from the Beyond Barriers Transgender leaflet.
Another great resource is the Gender Identity information booklet which has more details about medical transition options, gender recognition and information for friends and family of transgender people.