Glossary of English gender and sex terminology

This glossary of English gender and sex terminology shows actual language use. Unless a word is marked with a specific country, assume all these words may be used internationally, in any country where English is spoken.

This could be called a MOGII glossary. This glossary's selection of words has a focus on non-binary gender identities, and closely related subjects of gender non-conformity. This glossary also collects words about gender and sexuality, especially words used by or in reference to MOGII identities (transgender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and asexual), as well as intersex conditions, as these provide essential context, and often have an overlap with the main subject. The glossary includes psychiatric terminology as well as subcultural slang, and obsolete historical terms as well as very new words (neologisms). The words cover identity labels, gender-neutral pronouns, diagnoses, and political issues.

If you put more words into this glossary, try to only put in words that you wouldn't find in the average pocket dictionary. Give sources to show that the word is really used in the way you say, or, if the wiki has an entry about that word, link to it. Keep glossary entries short, about three lines long at most. If they get too long, make a new wiki article for them.

Although it is useful to learn how to understand specialized jargon, you can be more helpful to your readers if you keep your own writing easy to understand. When writing for this wiki, please try to use plain English as much as possible, and use specialized jargon only sparingly, and as needed.

Content warnings: In order to keep readers informed about how to not make offense to others, this glossary gives some words that some see as offensive or hate speech. Also, it is necessary for this article to talk about some sexual topics in detail.

Numerals and symbols

• *e, h*, h*s, h*s, h*self. Called "splat pronouns," this set of third-person gender-neutral pronouns uses an asterisk to make ambiguity between "he" and "she." Some software in the 1990s used these.

A

• a. A third-person gender-neutral pronoun in some archaic as well as living British dialects.
• ace. Short for asexual, which see.
• ag, aggressive. Another word for stud, which see. This label should only be used by people of color.
• AGAB. Assigned Gender At Birth. Most people are either Assigned Female At Birth (AFAB) or Assigned Male At Birth (AMAB).
• AGP. Short for autogynephilia, which see.
• AFAB. See AGAB.
• agender. 1. Some who call themselves agender have no gender identity (genderless). 2. Some who call themselves agender have a gender identity, which isn't female or male, but neutral.
• ala, alum, alis, ?, ?.. A set of third-person gender-neutral pronouns created in 1989.
• AMAB. See AGAB.

Androgyne symbol. In 1996, self-identified androgyne Raphael Carter proposed adopting this ambiguous geometric shape, the Necker Cube, as a symbol for androgynes, "because it is either concave or convex depending on how you look at it."

• ambonec. A nonbinary "gender identity in which you identify as both male and female, yet you also identify as neither, at the same time."
• androgyne. This word is used for a wide variety of gender nonconforming and non-binary gender identities and gender expressions.
• androphilic. A romantic or sexual orientation in which a person feels attraction to men or masculinity.
• aporagender. Coined in 2014, from Greek apo, apor "separate" + "gender". A nonbinary gender identity and umbrella term for "a gender separate from male, female, and anything in between while still having a very strong and specific gendered feeling" (that is, not an absence of gender).
• aromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person doesn't feel romantic attraction to people of any gender.
• asexuality. A sexual orientation in which a person doesn't feel sexual attraction to anyone.
• autoandrophilia. To feel sexually aroused by the thought of being or dressing like a man. Some see this as an offensive word.
• autogynephilia. To feel sexually aroused by the thought of being or dressing like a woman. Some see this as an offensive word, because it pathologizes and invalidates the experiences of trans women in an attempt to divide them from cross-dressing men.

B

• bear. A specific kind of masculine gay male gender identity.
• berdache. An old word used by European-American people and anthropologists for gender roles in Native American cultures that are now called two-spirit.
• bi. Short for bisexual, which see.
• bicurious. A person who wants to have sex with more than one gender.
• bi-gender, bigender. Bigender individuals have two gender identities, at the same time, or at different times.
• binarism. Discrimination against ethnic groups and cultures that recognize non-binary genders, based on the sexist belief that there are only two genders (nonbinary erasure).
• binary gender. A gender identity that fits neatly into only one of the two genders in a gender binary system. The two binary genders are female and male.
• binder. An undergarment that a person can wear to make their chest look flat. Transgender men wear these so they have a male body shape, if they haven't had surgery to that effect. Some non-binary people wear these to flatten breast tissue.
• biological boy. A less correct term for an AMAB person, which see.
• biological girl. A less correct term for an AFAB person, which see.
• biphobia. Discrimination against people who are bisexual.
• biromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantic attraction to more than one gender.
• bisexuality. 1. (Obsolete) Intersexuality. 2. A sexual orientation in which a person feels sexual attraction to two genders. It's debated what this means for non-binary gender identities.
• boi. From "boy." A gender identity that is masculine and queer. Beyond that, the specific definition varies greatly across the LGBT community.
• bottom. A person who takes a submissive role in sexual activity.
• bottom surgery. In the transgender community, euphemism for any gender-validating surgery on a transgender person's reproductive organs or genitals.
• boydyke. A person who identifies as a lesbian woman, and has a masculine gender expression.
• butch. A masculine gender identity or expression, which some see as a non-binary gender.

C

• CAFAB. See CAGAB.
• CAGAB. Coercively Assigned Gender At Birth. Most people are either Coercively Assigned Female At Birth (CAFAB) or male (CAMAB). Unlike AGAB and GAAB, CAGAB emphasizes that the gender was assigned against the person's will, and implies that the person was abused as a child.
• CAMAB. See CAGAB.
• ce, cir, cir, cirs, cirself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns created in 2014.
• chapstick lesbian. A lesbian who doesn't try to look feminine.
• che, chim, chis, chis, chimself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns listed in Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage under epicene pronouns.
• cisgender. From Latin cis "on the same side of" + "gender," "coined in 1995 by a transsexual man named Carl Buijs." A person who isn't transgender. The Latin prefix cis ("on the same side of") is the opposite of the Latin prefix trans ("to the other side of").
• cissexism. A form of sexism, specifically, a way of thought in which only cisgender people are seen as normal or right. Cissexism is harmful to all kinds of transgender people, including non-binary people.
• cissexual. Non-transsexual. A kind of cisgender.
• co, cos, cos, cosself. Coined by Mary Orovan in 1970, from Indo-European *ko. A gender-neutral pronoun set.
• closet. To be "in the closet" means that a person is keeping their gender identity and/or sexual orientation a secret.
• come out. "To recognize one's sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex identity, and to be open about it with oneself and with others."
• contrasexism. Apparently this is an early clinical term for a “gender identity and role disturbance” used in “Westphal, 1869.”
• cross-dreamer. Coined by cross-dreamer Jack Molay. Someone who feels sexually aroused by the thought of being a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth. They may or may not cross-dress or consider themselves transgender.
• cross-dresser. "Someone who wears clothes associated with another gender part of the time." A cross-dresser may consider themself to be cisgender or transgender.

D

• demiboy. A gender identity that is male-like, or both male and genderless.
• demifluid. A gender identity for "someone whose gender is partially fluid (genderfluid) with the other part(s) being static; an example could be: one part of their gender is 'woman' while the part that fluctuates is 'man' and 'genderqueer'."
• demiflux. A gender identity for "someone whose gender is partially fluid with the other part(s) being static; this differs from 'demifluid' as '-flux' indicates that one of the genders is neutral; an example could be: one part of their gender is 'genderqueer' while the part that fluctuates is 'agender' and 'woman'."
• demigender. An umbrella term for nonbinary gender identities that have a partial connection to a certain gender.

File:Demigirl flag.png

Demigirl flag. Pink: female. White: agender or nonbinary gender. Gray: partial.

• demigirl. A gender identity that is female-like, or both female and genderless.
• deminonbinary. Deminonbinary, or demienby, is a gender identity for someone who partially identifies as nonbinary.
• demiguy. A demiboy, which see.
• demiromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantic attraction only after getting to know someone.
• DGAB. Short for Designated Gender At Birth. Most people are either Designated Female At Birth (DFAB) or Designated Male At Birth (DMAB).
• DFAB. See DGAB.
• Disorders of Sex Development (DSD). Any kind of intersex condition.
• DMAB. See DGAB.
• domestic partner. "One who lives with their beloved and/or is at least emotionally and financially connected in a supportive manner with another. Another word for spouse, lover, significant other, etc."
• Drag. A gender expression that is exaggerated for theatrical performance. Although usually cross-gender, and associated with the gay and lesbian communities, drag of any kind can be done by a person of any gender identity or sexual orientation. Drag kings make a performance out of masculinity. Drag queens make a performance out of femininity.
• DSD. See Disorders of Sex Development.
• dyadic. A person whose body is not intersex.
• dyadism. The sexist belief that humans have only two sexes, either female or male, resulting in discrimination against intersex people.
• dyke. A lesbian. Some consider "dyke" an offensive word, so only lesbians should reclaim it.

E

• e, em, eir, eirs, eirself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns, made popular by writer Michael Spivak in the 1980s. There are many similar sets with small differences.
• effeminate. A feminine man. Some see this as an offensive word.
• em, ?, ems, ems, ?. A set of gender-neutral pronouns created in 1977 by "Jeffrey J. Smith, [who] felt strongly enough about them to start the Em Institute and put out the Em Institute Newsletter".
• emasculation. A surgery to take away the penis and testicles.
• enban. Created in the "askanonbinary" blog in 2014, based on the word "enby", which see. A proper noun for a non-binary adult person. A non-binary equivalent of a man or woman. Another blogger, coderqueer, then offered the spelling variant "enbian."
• enbian. 1. An enban, which see. 2. Of or pertaining to non-binary gender.
• enbies. See enby.
• enby. Created in 2013 by a non-binary person named vector (revolutionator). Based on an initialism of "non-binary," "NB". A proper noun for a person with a non-binary gender identity. This is the nonbinary gender equivalent of the proper nouns "boy" or "girl." Plural: enbies.
• enbyfriend. Coined by Tumblr user Pansycub in 2013, based on the word "enby," which see. A nonbinary gender romantic partner. The nonbinary gender equivalent of a boyfriend or girlfriend.
• en femme. In cross-dressing communities, this means dressed as a woman.
• en homme. In cross-dressing communities, this means dressed as a man.
• eonism. Apparently this was an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Ellis, 1936."
• epicene. Having a lack of gender distinction.
• et, et, ets, ets, etself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns created in 1979.
• ey, em, eir, eirs, emself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns invented by Christine Elverson in 1975.
• eunuch. A person who was assigned male at birth and had some or all of their private parts removed. Some transgender people think of themselves as eunuchs. Some think of eunuch as a non-binary gender identity.

F

• FAAB. See GAAB.
• Gender binary#Female. Anyone with a female gender identity is female. Regardless of what gender she was assigned at birth, or what kind of body parts she has or wants to have, if she identifies as female, then she is a woman or girl.
• female to male transsexual (FTM). A trans man. This term was coined by trans man Lou Sullivan, "in response to the custom of medical doctors and psychologists labeling us 'female transsexuals.'" FTM can also mean nonbinary people who transition in a way similar to trans men, and describe themselves as being on the FTM spectrum. Abbreviated FTM, F2M.
• femme, fem. A queer feminine gender identity or expression, which some see as a non-binary gender.
• fluid gender. A gender identity that changes.
• FT*. Female to unspecified transgender. This term includes all transgender people who were assigned female at birth.
• FTM. Female-to-male transsexual (or transgender), which see.
• FTN. Female-to-neuter (or neutrois) transsexual (or transgender).

G

• GAAB. Gender Assigned At Birth. Most people are either Assigned Female At Birth (FAAB) or Assigned Male At Birth (MAAB). See also: AGAB, CAGAB, DGAB.
• gaff. An undergarment that helps with tucking, which see.
• gatekeeper system. In the transgender community, this is slang for the system of health providers that decide whether to allow a transgender person to get gender-validating health care.
• gay. "Men attracted to men. Colloquially used as an umbrella term to include all LGBTIQ people."
• gender binary. A model of gender that classifies all people into one of two genders, female or male.
• gender-blank. Having no gender.. Syn. agender.
• gender blind. Doing things without regard to the genders of the people involved. Unisex.
• gender dissonance. Gender dysphoria, which see.
• gender dysphoria. A clinical term. In transgender people, emotionally painful discontent about some aspect of one's assigned gender. The aspect in question may be social gender dysphoria, body dysphoria, or other specific details, such as voice dysphoria. Some prefer the less clinical term "gender dissonance."
• gender expression. "The way in which a person expresses their gender identity through clothing, behavior, posture, mannerisms, speech patterns, activities and more."
• genderfluid, or gender-fluid. A gender identity that often changes, so that a person may feel one day like a boy, and another day like a girl. Fluid gender.
• genderflux. A gender identity that often changes in intensity, so that a person may feel one day as though they have almost no gender, or none at all, and another day they feel very gendered. "Whereas genderfluidity is a shift between different genders, genderflux is more like varying intensity."
• gender-free. Having no gender identity. Syn. agender.
• genderfuck. A gender expression that intentionally mixes feminine gender markers with masculine.
• gender identity. "An individual’s internal sense of gender, which may or may not be the same as one’s gender assigned at birth." Most people identify as the gender that they were assigned at birth. They are described as 'cisgender' by the transgender community, who do not identify with their assigned birth genders.
• Gender Identity Disorder (GID). "The medical diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostics and Statistics Manual IV (DSM4) used to describe a person who experiences significant gender dysphoria (lack of identification with one’s sex and/or gender assigned at birth)."
• gender incongruence. "Gender Incongruence was a proposed term for replacement of gender identity disorder in diagnosing transsexualism in the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The term Gender Dysphoria was chosen as the replacement."
• genderism. "The system of belief that there are only two genders (men and women) and that gender is inherently tied to one’s sex assigned at birth. It holds cisgender people as superior to transgender people, and punishes or excludes those who don't conform to society’s expectations of gender."
• genderless. Having no gender identity. Syn. agender.
• gender neutral. 1. That which has nothing to do with gender. 2. Having no gender identity; agender. 3. Having a gender identity that is neutral: not female, not male, not a mix. Neutrois.
• gender non-conformity. Regardless of gender identity or whether one is cisgender or transgender, resistance to conforming to a female or male gender expression.
• gender-null. Having no gender identity. Syn. agender.
• gender outlaw. Used by Kate Bornstein, a person who doesn't conform to a gender. See gender non-conformity.
• gender-play. Proposed by Raphael Carter in 1996 or earlier as an alternative word for genderfuck, which see.
• gender presentation. All the signs of a person's gender that other people can see.

Genderqueer flag by Marilyn Roxie in 2011. Lavender, as a mix of pink and blue, is for androgynes and MOGII. White is for agender. Dark chartreuse green (the inverse of lavender) is for gender outside the gender binary.

• genderqueer. An umbrella term covering non-normative gender identity and gender expression. Genderqueer can also be a specific identity.
• GNC. See gender nonconformity.
• gender refusenik. "Proposed by [Raphael Carter in 1996 or earlier] as a term for people denied [gender confirming surgeries], whether due to lack of funds or psychological paternalism. All gender refuseniks are non-ops [...], but not all non-ops are refuseniks."
• gender role. A society's norms for how to divide labor by gender.
• gender variant, gender variance. Gender expression that is different from Western cultural norms. Can mean gender non-conforming and/or transgender, as well as some non-Western gender roles.
• genetic boy. A less correct term for an AMAB person, which see.
• genetic girl. A less correct term for an AFAB person, which see.
• genital nullification. Any kind of surgery to take away the genitals.
• GID. See Gender Identity Disorder.
• GLBT. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender.
• gray-aromantic, or grey-aromantic. A romantic orientation that partly lacks romantic attraction to people of any gender.
• gray-asexual, or grey-asexual. A sexual orientation that partly lacks sexual attraction to people of any gender.
• graygender, or greygender. Coined by Invernom. A non-binary gender identity that is between agender and some other gender, so that it is difficult to place, and not fully the absence or presence of a gender. Compare demi-gender.
• gynephilic. A romantic or sexual orientation in which a person feels attraction to women or femininity.

H

• ha, hem, hez, ?, ?. A set of gender-neutral pronouns coined in 1927,
• he'er, him'er, his'er, his'er's, his'er'self. An inclusive pronoun that was proposed in 1912.
• heesh. A gender-neutral pronoun.
• herm. 1. Short for hermaphrodite, which see. 2. Derived from a mix of "her" and "him," several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use this as a pronoun in the accusative form. For example, heesh.
• hermaphrodite. An old word for a person with an intersex condition. Some see this word as offensive, and therefore only intersex people can reclaim this word. Non-intersex people shouldn't use this word.
• hesh. A gender-neutral pronoun.
• he-she or heshe. 1. An offensive word for a transgender woman. Only trans women can reclaim it. Other people shouldn't use it. 2. Several sets of pronouns use heshe in the nominative form.
• heteroromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantically attracted to people of a different gender than their own.
• heterosexism. A sexist way of thought in which only heterosexuality is seen as normal, resulting in discrimination against people of other sexual orientations.
• hir. Many sets of gender-neutral pronouns use this word in the accusative or possessive forms. Some such sets are heesh, hi, se, s/he, sie, and ze.
• homoromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantically attracted to people of the same gender as themself.
• hu, hum, hus, hus, huself. A set of gender-neutral "humanist" pronouns. "Used in several college humanities texts published by Bandanna Books. Originated by editor Sasha Newborn in 1982."
• hypersexual. Having a highly active sex drive.
• hyposexual. Having a sex drive that isn't very active, and contented with that situation.

I

• Ind. Coined by Torin Unrealisk in 2014. A gender-neutral title, short for "individual."
• interdressing. Coined by Deird Duncan in 2000. Non-binary gender expression in clothing, possibly without any intention to be thought of as any particular gender.
• intergender. A certain nonbinary gender identity in between female and male. In the 1990s, this was an identity label that any person could use, even if they were born with non-intersex (dyadic) bodies, but others say it should only be used by people who were born with intersex bodies.

File:Intersexflag.png

In 2013, the Organisation Intersex International (OII) Australia created this intersex pride flag. The circle symbolizes wholeness. The colors aren't derivatives of pink (female) or blue (male).

• intersex. 1. (obsolete) Homosexual. 2. Intersex people have some aspect of their sex that is inconsistent with conventional ideas of male and female sex, in their primary or secondary sexual characteristics, hormones, or chromosomes.
• institutional oppression. "Arrangement of a society used to benefit one group at the expense of another through the use of language, media education, religion, economics, etc."
• internalized oppression. "The process by which an oppressed person comes to believe, accept, or live out the inaccurate stereotypes and misinformation about their group."
• inversion. An early clinical term for "gender identity and role disturbance." Early psychologists used the word "invert" for gay, lesbian, and transgender people, all alike.
• invisible minority. "A group whose minority status is not always immediately visible, such as some disabled people and LGBTIQ people. This lack of visibility may make organizing for rights difficult."
• ip. A gender-neutral pronoun proposed in 1884.
• ir, im, iro, iros, iroself. A set of English gender-neutral pronouns from 1888.
• it or itself. An English gender-neutral pronoun that many think of as offensive to use for a person. However, some nonbinary people ask to be called by these pronouns.

K

• kai, kaim, kais, kais, kaiself. A set of English gender-neutral pronouns created by novelist Janet Ganus for nonbinary characters, in 1998 or earlier.
• Kaiet. Novelist Janet Ganus created this title that is the gender-neutral counterpart of Mr or Ms. It is also a proper noun that serves the gender-neutral counterpart of "man" or "woman." The plural is kaieti.

L

• le, lem, les, les, lesself. A set of English gender-neutral pronouns proposed in 1884, borrowed from French.
• lesbian. A person who identifies as a woman, who is romantically or sexually attracted only to women.

File:Lgbt.jpg

LGBT rainbow flag, representing diversity, based on the one designed in 1978.

• LGBT. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.
• LGBTQ. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.
• LGBTIQAP. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual, and pansexual/polysexual.
• LGBTQQIA. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual.
• lipstick lesbian. A lesbian with a feminine gender expression.
• lunagender. A fluid gender identity that changes on a consistent, orderly cycle, reminding one of a lunar cycle.

M

• M. Pronounced em. A gender-neutral title. In science fiction by Dan Simmons, Hyperion Cantos, all adult humans go by the title M. Easily confused with the title Monsieur, which looks the same when abbreviated.
• MAAB. See GAAB.
• Gender binary#Male. Anyone with a male gender identity is male. Regardless of what gender he was assigned at birth, or what kind of body parts he has or wants to have, if he identifies as male, then he is a man or boy.
• male to female transsexual (MTF). A trans woman.

File:Maverique flag.png

Maverique flag, by Vesper H., 2014. Yellow: nonbinary, not derived from female (pink) or male (blue), but its own (yellow, a primary color can't come from any color mix). White: independence from the spectrum of other genders (colors). Orange: inner conviction.

• maverique. A specific nonbinary gender identity "characterized by autonomy and inner conviction regarding a sense of self that is entirely independent of male/masculinity, female/femininity or anything which derives from the two while still being neither without gender nor of a neutral gender."
• metamorph. "A term used by some people (who choose not to identify as transsexuals) to express their belief they are not changing their gender, but changing their body to reflect their inner feelings and gender identity."
• metamorphosis sexualis paranoica. Apparently this is an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Hirschfeld, 1922."
• metrosexual. Coined by British journalist Mark Simpson in 1994. A heterosexual man whose gender expression seems like that of a gay man.
• Misc. From miscellaneous. Pronounced misk. A gender-neutral title.
• misdirected misogyny. Misogyny that ends up doing harm even to people who don't identify as women.
• misgender. To address someone in a way that contradicts their gender identity. This can be accidental, but if intentional, it can be an example of discrimination against transgender people (cissexism).
• Mre. Pronounced mystery. A gender-neutral title.
• MSM. Men who have sex with men. This term means that they don't necessarily identify as gay or bisexual.
• Msr. Pronounced misser. A gender-neutral title.
• MT*. Male to unspecified transgender. This term includes all transgender people who were assigned male at birth.
• MTF. Male-to-female transsexual (or transgender). A trans woman.
• MTN. Male-to-neuter (or neutrois) transsexual (or transgender).
• multigender people have more than one gender identity, either at the same time, or sometimes changing between them.
• multiromantic. See polyromantic.
• Mx. Coined in 1982 or earlier. Pronounced mux, mix, mixture, or mixter. A gender-neutral title.
• Myr. A gender neutral title, honorific, and proper noun in science fiction books by David Marusek. Its plural form is myren.

N

• na, nan, nan, nan's, naself. June Arnold's story The Cook and the Carpenter, 1973, used this set of gender-neutral pronouns exclusively, for all people. Arnold may have created the pronouns.
• natal sex. See gender assigned at birth.
• ne. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "ne" in the nominative form.
• neutrois. Coined by a neutrois person named H. A. Burnham in 1995. Having one non-binary gender identity that is neutral. Not female, not male, and not a mix. Some neutrois people are transsexual, experience gender dysphoria, and want to get a physical transition.

File:Nbflag8.png

Nonbinary flag by Kye Rowan in 2014. Yellow is for gender without reference to the gender binary. White: those with many or all genders. Purple: a mix of female and male. Black: without gender.

• non-binary gender. An umbrella term for all who don't identify as just female or male. Though there are many kinds of nonbinary gender identities, some people identify as "nonbinary" only.
• nonlibidoist. A person who doesn't have a sex drive, and feels contented with that situation.
• non-op. A trans person who hasn't gotten surgery, and won't get it.
• nounself pronouns. In 2014, a community of non-binary gender people on the social blogging site Tumblr.com came up with the idea of "nounself pronouns." By adapting any noun of one's choosing into a third-person pronoun, one can create a wide variety of very personal and descriptive pronouns. The pronoun sets can be themed around concepts that have nothing to do with gender, such as nature, technology, or abstract concepts. They created over a hundred such sets. They are strictly for non-binary gender people, and are not used by cis or binary otherkin, though there is an overlap between otherkin and non-binary gender people.
• null gender. A person without a gender identity, or whose gender identity is not feminine and not masculine.

O

• omniromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantic attraction to all genders and is not gender blind.
• omnisexual. A sexual orientation in which a person feels sexual attraction to all genders of consenting adults and is not gender blind.
• orchi. Short for orchiectomy, which see.
• orchiectomy. A kind of genital surgery.
• other gender. Sometimes a nonbinary gender identity.
• otherkin pronouns. See nounself pronouns.
• ou, ou, ous, ous, ouself. A set of singular gender-neutral pronouns that were first recorded in an English dialect in 1789.
• out. If someone is said to be out, that means they are open about their LGBT identity. If someone is said to have been outed, that means that their LGBT identity was made public by someone else, against their will.

P

• packer. An artificial soft penis. Transgender people on the female-to-male spectrum wear these in their clothes as part of making a more male body shape.
• pangender. A non-binary gender identity that is made of a mix of all genders. Or a fluid gender that could potentially be any gender. However, "all" and "any" don't include genders that belong only to certain cultures or ethnic groups to which the person isn't entitled.
• panromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantic attraction to all genders but is "gender blind".
• pansexuality. A sexual orientation in which a person feels sexual attraction to all genders but is "gender blind".
• paranoia transsexualis. Apparently this was an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Pauly, 1965."
• passing. When a person is seen by others as other than the gender they were assigned at birth. Some transgender people dislike this word, saying it gives the idea that they are being dishonest, when they are trying to be seen as they really are.
• peh, pehm, ?, peh's, ?. Used by Jenn Manley Lee in a science fiction graphic novel, Dicebox, as a gender non-specific pronoun, for when a person's gender is either irrelevant or nonbinary.
• per, persself. From "person." A set of gender-neutral pronouns used in Marge Piercy's book Woman on the Edge of Time, 1972. Independently created by transgender activists.
• phe, per, per, pers, perself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns.
• polyamory. A long-term romantic/sexual relationship that can be between more than two people, all of whom consent to the arrangement.
• polygender. A gender identity in which a person has more than one gender identity, at the same time, or a mix.
• polyromantic. A romantic orientation in which a person feels romantic attraction to many genders.
• polysexuality. A sexual orientation in which a person feels sexual attraction to two or more genders.
• postgenderism. A movement for getting rid of gender throughout humankind.
• post-op. A trans person who has gotten surgery.
• PPM. Created by Rabbit KM in 2015. Person perceived as a man, or people perceived as men. These are people who are usually seen and treated as men, but who don't identify as male. For example, masculine nonbinary people, and some trans women. This term is useful for people who often get misgendered.
• PPW. Created by Rabbit KM in 2015. Person perceived as a woman, or people perceived as women. These are people who are usually seen and treated as women, but who don't identify as female. For example, feminine nonbinary people, and some trans men. This term is useful for people who often get misgendered.
• Pr. From "person." Pronounced per. A gender-neutral title.
• pre-op. A trans person who hasn't gotten surgery yet.
• presentation. "The totality of one’s appearance, including attire, voice, behavior, body language, etc."
• psychopathia transsexualis. Apparently this was an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Cauldwell, 1949."
• psychosexual inversion. Apparently this was an earlier clinical term for a "gender identity and role disturbance" used by "Pauly, 1956."
• pumping. A body modification to the phallus, common as part of the transition of trans people in the female-to-male spectrum.

Q

• qirl. A gender identity for black transgender nonbinary feminine people.
• queer. A reclaimed slur for the LGBT+ community, and an umbrella term for identities that are not heterosexual and/or not cisgender. Some people use this as the name for their nonbinary gender identity.
• questioning. A situation in which a person's gender identity and/or sexual orientation aren’t known to them yet, and they are still trying to figure out what they really are.
• QUILTBAG. Queer, undecided, intersex, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, asexual, gay.

R

• re, erm, rees, rees, ?. In 2002, atheist activist Mike Newdow proposed this set of third-person gender-neutral pronouns to replace all use of "he" and "she" pronouns.
• read. Slang in the wider transgender community. 1. To get read means that someone has guessed what gender one was assigned at birth, when one was trying to keep that a secret. 2. How a person's gender is read means how one's gender is seen by others. This is regardless of that person's assigned gender at birth, or their intended gender presentation.

S

• salmacian. "Suggested by [Raphael Carter in 1996 or earlier] as a term for male-to-intersex and female-to-intersex transsexuals."
• same-gender loving. A term that homosexual and bisexual people of color made for themselves.
• secondary sex characteristics. "Physical characteristics that emerge with the onset of puberty, including but not limited to: facial and body hair growth, muscle development, voice changes, breast development, and the ability to reproduce."
• scrat. [Old, Middle, and Modern English, and Old German] An intersex human or animal.
• se. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "se" in the nominative form.
• Ser. From "sir." Pronounced sair. A title or honorific that may be gender-neutral, or may have other meanings.
• sex identity. 1. How a person thinks of the sex of their own body. "The sex that a person sees themselves as. This can include refusing to label oneself with a sex." 2. The category of sex that others put a person's body into.
• sex reassignment surgery. "A term used by some medical professionals to refer to a group of surgical options that alter a person’s sex to match their sex identity."
• s/He, hir, hir, hirs, hirself. A set of English gender-neutral pronouns used in books by Timothy Leary in the 1970s, and in Peter David's Star Trek books. Sometimes with mixed caps, as shown.
• she-male. An offensive word for a transgender woman. This word should be reclaimed only by trans women. Other people shouldn't use it.
• shey, shem, sheir, sheirs, sheirself. The same set was independently created (or perhaps only used) in 1973, 1979, and 1982. The idea is to combine "she" and "they."
• sie, hir, hir, hirs, hirself. Pronounced like "see" and "hear." Derived from German pronouns for "she" and "they." A set of English gender-neutral pronouns popularized on the Internet during the 1990s.
• singular they. A gender-neutral pronoun that has been standard English for over a thousand years. During the last two centuries, grammarians dispute whether it is good grammar, or if a different word should be used as a gender-neutral pronoun instead.
• sissy. From "sister." An offensive word for a feminine boy. Also, a trans-feminine sexual identity.
• skoliosexual. A sexual orientation in which a person feels sexual attraction to people with non-binary genders. Some see this as an offensive word.
• SOFFA. Short for Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies. This means people who aren't LGBT, but who care about and help LGBT people.
• songie or sungie. In an English dialect, an intersex person.
• Spivak pronouns. A set of gender-neutral pronouns made popular by writer Michael Spivak in 1990.
• splat pronouns. A set of gender-neutral pronouns that use an asterisk.
• SRS. Sex Reassignment Surgery.
• stealth. In the transgender community, this means that a transgender person is living so that other people see them as the gender they want to be, while keeping it a secret that they are transgender. Transgender women and transgender can be closeted, out, or stealth. In a culture that doesn't recognize non-binary genders, it is impossible to be a stealth non-binary person, because that society has no non-binary role to enter. In that situation, the only two options are to be closeted (you make sure nobody knows you're nonbinary) or out (you make sure everybody knows you're nonbinary, which isn't stealth).
• stem. "A person whose gender expression falls somewhere between a stud and a femme."
• stone. A certain queer sexual identity. Specific kinds include stone butch and stone femme. Some see these as non-binary genders.
• stud. "An African-American and/or Latina masculine lesbian."
• switch. A person who likes to do a dominant role as well as a submissive role in sexual activities.

T

• T. In the transgender community, the hormone testosterone.
• TERF. See Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists.
• tey, tem, ter, tem, temself. A set of gender-neutral pronouns, proposed by feminists Kate Swift and Casey Miller in the 1971 December issue of Ms in earnest as a strategy to avoid "pronoun abuse" (meaning the inappropriate use of male pronouns when it would make more sense to include women as well).
• TG. Short for transgender.
• thane, see þane.
• they or themself. A well-established gender-neutral pronoun.
• third gender. In anthropology, an umbrella term for ethnic non-cisgender/non-heterosexual gender roles, which may be analagous to transgender and sometimes non-binary genders. Some consider this phrase offensive, and people should reclaim it only with caution.
• thon. Charles Crozat Converse of Erie, Pennsylvania proposed this gender-neutral pronoun in 1858, based on a contraction of "that one."
• tomboy. A masculine young girl.
• top surgery. In the transgender community, euphemism for any gender-validating surgery on a transgender person's breasts.
• tranny. An offensive word for a transgender woman. This word should be reclaimed only by trans women. Other people shouldn't use it.
• trans. Short for transgender or transsexual.
• transactivism. The movement for rights for transgender people.
• Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists. Definition needed.
• trans feminine. A transgender person who transitions in a feminine direction, but who doesn't necessarily identify as female. They may have a non-binary gender identity.
• trans-feminism, or transfeminism. The creation of this word in the late 1990s is credited to Diana Courvant and Emi Koyama. A feminist movement that takes into account transgender experience and rights.

File:Trans Pride Flag.png

Transgender flag designed by trans woman Monica Helms in 1999. Stripes for male (blue), female (pink), and other or transitioning (white).

• transgender. An umbrella term for those with gender identities that don't match the genders they were assigned at birth.
• transgenderist. Coined by Virginia Charles Prince. A transgender person who has lived full time without wanting surgery, or perhaps without all the same surgeries expected for a transsexual of that gender identity.
• transition. The process that individuals typically experiencing gender dysphoria go through to reach their desired social gender role, and/or physicality. There is no one definition of transition, as the term is based on the unique requirements of each individual.
• trans man. The correct term for a transgender person who has a male gender identity.
• trans masculine. A transgender person who transitions in a masculine direction, but who doesn't necessarily identify as male. They may have a non-binary gender identity.
• transsexual, or transexual. A kind of transgender person who wants to physically transition to a different gender than they were assigned at birth.
• trans-trender. An offensive word for a transgender person, meaning that the person is only pretending to be transgender in an ill-advised attempt to seem fashionable. This likely never really happens.
• transvestic fetishism. To feel sexually aroused by dressing as a woman. Some see this as an offensive term, because it pathologizes and invalidates trans women in order to divide them from cross-dressing men.
• trap. An offensive word for a transgender woman. This word should be reclaimed only by trans women. Other people shouldn't use it.
• TS. Short for transsexual.
• tucking. A method that a person can use to hide their penis and testicles, to create a more feminine or androgynous body shape.
• trans-misogyny. Discrimination and hate crimes against transgender women.
• transphobia. Discrimination and hate crimes against transgender people.
• transvestite. Coined by sexologist and openly gay man Magnus Hirschfeld in 1910. A clinical word for a cross-dresser. Some see "transvestite" as an offensive word, so it should be reclaimed with caution. The meaning of this word has changed a lot since it was coined. Some early sources use this word for transgender and transsexual people: "As late as 1951 many clinicians still used the term 'transvestism' to identify patients with profound gender pathology who requested SRS (Hertz et al., 1961)."
• trans woman. The correct term for a transgender person who has a female gender identity.
• tri-gender. Having three different gender identities, or a mix of them, or changing between them.
• truscum. In the 2010s, a movement of transsexuals (mostly trans men) who argue that a person is only really trans if they meet the diagnostic criteria of gender dysphoria, because they see transsexuality as only a medical condition. Truscum also believe that people with non-binary genders are pretenders who make true trans people look ridiculous. Because this is a reclaimed slur, people who aren't transgender shouldn't use this word, and should instead say "trans medicalist."
• tucute. In the 2010s, transgender people reacting to the truscum movement decided to call themselves "tucutes". Tucutes are opposed to dividing the transgender community into "true" and "fake" trans people.
• Two-spirit. Hundreds of Native American cultures have gender roles in addition to cisgender female and cisgender male. "Two-spirit" is the agreed-upon modern English umbrella term for these gender roles.

U

• ungender. Coined by Baaphomett in 2014. "Not without but a negative; an unboy would be the negative of a boy and an ungirl would be the negative of a girl."

V

• ve. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "ve" in the nominative form.

W

• womyn-born womyn. Some groups of cisgender women use this term for themselves to make clear that they are not transgender women. Groups using this term are associated with discrimination against transgender women.
• WSW. Short for women who have sex with women. They may or may not identify as bisexual or lesbian.

X

• xe. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "xe" in the nominative form.
• xenogender. Coined by Baaphomett in 2014. "A gender that cannot be contained by human understandings of gender; more concerned with crafting other methods of gender categorization and hierarchy such as those relating to animals, plants, or other creatures/things." An umbrella term for many nonbinary gender identities defined in reference to very different ideas than female or male.
• xie, hir. A set of gender-neutral pronouns.

Y

• yo. In addition to an interjection and greeting, this is a gender-neutral pronoun in a dialect of African-American Vernacular English.

Z

• ze. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "ze" in the nominative form.
• zhe, zhim, zher, zhers, ?. A set of gender-neutral pronouns.
• zie. Several sets of gender-neutral pronouns use "zie" in the nominative form.

Special and foreign characters

• þane, or "thane." Created by John Newmeyer in 1978, a proper noun for a person whose gender isn't specified, as a counterpart to the nouns "man" and "woman." "Thane" is derived from an English word for a specific kind of land-owner, who historically would have been only male.
• þe, þim, þir, þirs, ?. A non-standard set of gender-neutral pronouns created by John Newmeyer in 1978. These use the Old English letter þ, called "thorn," which represents an unvoiced "th" sound, as in the English word "thin."

See also

• Gender neutral language
• List of nonbinary identities

External links

• Susan's Place Transgender Resources Wiki: Terms and definitions
• Gender Neutral Pronoun FAQ.
• Jillian Cottle, "Hallelujah, it's raining labels."
• Raphael Carter, "Angel's Dictionary."