(Trans) Gender 101
An important question we should all ask ourselves is how did we learn our gender? Gender is different from our sex. Sex is biological. We are born male or female through our chromosomes, hormones, and sex organs. Do not be fooled: our biological sex does not define our gender or how we identify in the world. This is why the concept of gender reveal parties can be a hot button topic because you are revealing the sex of your unborn child NOT their gender. It is essential for all humans to understand how gender identity is formed.
Gender
Gender is socially constructed through roles, behaviors, and activities that society considers appropriate for males and females. In America, we have gender roles that are learned in early development from care-takers, family, friends, culture, media, religion, and many more. These roles define what is masculine and what is feminine. Through these roles and expectations, we begin to gender-type individuals to fit into these gender roles according to their sex. Surprisingly, gender identity can span beyond the binary of being male or female.
Gender, particular gender roles are not set in stone. Society may try to dictate what it means to be a man or a woman, but these may not directly fit who a person is or how they want to be in the world. Gender exists on a spectrum. This means there are various ways one can express themselves which fits who they are and it goes beyond being strictly masculine or feminine.
Transgender
Once we are born, a doctor assigns us a sex. This label is our biological sex which comes from our biology (i.e., sex organs, hormones) and chromosomes (i.e., XY- Male and XX-Female). These labels are man/male and woman/female. Some people never question their sex or gender. Those who identify with their sex and gender which was given at birth are also called cisgender. Even though it is more typical for people to identify as cisgender, there are those who question their gender or sex because the doctor assigned labels does not fit them in their body, mind, or how they would like to see or express themselves in society. Individuals who feel this disconnect of their gender and sex assignment are transgender. In basic terms, their gender is opposite to what was previously assumed.
Not all transgender people share the exact same identity. There are infinite ways to arrive at being transgender and of being transgender. Some may want to make your gender identity fit with their ideal gender expression and presentation. This is called “transitioning,” and can include social (like telling other people about which pronouns you like), legal (like changing your name, officially), or medical (like taking hormones, or having surgery). People that identify as transgender are extremely diverse, and one trans-identified person cannot speak for all. People have intersecting identities related to race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, socioeconomic status, as well as other identities that are salient to them.
Under the transgender umbrella falls other labels that are used by those whose gender identity does not back their assign gender roles. Gender non-conforming, genderqueer/queer, and gender-fluid are some examples of these labels. Sometimes individuals who identify with these labels avoid gender-specific pronouns like “she/her” and “he/him,” and use more neutral pronouns instead (i.e., they/them, ze/zir). It’s important to note that not all genderqueer or gender non-conforming people identify as transgender, even though they fall under the umbrella of diverse gender identities.
Always ask for, and use, the terms an individual prefers.
Intersex
Intersex is a general term used for a range of conditions in which a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the typical definitions of female or male. Sometimes an intersex person is assigned female or male sex at birth through surgery if external genitals are not obviously male or female. Intersex babies are always assigned legal sex, but sometimes when they grow up, their gender doesn’t match the sex selected for them.
Important Terms to Remember
Gender Identity: Our personal sense of what our own gender is.
Gender Expression: How we choose to express our gender in public. This includes things like our haircut, clothing, voice and body characteristics, and behavior. Remember this can be a spectrum of masculine, feminine, androgynous (A mixture of masculine and feminine gender expressions) or fluid between them.
Gender Presentation: How the world sees and understands your gender.
Gender Roles: also known as a sex role, is a socially constructed role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for people based on their biological or perceived sex.
Sex: a label — male or female — that you’re assigned by a doctor at birth based on the genitals you’re born with and the chromosomes you have. It goes on your birth certificate.
Cisgender: Gender identification with the gender or sex that was assigned at birth.
Transgender: Gender identification with the gender or sex opposite that was assigned at birth.
Intersex: An individual with sex characteristics atypical of what is medically accepted as male or female.
Nonbinary: A transgender identity in which an individual does not identify exclusively with either masculine or feminine genders.
Gender nonconforming/expansive: Having a gender expression atypical with the sex assigned at birth.
Genderqueer: a nonbinary, transgender identity in which an individual identifies with genders simultaneously or is flexible about gender (i.e., gender fluid), identifies with multiple genders (i.e., bigender, trigender, pangender), does not identify with any specific gender (i.e., agender), or does not define their gender (i.e., third, other gender).
Resources
DISCLAIMER: This blog is a blog written and edited by Allison Bozovsky, LMFT. As the owner of this blog, this is a tool to share my own thoughts, feelings, and expertise on social sciences for informational purposes only. The information is no reflection of my current employer. It is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or therapeutic services.