This is just a basic run down of the various words. As time goes by, I’ll add more terms and more to each definition to help flesh it out.
Gender Binary – The fallacious either-or belief about gender identity and gender presentation that states that those who have a penis will identify as male, behave in a masculine manner, and like women, and that those with a vagina will identify as female, behave in a feminine manner, and like men.
Transgender – An umbrella term encompassing all who transgress the gender binary, from feminine men and masculine women to cross dressers to transsexuals to the intersexed to drag performers. It is an adjective, not a noun (i.e. a transgender person, not a transgender), nor is it a verb (I am transitioning, not transgendering).
Sex – The physical aspects of one’s gender; made up of primary (penis/vagina), secondary (pubic, body, and/or facial hair, breasts, period, etc), and tertiary (clothing) sexual characteristics.
Gender – The way that one identifies; a combination of physical, emotional, and social aspects. Broken into gender identity and gender expression.
Gender Identity – The gender, or lack thereof, that someone personally identifies as, regardless of physical body, social treatment, outward dress and behavior, or sociatal gender typing.
Gender Expression – How one chooses to display their gender to the outside world through dress and behavior. For example, a femme woman has a feminine gender expression, and a butch woman has a masculine expression.
Transvestite – Someone who dresses in the clothing of another sex/gender for sexual purposes. Considered offensive to most.
Crossdresser – Someone who dresses in clothing of another sex/gender for reasons other than sexual. Reasons include comfort, a desire to experience another side, or being unable or unwilling to begin transition.
Drag Performer – Someone who dresses as either a female (Drag Queen) or male (Drag King), but does so for performance purposes only.
Transsexual – Someone who is born physically of one (or more) sex(es), but identifies as another, and chooses to undergo the process of transition to change their body to that of the sex they identify as. Like transgender, is an adjective, not a noun.
Transition – The process of changing ones sex and outward gender presentation to match the gender they identify as. Includes psychological therapy, hormone treatment, learning to socialize in their identified gender, and/or surgical procedures. Can be used as a noun (i.e. my transition) as well as a verb (i.e. transitioning).
Intersex (Formerly called hermaphrodite) – Someone who is born with aspects of both sexes. This could be as unnoticable as someone male bodied with an XX chromosome, to full blown having genitalia and reproductive organs of both male and female.
Agender (Also, non-gendered) – Someone who identifies as having no gender, neither male nor female.
Bigender (also bi-gender) – Someone who identifies as both male or female, either alternating between the two or feeling they are both at the same time.
Third Gender – Someone who identifies as a gender other than male or female.
Gender Fluid – Someone whose gender identity tends to flow between two or more genders.
Genderqueer – A catch-all term for those who identify outside the gender binary.
Androgyne – Someone who specifically presents in an androgynous manner, i.e. ambiguous gender.
Cisgender – Someone whose body and gender identity/gender presentation all match up (e.g. Someone who is male bodied, identifies as male, and presents in a male/masculine manner).
Cissexual – Someone whose physical sex and subconscious sex (i.e. gender identity) match, has no desire to change their physical sex.
Queer – A catch all term for those who exist outside the heteronormative standard. Used to be a derogatory term, has been taken back as a term of pride by the community.
Heteronormative – The heterosexual standard which is often forced upon those who are not.
Gay – Someone who is homosexual (i.e. attracted to members of the same sex/gender), but mostly refers to homosexual men.
Lesbian – A homosexual woman.
Bisexual – Someone with attractions to members of two sexes/genders (usually men and women).
Polysexual – Someone with an attraction to members of many (but not all) sexes/genders.
Pansexual – Someone with attractions to members of any sex or gender.
Asexual – Someone who has no physical attractions and/or lacks any desire for physical intimacy.
Gray-Sexual (Sometimes called Gray-A) – Someone who is usually asexual but once in a while has an attraction or sexual desire.
Demisexual – Someone who is asexual until developing an emotional bond with someone, at which point desires physical intimacy.
Ace – A nickname for someone who is asexual.
Asexy – Someone or something of particular interest to asexuals. It can be something or someone intellectually stimulating, aesthetically pleasing, or generally intriguing. The term can have romantic or aromantic connotations depending on context, and varies from one individual to another. One may consider someone asexy for their cooking while another considers that same person asexy for their conversational skills.
In addition to the sexuality terms, which all include the physical aspects, asexuals have come up with similar terms to show the kinds of mental and emotional attractions they have while also signifying that they do not have physical attractions or desires.
Aromantic – Lacking in romantic attractions to members of any gender.
Biromantic – Having romantic attractions to members of two genders.
Heteroromantic – Having romantic attractions to members of the “other” gender.
Homoromantic – Having romantic attractions to members of the same gender.
Polyromantic – Having romantic attractions to members of multiple (but not all) genders.
Panromantic – Having romantic attractions to members of all genders.
Transromantic – Romantic attraction to people of varient or ambiguous genders; i.e. attraction to transgender and intersex people.
Transendent Lives 