Whilst language can only take us so far, it is still a useful tool. Here, at Alethya, we understand that gender can be fluid and also very much a social construct. With issues around gender now being discussed and debated even in the mainstream media, we thought a brief overview of some of the most common terms within the gender discussion would be helpful. This list is far from exhaustive and, as always, we welcome comments and feedback…
A
Agender: a person who does not identify with any gender.
C
Cisgender: a person whose gender identity is aligned to what they were designated at birth, based on their physical sex (also Cisman/Biological man, Ciswoman/Biological woman).
F
Fluid/Evolving: an umbrella term for people whose gender identity has an overlap of, or indefinite lines between, female and male.
N
Non-binary: a person whose gender identity is outside of, not included within, or beyond the binary of female and male.
T
Transsexual (also spelled Transexual): a person whose gender identity is different from their designated sex at birth and has taken steps of physical transition so that their body is congruent to both their gender identity and the conventional concept of sexually male and female bodies.
Transgender Man (Transman): a transgender individual who identifies as a man (also FTM).
Transgender Woman (Transwoman): a transgender individual who identifies as a woman (also MTF).
