Introduction to Transgender Identities

Transgender & Nonbinary Identities

There are many identities that fall under the transgender umbrella and each is as unique as the individuals who use the labels. In a literal sense, anyone who identifies as a gender other than their gender assigned at birth is considered transgender. Some transgender people are binary transgender people, meaning they still operate within the gender binary (male and female). Those who are nonbinary exist beyond the binary identifying as all genders, but there are many nuances within that. While I've included many of the identities below, it's important to respect and honor the many in-betweens that exist in reality.

Some identities:

• Trans Man

• Trans Woman

• Nonbinary

  • Genderfluid (often oscillates between genders)

  • Genderqueer (often operates outside gender norms)

  • Agender (having no gender)

  • Demigirl/Demiboy (most of the time they identify as a girl/boy, but sometimes not)

  • Bigender (having two genders)

Overall, nonbinary and transgender people are often referred to as gender diverse or gender expansive.

Pronouns

Pronouns are an important part of the English language! There's no way to know someone's pronouns by looking at them. The best way to ensure you're being respectful and honoring a person's most authentic self is to ask what pronouns they use.

Some pronoun options include:

• He/Him/His

• She/Her/Hers

• They/Them/Theirs

• Ze/Hir/Hirs

• Ze/Zir/Zirs

• Xe/Xem/Xyr

Why are people transgender?

There is no definitive reason why people are transgender or nonbinary! Nonbinary and transgender people have existed for as long as humans have been around and many cultures have their own definitions of gender. Transgender and nonbinary people are just part of the richness that exists in humanity.