Transgender

An umbrella adjective for a person whose gender identity does not align with the sex assigned to them at birth.

Definition

An umbrella adjective for a person whose gender identity does not align with the sex assigned to them at birth. Does not require surgery, hormone therapy, or any medical intervention to be valid.
- Trans man: Assigned female at birth; identifies as a man
- Trans woman: Assigned male at birth; identifies as a woman

Flag

Transgender pride flag with its characteristic coloured stripes.

Helms designed the flag after a dinner with Michael Page (bisexual flag designer) who encouraged her: "The trans community could use a flag too."

Etymology

Latin trans- (across, beyond) + gender. "Transsexual" coined by Magnus Hirschfeld (1923). "Transgenderism" coined by John F. Oliven (1965). "Transgender" became the preferred umbrella term in the 1990s.

History

  • Gender variance is documented in every culture and throughout recorded history
  • 1919 - Hirschfeld founds the Institut fur Sexualwissenschaft in Berlin; pioneering research and gender-affirming care
  • 1952 - Christine Jorgensen becomes the first widely known American to publicly transition - front-page news worldwide
  • 1969 - Stonewall Uprising - trans women of color Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera among the first to resist police raids
  • 1979 - WPATH publishes its first Standards of Care
  • 1999 - Monica Helms designs the transgender pride flag; first Transgender Day of Remembrance observed
  • 2019 - WHO's ICD-11 moves "gender incongruence" out of the mental disorders chapter

Common myths

  • "Being transgender is a mental illness." The WHO's ICD-11 (2019) classifies gender incongruence under sexual health, not mental disorders.
  • "Transgender identity is a trend." Trans people have existed in every documented culture throughout recorded history.
  • "Being transgender always requires surgery." A trans person's identity is valid regardless of medical transition.
  • "Gender identity and sexual orientation are the same." They are entirely separate dimensions.

Notable people

  • Lili Elbe (1882-1931) - Among the first to have gender-affirming surgery
  • Christine Jorgensen (1926-1989) - First widely known American to publicly transition (1952)
  • Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) - Black trans woman; Stonewall; co-founded STAR
  • Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002) - Latina trans woman; Stonewall; co-founded STAR; fought for trans inclusion in gay liberation
  • Leslie Feinberg (1949-2014) - Activist and author; Stone Butch Blues
  • Laverne Cox (1972-) - First trans person on cover of Time magazine (2014)
  • Janet Mock (1983-) - Writer and filmmaker; Redefining Realness
  • Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (1940-) - Stonewall veteran; founded TGI Justice Project
  • Monica Helms (1951-) - Designed the transgender pride flag

See also

Sources & further reading