This guide to transgender terminology comes from GLAAD, the nonprofit that promotes positive portrayals of LGBT people in the media.
Transgender: The umbrella term for people whose gender identity or gender expression differs from the sex associated with them at birth.
Gender identity: One’s “internal, deeply held sense” of being a man or woman or outside either of those binary distinctions. Unlike gender expression — the external manifestations of gender — identity is not outwardly visible.
Sexual orientation: A person’s “enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction to another person.” Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
Transexual: An older term that is preferred by some people who have permanently changed their bodies through hormones, surgery or other medical interventions.
Transition: The usually long, complex process of altering one’s birth sex includes telling one’s family, friends, and co-workers; using a different name and new pronouns; dressing differently; changing one’s name and/or sex on legal documents; hormone therapy; and possibly surgery. The exact steps involved in transition vary from person to person.
GLAAD advises people to always use a transgender person’s chosen name and, whenever, possible, to ask the person which pronoun they would like you to use.
For more detailed information, visit GLADD at www.glaad.org/reference/transgender.