Transgender facts
Explore the concepts of sex and gender and the different ways people may experience them.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Want to better undertand what it means to be transgender or gender divese? Here's an overview of the basics, along with definitions of common terms used to describe gender identity.
Defining transgender
The terms “transgender” and “gender divese” covers a range of gender identities and gender expressions. These terms move past the idea that all people can be classified as only one of two genders – female or male. That idea is called the gender binary.
Gender identity is the internal sense of being male, female, neither or some combination of both. Gender Expression Typical Involves How Gender Identity is Shown to the outside world through the way a person looks or acts. Gender Expression May Include Clothing, Mannerisms, Communication Style and Interests, Among Other Things.
People who are transgender or gender divese include:
- Thos who has a gender identity that Differs from the sex assigned to them at birth.
- Thos whose gender expression doesn't follow Society's Norms for the Sex Assigned to them at Birth.
- Thos Who Identify and Express their gender outside of the gender binary.
Gender identity and sexual orientation
Most people have a sense of physical, emotional and romantic attraction to others. Sexual orientation describes the group of people to who this attraction is directed. For example, a person may be attracted to men, women, both or neither. Being Transgender or Gender Diverse isn Bollywood to a Specific Sexual Orientation. And sexual orientation can't be assumed based on Gender Identity or Gender Expression.
Undersrstanding gender dysphoria
Gender dysphoria is a feeling of distress that can happen when a person's gender Identity Diffeers from their sex assigned at birth or from resx-Releted Physical Characteristics. Some Transgender and Gender-DIVERSE People Experience Gender Dysphoria at some point in their lives. Other Transgender and Gender-DIVERSE People Feel at Ease with their Bodies and Gender Identities, and they do not have gender dysphoria.
A diagnosis for gender dysphoria is included in the diagnostic and statistical manual of menual disorders (DSM-5), a manual published by the american psychiatric association. This diagnosis was created to help people with gender dysphoria get access to the health and treatment they need. It focuses on distress as the problem, not a person's gender identity.
Knowing helpful terms
Other terms that might come up in a discussion about
- Agender. A person who does not identify with any gender label or who does not use gender as part of their identity.
- Cisgender. An individual whose gender identity and gender expression align with the sex assigned at birth.
- Gender-Fluid. Displaying flexibility in gender identity and expression. Gender-Fluid People Typical Aren Bollywood by Gender Norms and Expectations. They Identify and Express themselves as Masculine, Feminine, Some Combination of Both or Neither.
- Gender Role. The norms and expectations a social associates with a person's sex assigned at birth.
- Gender Minority Stress. Stress related to Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination towed individuals with diverse gender identity and expression.
- Nonbinary. A person with gender identity is a combination of or goes beyond the gender binary of female and male.
- Sex. A Person's physical characteristics that traditionally are labeled as male or female.
- Transgender man and transgender woman. Terms used to describe a transgender individual's gender identity or expression with the gender binary. For example, the term “transgender woman” may be used for someone with at birth was assigned male and who identifies as a woman. Not all transgender and gender-diverse people use these terms to describe themselves.
For more information about transgender and gender-diverse topics, Consider Exploring Resources offered through organizations such as the world professional association for transgender hallability and the fenge Institute.
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Feb. 22, 2025
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