Terminology

May. 3rd, 2009 11:57 am
floit63: (12)
[personal profile] floit63 posting in [community profile] transgender
This post got me thinking. How many of our arguments (either amongst ourselves or with others) stem from the fact that everyone has a slightly different interpretation of key words we use? I'm going to post a few different words that are rather important when discussing trans issues and I'd love it if everyone could go through and give their definitions of these words so that I can make a list for n00bs (all of them can be anon if you wish). My own definitions will be in the comments.

The Words:
Sex
Gender
Transgender
Transexual
Trans*
Male
Female
Man/boy
Woman/girl
Cisgender
Gay
Lesbian
Straight
Bisexual
Pansexual
Polysexual
Asexual
Ally
Stealth
Out (as in out of the closet, not as in out to the store)
Pride
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Date: 2009-05-04 02:18 pm (UTC)
snakey: (Default)
From: [personal profile] snakey
so that a common middle ground can be achieved for a least some things

...so, wait. If I think someone's definition is transphobic, I should try and reach a 'middle ground'?

Date: 2009-05-04 02:19 pm (UTC)
snakey: (Default)
From: [personal profile] snakey
I will be interested to see how you modify your definitions as below.

Date: 2009-05-04 02:19 pm (UTC)
cyberspice: (Default)
From: [personal profile] cyberspice
I am stealthy. Basically i don't announce to the world that I'm trans (except possibly on here :-) but if anyone asks I don't deny it. I have friends who know and friends who don't. Most people in the street don't guess so I don't worry about it.

Date: 2009-05-04 02:36 pm (UTC)
downtide: cartoon of me (Default)
From: [personal profile] downtide
I'd love to see how your definitions differ. Please post them?
Edited Date: 2009-05-04 02:36 pm (UTC)

Date: 2009-05-04 02:36 pm (UTC)
downtide: cartoon of me (Default)
From: [personal profile] downtide
thanks :)

Date: 2009-05-04 02:39 pm (UTC)
downtide: cartoon of me (cas far away)
From: [personal profile] downtide
People who are not really self-aware about gender also HAVE a gender.

This would be... who, exactly? Babies under a year old? The mentally disabled and unable to communicate? Of course they have a gender, we just don't know what it is.

Date: 2009-05-04 02:47 pm (UTC)
ten: stylized image of a black kitten (Default)
From: [personal profile] ten
Nothing in my comment said that. Or are you the discussion?

If you disagree, however strongly, with someone's definition, please go on and elaborate so that the discussion can actually be fruitful, and not just people being angry at each other.

Date: 2009-05-04 03:14 pm (UTC)
downtide: cartoon of me (Default)
From: [personal profile] downtide
well yes they do have a gender but it's not for me or maudlinstreet or anyone else to define that gender by looking at their physical appearance. Just because a person has a vagina doesn't make them a woman, necessarily.

Date: 2009-05-04 03:16 pm (UTC)
shemale: (Default)
From: [personal profile] shemale
Sex: An act between two or more participants involving pleasurable physical stimulation of the romantic variety

Gender: The classification of a word or grammatical form in a category or set, one category of such a set, or the distinguishing form or forms used in reference to one category of such a set.

Transgender: A general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies that diverge from the normative gender role (woman or man) commonly, but not always, assigned at birth, as well as the role traditionally held by society.

Transexual: Persona que adopta los caracteres sexuales del sexo opuesto-asignado mediante procesos hormonales y quirúrgicos.

Trans*: A reference to all or any of the words (and groups described by said words) beginning with the prefix trans- (and, additionally, the adjective "trans" as well).

Male: Someone who identifies their body as such

Female: Someone who identifies their body as such

Man/boy: Someone who identifies within that particular social category

Woman/girl: Someone who identifies within that particular social category

Cisgender: Not transgender

Gay: Same-gender loving, also a sexual identity

Lesbian: Same-gender loving woman

Straight: Opposite-gender loving

Bisexual: Both/any-gender loving

Pansexual: Lover of pans, flutes, and trannies. Often used by chasers.

Polysexual: Did you mean "polyamorous?"

Asexual: Single-organism reproduction. Also, a sexual identity indicating low or nonexistent libido.

Ally: Someone who's rather full of them-self to feel that they're entitled to base an identity indicating how great they are on the existence of marginalized groups from whose oppression they benefit.

Stealth: The quality or characteristic of being furtive or covert. See also: Assimilation

Out (as in out of the closet, not as in out to the store): Openly queer and/or trans

Pride: Fun event for the warmer seasons
ten: stylized image of a black kitten (Default)
From: [personal profile] ten
My personal definitions of the terms (some easy, some difficult to put down in a few words) Note that where there are options, these options don't have to be exclusive of each other.

Sex The biological sex as defined by one's genetic makeup and natural reproductive organs.
Gender A role related to social interaction and environments. Can be set or fluent, depending on the person's self-identification and/or social environment. May be, but must not be related to the person's sex.
Transgender a) A state in which a person does not feel they belong to the gender assigned to them
b) a recently preferred term for transsexual as it is considered to encompass a far wider range of self-identification
Transexual A state in which a person considers their sex to not fit their gender
Trans* A common term for all forms of transitioning between genders and/or sexes
Male a) having the xy chromosome
b) a gender identity connected to certain characteristics most commonly defined by one's social environment
Female a) having the xx chromosome
b) a gender identity connected to certain characteristics most commonly defined by one's social environment
Man/boy a male person (see 'male' above)
Woman/girl a female person (see 'female' above)
Cisgender a state in which one feels their gender and natural sex are congruent
Gay being physically and/or romantically attracted to persons of the same sex and/or gender
Lesbian being of the female gender and/or sex and being physically and/or romantically attracted to other person of the female sex and/or gender
Straight being physically and/or romantically attracted to persons of the other gender and/or sex in a binary gender system
Bisexual being physically and/or romantically attracted to persons of either gender and/or sex in a binary gender system
Pansexual being physically and/or romantically attracted to persons of all genders and/or sexes in non-binary gender systems
Polysexual being physically and/or romantically attracted to persons of many but not necessarily all genders and/or sexes in non-binary gender systems
Asexual not being sexually attracted to others. Romantic attraction is however possible and sexuality still exists.
Ally Someone who supports the rights and situations of trans persons while not being trans themselves.
(I ... honestly dislike this term. It sounds too much like part of a war situation to me. I prefer a simple 'friend'.)
Stealth hiding one's trans* state from other people
Out informing other people about one's trans* state
Pride a movement that celebrates gender diversity and encourages people to never be ashamed nor let others treat them like they should be ashamed of their gender and/or sexuality.

Date: 2009-05-04 03:38 pm (UTC)
sqrrel: (Default)
From: [personal profile] sqrrel
Pansexual: Lover of pans, flutes, and trannies. Often used by chasers.

ILU.

Date: 2009-05-04 03:50 pm (UTC)
downtide: cartoon of me (cas far away)
From: [personal profile] downtide
I seem to be confused.

So do I.

I thought I had everything clear in my head but now I'm not even sure I belong here if my definitions are so far off base from what everyone else is using.
Edited Date: 2009-05-04 03:51 pm (UTC)
sin_nombre: sign from 1918 flu pandemic (Default)
From: [personal profile] sin_nombre
You do realize that there's no such thing as AN XY chromosome or AN XX chromosome, right? There's an X chromosome, and a Y chromosome, and they can be thrown into almost any configuration. Also, XY women (e.g., people with AIS) wouldn't fit into this definition, nor would XXY, XYY, XXYY men, or XO, XXX, or XXXX women, to name a few. And then there are the wonderful conditions that result in mosaicism.

Moreover, I'd venture to say that most trans* people have never had genetic testing and wouldn't know their own karyotypes anyway.

Date: 2009-05-04 06:37 pm (UTC)
shemale: (Default)
From: [personal profile] shemale
Oh, that's less of a problem; with the rare exception, trans people are usually pretty good about not exoticizing themselves and other trans people. Maybe a little pretentious, though.

I've never heard the term "polysexual" before in my life.
From: [personal profile] auntysarah
There's no such thing as "the XX chromosome" and "the XY chromosome". There are X chromosomes, and there are Y chromosomes. It's also a lot more complicated than "46XX = female, 46XY = male", even if you ignore trans people. There are 46XX male people walking around who assume they are 46XY, there are 46XY female people walking around who assume they are 46XX. There are both 47XXY male and female people, again many of whom have no idea of their unusual chromosomal configuration, and various others.

XX=female, XY=male is very simplistic, and nature is much more complicated than that.
ten: stylized image of a black kitten (Default)
From: [personal profile] ten
Someone else already commented that, but as their comment was screened I couldn't reply.

Yes, I had a word brainfart there. Chromosome combination would be what I really meant. Maybe adding a 'predominantly' would be more medically correct.

That person also mentioned AIS, which I, as far I'm very basically informed, is medically considered an intersex condition though.
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