Terminology

[floit63]

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

Comments

[floit63]

I'm fairly certain maudlinstreet meant that even if people don't really think about their gender they still have one. Most cispeople, for example, never question their gender. They simply assume that penis = man and vagina = woman.

[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.

[floit63]

I seem to be confused. Your definition of gender is something that is self-chosen, correct? maudlinstreet's argument appears to be that some people never make a conscious decision about their gender because they assume it's synonymous to their sex. However, they still have a gender (if pressed they tend to go with man/boy or woman/girl), they simply haven't made a choice about what it is.

Where does defining someone else's gender for them come into this?

Deleted the other comment because I was logged into the wrong account, sorry about that.

[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.

[floit63]

Oh don't be scared off just yet. I was merely trying to clarify so that the discussion didn't turn into a giant flame war. This post is more to get a general idea of how everyone defines things so that we can avoid arguments in the future. So far you're not all that different from everyone else anyway.