Transgender people come from every region of the United States and around the world, from every racial and ethnic background, and from every faith community. Transgender people are your classmates, your coworkers, your neighbors, and your friends. With approximately 1.4 million transgender adults in the United States\u2014and millions more around the world\u2014chances are that you’ve met a transgender person, even if you don’t know it.<\/p>\n<\/div>
According to the APA Style guide, the term \u201ctranssexual\u201d is largely outdated, but some people identify with it; this term should be used only for an individual who specifically claims it. While the term \u201ctranssexual\u201d appears multiple times throughout this document, APA\u2019s Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity is undertaking a systematic review of its use along with other terms. In the meantime, please refer to the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People (PDF, 472KB)<\/a> for more up-to-date language regarding transgender and gender nonconforming people.<\/p>\n Transgender<\/a> is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth. Gender identity<\/a> refers to a person\u2019s internal sense of being male, female or something else; gender expression refers to the way a person communicates gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics. \u201cTrans\u201d is sometimes used as shorthand for \u201ctransgender.\u201d While transgender is generally a good term to use, not everyone whose appearance or behavior is gender-nonconforming will identify as a transgender person. The ways that transgender people are talked about in popular culture, academia and science are constantly changing, particularly as individuals\u2019 awareness, knowledge and openness about transgender people and their experiences grow.<\/p>\n<\/div> Transgender people are people whose gender identity is different from the gender they were thought to be at birth. \u201cTrans\u201d is often used as shorthand for transgender.<\/p>\n When we’re born, a doctor usually says that we’re male or female based on what our bodies look like. Most people who were labeled male at birth turn out to actually identify as men, and most people who were labeled female at birth grow up to be women. But some people’s gender identity \u2013 their innate knowledge of who they are \u2013 is different from what was initially expected when they were born. Most of these people describe themselves as transgender<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A transgender woman<\/strong> lives as a woman today, but was thought to be male when she was born. A transgender man <\/strong>lives as a man today, but was thought to be female when he was born. Some transgender people identify as neither male nor female, or as a combination of male and female. There are a variety of terms that people who aren’t entirely male or entirely female use to describe their gender identity, like non-binary<\/strong> or genderqueer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n (Note: NCTE uses both the adjectives \u201cmale\u201d and \u201cfemale\u201d and the nouns \u201cman\u201d and \u201cwoman\u201d to refer to a person\u2019s gender identity.)<\/em><\/p>\n Everyone\u2014transgender or not\u2014has a gender identity. Most people never think about what their gender identity is because it matches their sex at birth.<\/p>\n Being transgender means different things to different people. Like a lot of other aspects of who people are, like race or religion, there’s no one way to be transgender, and no one way for transgender people to look or feel about themselves. The best way to understand what being transgender is like is to talk with transgender people and listen to their stories.<\/p>\n<\/div> People can realize that they’re transgender at any age. Some people can trace their awareness back to their earlier memories \u2013 they just knew. Others may need more time to realize that they are transgender. Some people may spend years feeling like they don’t fit in without really understanding why, or may try to avoid thinking or talking about their gender out of fear, shame, or confusion. Trying to repress or change one\u2019s gender identity doesn\u2019t work; in fact, it can be very painful and damaging to one\u2019s emotional and mental health. As transgender people become more visible in the media and in community life across the country, more transgender people are able to name and understand their own experiences and may feel safer and more comfortable sharing it with others.<\/p>\n For many transgender people, recognizing who they are and deciding to start gender transition can take a lot of reflection. Transgender people risk social stigma, discrimination, and harassment when they tell other people who they really are. Parents, friends, coworkers, classmates, and neighbors may be accepting\u2014but they also might not be, and many transgender people fear that they will not be accepted by their loved ones and others in their life. Despite those risks, being open about one\u2019s gender identity, and living a life that feels truly authentic, can be a life-affirming and even life-saving decision.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> It can be difficult for people who are not transgender to imagine what being transgender feels like. Imagine what it would be like if everyone told you that the gender that you\u2019ve always known yourself to be was wrong. What would you feel like if you woke up one day with a body that\u2019s associated with a different gender? What would you do if everyone else\u2014your doctors, your friends, your family\u2014believed you\u2019re a man and expected you to act like a man when you\u2019re actually a woman, or believed you\u2019re a woman even though you\u2019ve always known you\u2019re a man?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Gender identity and sexual orientation are two different things. Gender identity refers to your internal knowledge of your own gender\u2014for example, your knowledge that you’re a man, a woman, or another gender. Sexual orientation has to do with whom you\u2019re attracted to. Like non-transgender people, transgender people can have any sexual orientation. For example, a transgender man (someone who lives as a man today) may be primarily attracted to other men (and identify as a gay man), may be primarily attracted to women (and identify as a straight man), or have any other sexual orientation.<\/p>\n<\/div> People sometimes confuse being transgender and being intersex. Intersex people have reproductive anatomy or genes that don\u2019t fit typical definitions of male or female, which is often discovered at birth. Being transgender, meanwhile, has to do with your internal knowledge of your gender identity. A transgender person is usually born with a body and genes that match a typical male or female, but they know their gender identity to be different.<\/p>\n Some people think that determining who is male or female at birth is a simple matter of checking the baby’s external anatomy, but there’s actually a lot more to it. Every year, an estimated one in 2,000 babies are born with a set of characteristics that can’t easily be classified as “male” or “female.” People whose bodies fall in the vast continuum between “male” and “female” are often known as intersex <\/strong>people. There are many different types of intersex conditions. For example, some people are born with XY chromosomes but have female genitals and secondary sex characteristics. Others might have XX chromosomes but no uterus, or might have external anatomy that doesn’t appear clearly male or female. To learn more about what it’s like to be intersex, check out this video or click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n While it’s possible to be both transgender and intersex, most transgender people aren’t intersex, and most intersex people aren\u2019t transgender. For example, many intersex people with XY (typically male) chromosomes but typically female anatomy are declared female at birth, are raised as girls, and identify as girls; in fact, many of these girls and their families never even become aware that their chromosomes are different than expected until much later in life. However, some intersex people come to realize that the gender that they were raised as doesn\u2019t fit their internal sense of who they are, and may make changes to their appearance or social role similar to what many transgender people undergo to start living as the gender that better matches who they are.<\/p>\n<\/div> Being gender non-conforming means not conforming to gender stereotypes. For example, someone\u2019s clothes, hairstyle, speech patterns, or hobbies might be considered more “feminine” or “masculine” than what’s stereotypically associated with their gender.<\/p>\n Gender non-conforming people may or may not be transgender. For example, some women who were raised and identify as women present themselves in ways that might be considered masculine, like by having short hair or wearing stereotypically masculine clothes. The term \u201ctomboy\u201d refers to girls who are gender non-conforming, which often means they play rough sports, hang out with boys, and dress in more masculine clothing.<\/p>\n Similarly, transgender people may be gender non-conforming, or they might conform to gender stereotypes for the gender they live and identify as.<\/p>\n<\/div> What does it mean to have a gender that’s not male or female?<\/strong><\/p>\n Most transgender people are men or women. But some people don’t neatly fit into the categories of “man” or “woman” or \u201cmale\u201d or \u201cfemale.\u201d For example, some people have a gender that blends elements of being a man or a woman, or a gender that is different than either male or female. Some people don’t identify with any gender. Some people’s gender fluctuates over time.<\/p>\n People whose gender is not male or female may use many different terms to describe themselves. One term that some people use is non-binary<\/strong>, which is used because the gender binary refers to the two categories of male and female. Another term that people use is genderqueer<\/strong>. If you’re not sure what term someone uses to describe their gender, you should ask them politely.<\/p>\n It’s important to remember that if someone is transgender, it does not necessarily mean that they have a “third gender.” Most transgender people do have a gender identity that is either male or female, and they should be treated like any other man or woman.<\/p>\n For more information about what it’s like to have a gender other than male or female or how you can support the non-binary people in your life, read NCTE’s guide Understanding Non-Binary People<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div> Counseling aimed at changing someone\u2019s gender identity, sometimes known as conversion therapy, doesn\u2019t work and can be extremely harmful. The belief that someone\u2019s gender identity can be changed through therapy runs counter to the overwhelming consensus in the medical community. Telling someone that a core part of who they are is wrong or delusional and forcing them to change it is dangerous, sometimes leading to lasting depression, substance abuse, self-hatred and even suicide. Because of this, a growing number of states have made it illegal for licensed therapists to try to change a young person\u2019s gender identity (laws apply to those under 18). However, many transgender people find it helpful to get counseling to help them decide when to tell the world they are transgender and deal with the repercussions of stigma and discrimination that comes afterward.<\/p>\n<\/div> Transitioning is the time period during which a person begins to live according to their gender identity, rather than the gender they were thought to be at birth. While not all transgender people transition, a great many do at some point in their lives. Gender transition looks different for every person. Possible steps in a gender transition may or may not include changing your clothing, appearance, name, or the pronoun people use to refer to you (like \u201cshe,\u201d \u201che,\u201d or \u201cthey\u201d). Some people are able to change their identification documents, like their driver\u2019s license or passport, to reflect their gender. And some people undergo hormone therapy or other medical procedures to change their physical characteristics and make their body better reflect the gender they know themselves to be.<\/p>\n Transitioning can help many transgender people lead healthy, fulfilling lives. No specific set of steps is necessary to \u201ccomplete\u201d a transition\u2014it\u2019s a matter of what is right for each person. All transgender people are entitled to the same dignity and respect, regardless of which legal or medical steps they have taken.<\/p>\n<\/div> Some transgender people make or want to make legal changes as part of their transition, like by changing their name or updating the gender marker on their identity documents.<\/p>\n Not all transgender people need or want to change their identity documents, but for many, it’s a critical step in their transition. For many transgender people, not having identity documents like driver’s licenses or passports that match their gender means that they might not be able to do things that require an ID, like getting a job, enrolling in school, opening a bank account, or traveling. Some transgender people who use an ID that doesn’t match their gender or their presentation face harassment, humiliation, and even violence.<\/p>\n Transgender people may need to change a number of documents in order to live according to their gender identity, such as their:<\/p>\n It’s important to know that not all transgender people be able to make the changes they need to their IDs and other official documents. Unfortunately, these changes are often expensive, burdensome, and complicated, putting them out of reach for many people. For example, some states still require proof of surgery or a court order to change a gender marker. In many states, the process can be time-consuming and involve many steps, or cost hundreds of dollars. As a result, only one-fifth (21%) of transgender people who have transitioned have been able to update all of their IDs.<\/p>\n NCTE works to modernize all of these outdated requirements. States are increasingly adopting more accessible and straightforward policies for changing one’s name and gender marker.<\/p>\nWhat does it mean to be transgender?<\/h3>\n
How does someone know that they are transgender?<\/h3>\n
Thought Exercise: Thinking About Your Own Gender<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n
What’s the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity?<\/h3>\n
What’s the difference between being transgender and being intersex?<\/h3>\n
What is the difference between being transgender and being gender non-conforming?<\/h3>\n
Why don\u2019t transgender people get counseling to accept the gender they were assigned at birth?<\/h3>\n
What does “gender transition”\u00a0<\/em>mean?<\/h3>\n
What are some of the official records transgender people may change when they’re transitioning?<\/h3>\n
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