Transidentity Lexicon
Plain-language definitions of the terms used across this directory. Language around gender varies between people and cultures — these are common working definitions, not rigid rules.
Identity
Transgender (trans) — a person whose gender differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Cisgender (cis) — a person whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth.
Assigned sex at birth — the sex recorded at birth, usually abbreviated AFAB (assigned female at birth) or AMAB (assigned male at birth).
Transfeminine — a person assigned male at birth who moves toward a more feminine gender. Often written MTF (male-to-female).
Transmasculine — a person assigned female at birth who moves toward a more masculine gender. Often written FTM (female-to-male).
Non-binary — a gender that is not exclusively "man" or "woman."
Gender identity — a person's internal sense of their own gender.
Gender expression — how a person outwardly presents (clothing, voice, mannerisms).
Experience
Gender dysphoria — distress caused by a mismatch between one's gender and one's body or assigned role.
Gender euphoria — the joy or relief felt when one's gender is affirmed.
Transition — the process of living in alignment with one's gender. It may be social (name, pronouns, presentation), medical (HRT, surgery), and/or legal (documents).
Passing — being perceived by others as one's gender (or as cisgender).
Coming out — disclosing one's transgender identity to others.
Medical
HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) — taking hormones to align the body with one's gender. See the HRT guides.
Estradiol (E2) — the main estrogen used in transfeminine HRT.
Anti-androgen — a medication that suppresses testosterone.
Testosterone (T) — the hormone used in transmasculine HRT.
Informed consent — a care model where you consent to HRT after understanding its effects and risks, without psychiatric gatekeeping. See Informed Consent & Telehealth.
DIY HRT — self-directed hormone therapy undertaken when medical care is inaccessible.
Compiled for Project Trans — MENA, drawing on community glossaries including Awesome Trans.