Transgender identity is complex. Trans Solidarity Project provides resources to better understand transgender lives. No matter where you are in your journey, there is always something to learn.
What Are Pronouns?
Everyone uses pronouns. Pronouns are words that substitute nouns when the person you’re talking to knows who you’re talking about already.
For example, I might say, “I have a dog named Brutus. He is black, white, and brown, and he has a lot of attitude.” The ‘he’ referring to Brutus is a pronoun. If I wanted to not use ANY pronouns, I would instead say, “I have a dog named Brutus. Brutus is black, white, and brown and Brutus has a lot of attitude.”
The most common pronouns are I, me, us, you, we, he, she, and they. There is literally no way to exist in the world without using pronouns, so no, you do use them – even if you’re cisgender.
Most people associate pronouns with transgender people. That’s because transgender and nonbinary people are the most likely to use pronouns that aren’t correlated with the gender assigned to them at birth.
The pronouns he/him, she/her, and they/them all have a gender associated with them. As we go about our day, we make thousands of assumptions about the world and people around us, assuming others’ genders based on how they present themselves or the name they use. But assumptions can be wrong.
The act of accidentally or purposely using the wrong pronouns is called misgendering. Accidents happen, but work on using the correct pronouns. No matter how often misgendering happens, it hurts the trans people you care about.
Want to learn more about pronouns? Visit pronouns.org.
What Is Trans? What Does Cis Mean?
“Trans” is an abbreviation for the word “transgender.” It refers to anyone who identifies as a gender that is different than their original sex assigned at birth.
The words trans and transgender are umbrella terms that include many identities, like “trans men,” “trans women,” and “nonbinary.” There is no wrong way to be transgender, just like how there is no wrong way to be a man or a woman. Some of us come out in our youth, others come out later in life. Some transgender people affirm their gender through hormone replacement therapy or surgery, while others may not.
Transgender is an adjective and not a separate gender on its own. Linguistically, this means transgender women are women by definition, just like how tall women are women.
“Cis” is an abbreviation for the word “cisgender.” It refers to anyone who identifies as the gender originally assigned to them at birth. Neither cis nor cisgender is a slur; they’re simply adjectives describing sex.
Both “trans” and “cis” come from Latin. Cis means “the same,” while trans translates to “opposite.” Intersex refers to individuals who do not neatly fall into the male/female sex binary BUT intersex people are not inherently transgender or cisgender.
Want to learn more about the word “transgender” and its linguistic history?
Why Are Trans People Part of the LGBTQIA+ Community?
Even though most of the queer community has a core focus on sexuality rather than gender, transgender people have been discriminated against in similar ways. Transgender people have been alongside queer people throughout LGBTQIA+ history.
Transgender people face similar challenges and struggles to gay men, lesbian women, bisexual people, and others in our community. Over the decades, our communities merged to fight for autonomy, agency, and self-determination. Groups that attack transgender rights always later attack gay and lesbian rights, so standing together makes us stronger.
Being gay does not mean you are automatically an ally to transgender people. There are actually many LGB people who are anti-transgender. Separatist movements exist for a variety of reasons, citing that gender is too different than sexuality, we have nothing in common, or transgender people are simply too weird to be included. These claims are always fueled by bigotry and a good dose of ignorance – especially since tactics used to demonize transgender people by separatists are the same tactics used by the general public to demonize the LGB community.
Is Being Trans a New Thing?
No. Gender-diverse people have been proven to exist just as long as humanity has existed, although the language and terminology have varied over the centuries.
Transgender people have existed in every era in human history, regardless of whether terms like “transgender” existed. To the Bantu inkoshane and medieval monks, we have always existed.
Is Being Trans a Mental Illness?
No, although it is somewhat complicated.
Society has long believed that anyone different must be sick, whether it was female hysteria or homosexuality. Being gay was classified as a mental illness until 1973, when it was officially removed from the DSM.
Like other marginalized communities, transgender people are more likely to experience mental illness, such as depression and anxiety. A lack of support from friends and family, as well as high rates of disownment, assault, harassment, and discrimination, make life difficult.
Transgender identity is NOT classified as a mental illness. The American Psychiatric Association elaborates in the DSM-5 that only gender dysphoria, or the distress associated with a disconnect of biological sex and internal gender identity, is classifiable as a mental illness.
This means transgender people who have affirmed their genders and are living adjusted lives are NOT classifiable as mentally ill, although illness would recur if barred from gender-affirming care. The healthcare insurance industry overcomplicates healthcare, so this language allows transgender individuals to obtain necessary gender dysphoria diagnoses for insurance companies and Medicaid to cover gender-affirming services.
Looking for more?
Check out our guides and these curated posts.
📚 Mega Transgender Resource Guide
🧠 Sexuality vs. Gender: What’s the Difference?
💉 Hormone Replacement Therapy 1.0
🏥 The Basics of Gender-Affirming Surgery