The So Gender Project
Definitions of the Month
These definitions are constantly being added to in order to broaden your gender-related vocabulary!
All new terms are added to the top of the page and previously defined terms may be edited to better reflect the term within the present context
HRT
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Queer Epistemology
The intuitive ability of a queer individual to assess another individual's sexuality through initial perception alone. This is commonly known as "Gaydar" which refers to a gay radar.
Sexual Dimorphism
Observable differences in an individual's outward appearance that are related to their assigned sex at birth (ex. body build, voice pitch)
Queer
an individual who's sexual and/or gender identity does not correspond with the societally established cisgender heteronormative practices. Historically this term was used as a slur and is only recently been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community
Cisnormativity
The narrative that an individual is only "normal" if they identify with the gender identity that matches their sex at birth (ie. an AFAB woman or an AMAB man); this is an established social construct that is a major driving force behind transphobia
Agender
A form of nonbinary that specifically refers to an individual that has no gender indentity
Gender
socially constructed characteristics that pertain to the reflection of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny through self expression
AFAB
an individual who was assigned female at birth
Transgender
a term used to describe someone who's gender identity does not reflect the sex they were assigned at birth
AMAB
an individual who was assigned male at birth
LGBTQ+
an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and is expansive to other identities through the use of the "+"
Cisgender
Someone who identifies with their sex assigned at birth and reflects socially typical characteristics of gender in relation to that assignment (ie. an AMAB individual who identifies as a man, an AFAB individual who identifies as a woman)
Androgynous
partly feminine and partly masculine in appearance; to abstain from sex-defining characteristics
Two Spirit
a contemporary indigenous umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people who fulfill a traditional third-gender social role in their communities
Intersex
a person born with both male and female biological traits
Gender Dysphoria
a feeling of unease or dissatisfaction that can occur when a person's gender identity and sex don't match, these feelings can stem from body, social, and mental dysphorias
Nonbinary
relating to a gender identity that does not conform to traditional binary beliefs about gender, which indicate that all individuals are exclusively feminine or masculine
Pronoun
a word used to refer to someone or something when you don't need to use a noun, often because the person or thing has been mentioned earlier