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The gender galaxy is expanding – and opening up opportunities for us all. Learn all about transgender, genderqueer, genderfluid and cisgender identities, and find yourself in the gender galaxy!
Learn all about the gender galaxy:
- what is gender?
- what does it mean to be transgender?
- what does it mean to be genderqueer how is it different from identifying as genderfluid?
- what can you do to support gender non conforming individuals?
- what does it mean to be cisgender?
- how does the expanding gender galaxy offer us all more freedom and opportunity?
Gender Galaxy Language
Here are some ideas to orient you in the gender galaxy!
Please note: this language is a living, breathing cocreation – if you think about one of these terms differently, or have a different experience to share, wonderful! Be in touch with us and share your thoughts.
Gender Identity: how you think and feel about yourself
Gender Expression: how you behave and express yourself socially
Agender: someone who identifies as having no gender
Androgynous: identifying as having both masculine and feminine traits
Bigender: some people use this term to mean having different genders depending on social contexts
Cisgender: someone whose gender identity and expression matches their assigned birth sex.
Genderqueer: someone who actively mixes and matches gendered traits to create a unique gender expression
Gender Fluid: someone who moves along the gender spectrum and is comfortable with this shifting identity
Gender Nonconforming: someone whose gender expression doesn’t match the social expectations based their assigned birth sex
Gender queer: someone who feels their identity doesn’t match “male” or “female” but feels somewhere in between
Transgender: an umbrella term that can apply to anyone whose current gender identity is different from what would be expected based on their assigned birth sex, or anyone who has made a transition along the gender spectrum. While no specific medical interventions are inherently a part of a transgender identity, some transgender people use hormone therapy, surgery or other procedures to make their outward expression more closely match their internal identity.
Pronouns: when in doubt, check in with the individual about what pronouns they prefer. Some options, familiar and new:
She – Her – Hers – Herself
He – Him – His – Himself
They – Them – Their – Themself
Ze – Zir – Zirself
Ze – Hir – Hirself
E – Em- Eir -Emself