Welcome to The Transgender Dictionary.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Throughout the existence of humanity, there has been endless attempts to categorize human beings in various ways. One of these methods of categorization has been of male and female. Most commonly, the assumption has been that if one is male, one must be a man - and that if one is female, one must be a woman. While this is true for a great many people, this is not true for everyone.
The primary sex characteristics, secondary sex characteristics, internally perceived sense of self, and overall way in which human beings experience their lives do not always fall into one of two binary genders. There are transgender men, transgender women, intersex people of all genders, enben, nullos, and so much more. The population of humanity is vast and varied in appearance and presentation.
Despite the rich and diverse history of the transgender community, there has been an ongoing struggle to standardize the language used for and within LGBT+ spaces. Different words with the same meaning are often created by those struggling to define their experiences, unaware of preexisting terms.
Even when the words are known, without proper categorization and context, they end up misconstrued. Words with surface-level similarities are often wielded against those for whom they do not accurately describe. Words with hyperspecific meanings are often disgarded as unneeded. Words with broad meanings are often misapplied.
This resource serves to help anyone who may need it via providing definitions, explanations, and additional resources on topics related to being trans and the transgender community. For those who may not be sure what a term means, or are looking for help, hopefully you can find it here.
While not every definition in this dictionary is completely 100% exclusive to the transgender community, they are terms that are still relevant to the topics that are discussed in and around the transgender community. There is quite a fair bit of overlap between the experiences of those who are transgender, and those who are not. What is useful to one person may also be useful to a completely different person. Regardless, it is good to know what words mean.
This resource cannot tell you who you are. The only person who can tell you who you are is yourself. This resource may provide information that could potentially help you reach a more accurate conclusion, but figuring out who you are is a personal journey that cannot be determined by an impersonal website created by a stranger.
Do not be discouraged. Though it may seem daunting (depending on where you are in your life) it is still quite important to figure out who you are. You only live once. You are the only one living in your body. You are the only one out there being yourself. It is better to live your life in whatever way makes you feel the most comfortable, and the most like yourself. Good luck.
General Information
Clicking on underlined words throughout this website will bring you to either a relevant page or definition with further information on the topic as indicated by the words that are underlined.
Sometimes pages will be created as a sort of a "placeholder" when there are only a few links or brief blurbs of information that can be added in a given moment. Don't worry - pages that may appear barren will be fleshed out with more comprehensive information. Eventually.
The bottom of each page should have an "escape" button for those who are unfortunately living in environments where it may be unsafe to be viewing information regarding The Transgender Community. If you are one of these people who would have to utilize such a button, please know that it can and will get better. There's nothing wrong with you for being a part of (or simply wanting to support) this community. You are not wrong for being who you are. You matter. Again, good luck with your life.
When it comes to using various terms and adjectives, feel free to use whatever you like to refer to yourself; so long as the terminology accurately reflects your internal feelings of gender and sexuality and such. When using various terms and adjectives to refer to other people, please ask before making assumptions. Even if a term can technically be used to accurately refer to a person, that does not mean that that person is comfortable being refered to using that terminology.
About The Author
Despite what it may seem, this site was created by a single person. The answer to questions such a "why isn't x on here" or "why isn't there more resources/research for x" is that I can't do everything all at once. I do not always have the time for research. I do not already know everything. While I have gotten some small contributions from a handful of helpful people, this is largely a creation of my own.
If you would like to know more about why this site was created, please click here. If you would like to financially support The Transgender Dictionary, please click here.
If you see errors/typos, or have anything to add, please click the mayo jar below and be brought to my tumblr page. Send an ask using the ask feature, and explain your idea of what should be edited. If you don't want to send an ask, send a message.
Pixel Flags
Throughout this website, there are various tiny pixel pride flags that are used. If you are interested in supporting the creator of these flags, please click the transgender flag below. Clicking this flag will bring you to the itch.io page of the creator of these pixel flags.
Dedication
Dedicated to my partner, who always tells me that transphobes will all change their minds when presented with facts and honest explanations of how things work.
Disclaimer
This website contains a great number of external resources - links to videos, articles, online shops, studies, etc - that are not affiliated with The Transgender Dictionary. These links are provided for entertainment purposes, to encourage the viewer to do zir own research, and to guide the viewer to potential solutions to personal problems that need resolution. None of these links are sponsored, nor endorsed (unless otherwise specified). The views, beliefs, opinions, thoughts, etc of every single external resource that has been linked do not necessarily represent those of The Transgender Dictionary.
While this website contains some limited information on medical topics, this information was not written by a physician. While you are invited to read my research, do not treat anything in this Dictionary as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a licensed health care provider before having anything permanent done to your body. Always do as much research as possible before undergoing any operations or treatments (transgender-related or otherwise).
I do not claim to be an authority, nor an expert on any of these topics being discussed. This is simply a collection of my thoughts and research that is done in my spare time. Thank you for reading. Hope this helps :3
The author of this website has severe ADHD. Medications do not help as they only seem to administer the side effects (this is abnormal and unfortunate). Pages will be updated randomly and sporatically. If you would like to have a certain section be prioritized, please let me know.
Feel free to suggest things that you think should be added, edited, fixed adjusted, etc. The goal is to, at some point, have this entire website be uniform in quality, organization, etc. Having each page as organized as possible and easily accessible to as many people who need it is also ideal. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in some way shape or form.
See also the pages for; reasons, directory, in memoriam, resources by country, and miscellaneous.
