Language

The Prime Directive
Respect people's preferences, feelings, and basic humanity.  When speaking to or about someone, use the names, pronouns, and other gender terms the person prefers. Does that mean there are limits to what positions you can take in this class? No. It just means whatever position you take, you shouldn't use language that's gratuitously disrespectful.

Glossary
Language about trans issues is constantly changing. Here are some terms you may want to use and some to avoid.  Please read the GLAAD media guide for fuller definitions and explanations and many more terms.  We will discuss some of these terms on Friday 9.20.

Cis woman/man: not trans. "Cis" literally means "same side" whereas "trans" connotes crossing.

Cross dressing, drag: see GLAAD media guide.

Gender identity: a person's experience of their own sex/gender. (What is this like? Is it the basis of gender? These are philosophical questions to be discussed.)

Genderqueer: another term for non-binary.

Intersex:  Medically diagnosed conditions such as AIS and CAH.  More here.

Misgendering:  calling a trans woman "he" or a trans man "she", and the like.

MTF transexual, FTM transsexual --> drop this language and just talk about a person being a trans woman or trans man. (Note: this older language is used by both Serano and Barres.)

Born female, born male --> assigned female at birth (AFAB), assigned male at birth (AMAB).  Some of our authors are going to say the original terms are unproblematic.

Non-binary: not exclusively male/man, not exclusively female/woman. Pronouns: often singular "they".

"Passing as_______" -->  GLAAD says this is language used by some trans people but not to be used by others (like the "n" word is off limits for people who aren't black).

Sex change operation --> gender affirmation surgery, gender confirmation surgery.

Sexual orientation: a question of romantic attraction, not gender.

Singular "they": using "they" as a singular pronoun either in cases where gender is indeterminate ("if a student is ill, they can still submit RRs to Canvas") or when gender is non-binary.

TERF: "trans exclusionary radical feminist." People who hold these views prefer the term "Gender Critical Feminist" and consider "TERF" derogatory.

Transition: taking measures to present as a man, as a woman, or as neither. May involve clothing, language, behavior, hormones, surgery, etc.

Tranny --> drop, seen as offensive.

Trans* or transgender*: umbrella term for people with a gender different from the one assigned at birth. Includes people who are binary trans (trans men, trans women) and non-binary.

Trans or transgender: term for binary trans people (trans men, trans women).

Transgenderism--> drop. Makes being trans sound like an ideology.

Transgenders --> trans people, trans women, trans men. (For some reason often used by people hostile to trans people.)

Transphobia: deep-seated, visceral fear and hostility about people who are trans.

Transsexual --> Transgender, trans. (Changed because "transsexual" has connotations of anatomical change, which aren't essential to being trans.)

Transvestite --> drop, often seen as offensive. See Crossdressing.