An informal term used by some transgender people to refer to their birth name, or the name they used before socially transitioning. Ashton refused to disclose his deadname to anyone but his partner, who understood the distress it had caused him as a teen.
An individual who wears clothing, jewelry, and/or makeup not traditionally associated with their assigned gender for the sake of self-expression, recreation, performance (see: drag), and/or erotic enjoyment (LGBT Health Education Center, 2019).
The practice of attempting to permanently “cure,” or eradicate, same-gender attraction and/or gender variance, often through coercive methods. Historically, queer identities have been referred to as “unnatural” or a “disorder.” As a result, people who do not as heterosexual and/or cisgender are oftentimes instated into conversion therapy to “cure” people of their “illness.” This abusive “therapeutic method” causes a lot of psychological distress among the TLGBQ+ community. In recent years, conversion therapy has been regarded as a pseudoscience with no psychological benefits. Furthermore, conversion therapy has been recognized to have long-term psychological and social trauma. Therefore, there has been a push to ban conversion therapy in some parts of North America.
The act of accepting and/or disclosing one’s true gender identity or sexual orientation to others, which can occur during any phase of life. In the former scenario, social, legal, and/or physical transition may accompany coming out. Coming out as non-binary was liberating for Dex, but it also made them worry about transphobic backlash from family members and co-workers.
An individual who has not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity to others, sometimes for safety purposes. Because of their unaccepting family members, Dylan decided to remain closeted about their gender identity until they moved out of their mother’s house.
Slang term for when a transgender person’s birth assignment, thus their transgender identity, is recognized by an outside observer, potentially posing a threat to the transgender individual’s safety. Jasmine worried about being clocked as trans whenever she used a public restroom.
The idea that cisgender people are more natural, valid, and “normal” than their transgender counterparts, resulting in social norms, laws, and individual behaviors that reinforce the gender binary and consequently marginalize, oppress, and/or erase the existence of transgender people (see: cisnormativity). Cissexism is based on the presumption that a person’s assigned sex and gender inherently align with their gender identity.
Adherence to the conventions of the gender binary, which may include conforming to traditional gender roles, gender presentations, and expectations based on one’s birth assignment. Cisnormativity originates from the presumption that cisgender identities, gender expressions, and lived experiences are more natural, valid, and normal than transgender individuals.
