Medical Transition
A part of a gender transition process in which a transgender person undergoes medical treatments so that their sex characteristics better match their gender identity.
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Gender Dysphoria
A clinical term used to describe the psychological distress resulting from the dissonance between a transgender person’s assigned sex, body, and/or social experiences and their internal experience of gender. The phrase may refer to DSM-5 criteria for medical diagnosis. It is important to note that not all transgender people suffer from gender dysphoria and that experiencing gender dysphoria is not a prerequisite for being transgender. Furthermore, gender dysphoria is not merely disliking one’s body. (see: gatekeeping)
DSM-5
An acronym for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a publication that provides a comprehensive list of official psychiatric diagnoses and their criteria. The DSM-5 uses the term “gender dysphoria” to refer to diagnosed transgender people reporting a sense of social and/or physical dissonance between their assigned gender and their personal experience of gender. Transgender people who do not meet minimum DSM-5 diagnostic criteria may face additional difficulties navigating the medical system should they decide to undergo social, legal and/or medical transition (see: gatekeeping, gender therapist).
Tucking
The act of concealing the penis and testicles by tucking them between the legs, sometimes using tape or constrictive garments such as a gaff (Wilson, 2014). Wilson, Jessica E. “Gender Terminology Definitions 2014.” Slideshare, 9 March 2015, www.slideshare.net/JessicaEWilson/gender-terminology-definitions-2014
Chondrolaryngoplasty
Surgical reduction of the thyroid cartilage (Adam’s apple), also known as a “tracheal shave.”
Gender Therapist
A colloquial term for a licensed counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist who fits the criteria defined by WPATH Standards of Care to provide transition-related treatment for transgender people. Gender therapists should possess the advanced knowledge and expertise necessary to offer competent mental health care to trans people, which is not always the case. (See: Gatekeeping).
Gatekeeping
Systemic barriers controlling transgender people’s access to social, legal, and medical transition, such as:
Bottom Surgery
A slang term primarily used among transgender people to describe any number of surgical procedures related to the removal and/or reconstruction of a person’s genitalia. Examples include vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, hysterectomy, penectomy, oophorectomy, and many others. (See: Gender-affirming Surgery).