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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).

An ideology that supports a person’s fundamental right to self-governance over their body without external influence or coercion. The concept of bodily autonomy (or bodily integrity) is applicable to a wide range of scenarios, including the freedom to choose one’s family planning options, consensual sexual partners (regardless of gender), and medical treatment. The phrase “my body, my choice” is a feminist slogan that reflects one of the fundamental principles of bodily autonomy.

A person who is sexually and/or romantically attracted to two or more genders (not necessarily men and women). Bisexual people may feel equal levels of attraction to both (or more) genders or tend to experience attraction to one gender more frequently; however, a person’s gender often factors into their attraction. More recently, the term has been used to describe a level of sexual fluidity in which a person’s attractions may move in one or more directions along a spectrum of sexuality.

Flattening or reshaping one’s chest with constricting material to minimize the appearance of having breasts and create a more traditionally masculine or androgynous appearance. Some binding methods, including using duct tape or Ace bandages, may pose long-term health risks, including muscle tears, lung damage, and/or rib bruising. Medical-grade binders are made with stretchier, more breathable material, offering some transgender people a lower-risk way to bind. Some transgender people have created community organizations to send other trans people safe, medical-grade binders for free, preventing some of the health problems associated with binding (see our Binding Guide).