Gender means a person’s individual definition and experience of their gender or who they know themself to be.
When providing person-centred, trauma-informed care, it’s important to respect the individual’s self-identified gender and pronouns.1
Conversations and language around gender have evolved rapidly in the past 10 to 20 years. It’s natural for new language to feel overwhelming or confusing, and it may differ from your own understanding of gender as a clinician and an individual.
Humans have always created language to describe our experience of life, including language about gender, sex and sexuality, mental health and relationships. Some cultural ideas that we think have existed for a long time are relatively new. For example, the term ‘homosexuality’ was only coined in the late 19th century.
Language shifts over time to reflect experience, and individual understandings may be different to the definitions in this guide. It’s always best practice to ask a young person how they understand their own experience of gender.
Gender identities
People identify with different terms to describe their gender. Some people will develop and change their understanding of their gender throughout their life, and in turn change the way they want to be addressed.
LGBTIQ+ young people may identify as cisgender (cis) or fall under the transgender (trans) umbrella. Trans is not a separate gender. Both the terms trans and cis describe the relationship between the gender a person identifies with, and the one they were assigned/presumed at birth. In some cultures, including Aboriginal cultures, there are many different words for experiences of gender.
- Cisgender or cis describes individuals whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned or presumed to be at birth. For example, if someone is assigned/presumed female at birth and identifies as a woman, they are cisgender.
- Transgender or trans is an umbrella term that covers a large range of genders, including non-binary, genderqueer, sistagirl or brothaboy, genderfluid, having a binary gender and more. If someone is trans, it means they have a different understanding of gender than what was assigned/presumed at birth. For example, if someone is assigned/presumed female at birth and identifies as a man, they are trans.
Both the terms cis and trans are adjectives. So in the same way you’d call someone a tall or clever man, you’d call them a trans man.
Aboriginal gender identities
Many cultures around the world have different ways of describing gender identity that are an inherent part of their culture and society.2
When working with Aboriginal LGBTIQSB+ young people, be mindful that we usually talk about gender through a Western lens, which can include the colonial framing of gender and power dynamics.
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people identify their gender with words in their own languages, and express and experience their gender and culture in individual ways.
More about Aboriginal identity and experiences
The trans umbrella
Here are some ways that people who are trans and gender diverse might describe who they know themselves to be, and terms used to describe aspects of the trans experience.
| Transgender | A person whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. This term can include a variety of specific identities. A trans man is someone who was assigned female at birth but identifies as male, and a trans woman is someone who was assigned male at birth but identifies as female. |
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| Non-binary | A person who does not exclusively identify as male or female. Non-binary people may have a gender experience that is fluid and falls outside the traditional binary, or includes elements of ‘male’ and ‘female’ gender constructions. Many non-binary people consider their identity as part of the trans umbrella, while others understand non-binary as an experience that rejects ideas of ‘cis’ or ‘trans’. |
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Genderqueer | A term used by someone who rejects conventional gender distinctions and may see their gender as outside or between traditional binary and cisgender categories. |
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| Genderfluid | A person whose gender identity shifts or changes depending on their sense of gender experience and expression. | |
| Agender | A person who does not identify with any gender or feels a lack of gender altogether. |
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| Bigender | A person who identifies as two genders, either simultaneously or alternating between them. | |
| Demiboy/demigirl | A person who partially, but not wholly, identifies as male or female respectively. They may have a gender identity that is fluid or overlaps with these genders. | |
| Pangender | A person who identifies with many or all genders simultaneously. | |
| Androgynous | A person whose gender presentation is a blend of both masculine and feminine characteristics, though their gender identity may not necessarily be non-binary. |
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| AFAB/PFAB | A person assigned female at birth/presumed female at birth. | |
| AMAB/PMAB | A person assigned male at birth/presumed male at birth. | |
| FTM/MTF | Female to male and male to female (not commonly used anymore). | |
| Gender diverse | A term to describe all experiences outside of binary female and male experiences, e.g. genderqueer, agender, non-binary. | |
| Gender dysphoria | An experience of significant discomfort or distress because a person’s gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. It can lead to a strong desire to transition to the gender with which they identify.3 | |
| Gender euphoria | The profound sense of joy, relief, and satisfaction that a person experiences when their gender identity aligns with their gender expression. This positive emotional state often occurs in response to events including transitioning, being recognised by others in their identified gender, or having their gender identity affirmed and validated. | |
| Medical affirmation | Medications and surgical procedures used to help a person align their bodily experience with their gender identity. For trans and gender diverse people, hormone and surgery-based affirmation are typically part of a broader process of gender affirmation, and vary depending on the person’s needs and goals. | |
| Social affirmation | Social affirmation4 refers to the way trans and gender diverse people identify themselves in the world. Trans and gender diverse people may choose not to pursue medical affirmation, however their identity is no less valid. Social affirmation can include changing pronouns and chosen name, gender expression, and use of gender afirming clothing such as binders and gaffs (tucking). | |
| Passing | A term that describes when trans or gender diverse people ‘pass’ as a cis woman or a cis man. Passing has historically been important for personal safety; however, it is culturally loaded with patriarchal beauty standards. Trans and gender diverse people should be affirmed regardless of whether they meet or want to meet these standards. | |
References
- TransHub. What are sex and gender anyway? Sydney, NSW: ACON; 2021 [cited Sept 2024].
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. 6 Cultures That Recognize More Than Two Genders. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2023 [cited Sept 2024].
- Atkinson SR, Russell D. Gender dysphoria. Aust Fam Physician. 2015;44(11):792-6.
- TransHub. Social affirmation. Sydney, NSW: ACON; 2021 [cited Sept 2024].