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Glossary
Cisgender or cis Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.
Gender dysphoria When a person experiences discomfort or distress because there is a mismatch between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity. This is also the clinical diagnosis for someone who doesn’ t feel comfortable with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Gender identity A person’ s innate sense of their own gender, whether male, female or something else( see Non-binary, below), which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.
Non-binary Umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’ t sit comfortably with‘ man’ or‘ woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.
Pronoun Words to refer to people’ s gender in conversation – for example,‘ he’ or‘ she’. Some people may prefer others to refer to
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them in gender neutral language and use pronouns such as they / their and ze / zir.
Transgender or trans An umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transgender man A term used to describe someone who is assigned female at birth but identifies and lives as a man. This may be shortened to trans man, or FTM, an abbreviation for female-to-male.
Transgender woman A term used to describe someone who is assigned male at birth but identifies and lives as a woman. This may be shortened to trans woman, or MTF, an abbreviation for male-to-female.
Transitioning The steps a trans person may take to live in the gender with which they identify. Each person’ s transition will involve different things; some have medical intervention, such as hormone therapy and surgeries, but not all trans people want or are able to have this.
Source: Stonewall: List of LGBTQ + terms. bit. ly / 3POExIz
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• Lack of awareness among trans people of the specific trans health services available.
• Trans people avoiding medical care for fear of being mistreated or because of a previous negative experience with a healthcare professional.
Why is there a high incidence of mental health issues
Q and suicide among trans people? There are many reasons- for example, long waitingA lists, stigma and difficulties with social transitioning. Suffering minority stress – a term to describe the high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatised minority groups – from the public, family and press can lead to a high incidence of mental health issues. Being trans is not a mental illness nor is it classed as such. Trans people might be at greater risk of mental health issues, but it is not the cause of these issues.
What is the best way healthcare professionals can
Q ensure they are trained and up to date with trans healthcare issues? There are many resources available online, such asA the Royal College of General Practitioners’ LGBT e-learning4, which is free for all healthcare professionals. You can also request a protected learning event about trans health and language from local commissioners. • Full references available online
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