- Androgen
- A male sex hormone (e.g. testosterone).
- Anti androgen
- A hormone or other substance that inhibits the production of Androgens.
- Bent
- The opposite of straight. NB: Someone who is "bent" is not necessarily "queer".
- Bisexual
- Someone who engages in sexual activity with both men and women.
- Celibacy
- Abstaining from married behaviour and relationships, in particular sexual intercourse.
- Coming Out
- A process of coming to terms with being gender dysphoric, and telling others that this is the case. Coming out usually proceeds gender transition.
- Crossdressing
- Wearing the clothes normally associated with the other gender.
- Drag Queen
- Slang term denoting a homosexual male who dresses as a Woman. Lesser known term is Drag King, referring to a heterosexual male doing the same.
- Female
- Normally, a person with XX chromosomes, although some females also have XXY and XO chromosomes.
- Female-to-Male
- A transsexual whose sex is female (transsexual man), making the change from a woman to a man. Known as FTM, F2M or F->M for short.
- Gay
- 1) homosexual; 2) a homosexual man.
- Gender
- One's social, personal and legal status as male, female or mixed, on the basis of somantic and behavioral more inclusive than the genital criterion and/or erotic criterion alone.
- Gender Correct Language
- Use (or non-use) of gender specific pronouns and words in the least misleading and most clear fashion. e.g. Using "postie" or "postal deliverer" instead of "postman", when the gender of that person is not known. Often confused with Political Correctness, and misunderstood to be the elimination of "man" from words.
- Gender Dysphoria
- The sate, as subjectively experienced, of incongruity between the genital anatomy and the gender identity of a person.
- Gender Identity
- One's sense of belonging to the male or female sex; the private experience of gender role. The sameness, unity, and persistence of one's individuality as male, female, or androgynous, in greater or lesser degree, especially as it is experienced in self-awareness and behaviour.
- Gender Role
- The public manifestation of gender identity. Everything a person that a person says and does to indicate to others or to the self the degree that one is either male, female, or androgynous.
- Girls & Boys
- Laura's slang terms for transgendered women (Girls) and transgendered men (Boys). Note the capitalization, lower case would refer to non-transgendered girls and boys. Why these terms? Because as women we don't menstruate, and as men, they don't produce sperm; and I find these terms vastly preferable to "tranny".
- Gynemimesis
- A syndrome of female impersonation in a natal male who may be hormonally but not not surgically sex-reassigned. (From Greek, gyne woman + mimos mime). Technically transgendered males are gynemetic -- comforting thought isn't it? E
- Herstory
- 1) Interpretation of historical events from a feminist perspective. 2) History written by and for women, instead of by and for men.
- Hijra
- Transgendered persons in India, considered to be a "third gender" by some. Hijras are followers of the goddess Bahuchara, and traditionally dance and sing at weddings and births celebrations. Reputed in folklore to have the power to bless or curse. Compare with Gallae.
- Hormone
- Substances that alter and set body growth.
- Lesbian
- A homosexual woman.
- Male
- Normally, a person with XY chromosomes, although some males have XXY or XYY chromosomes.
- Male-to-Female
- A transsexual whose sex is male (transsexual woman), making the change from a man to a woman. Also known as MTF or M2F for short.
- Man
- The gender role normally ascribed to mature male persons.
- Oestrogen
- A female sex hormone.
- Operation, The (Reassignment Surgery)
- The Sex-reassignment Operation. A major operation whereby male genitals are changed by cosmetic surgery to approximate the appearance and function of female genitals. Also known as "The Op." for short.
- Political Correctness (PC)
- A philosophy that suggests that thought and behaviour can be redirected by restricting and altering the words used in communication. Also implied by this, is that there is only one way to be politically correct, which is generally taken to be the opinions of the person enforcing PC. Compare with Gender Correct Language.
- Pollychrome
- The name chosen by Laura to represent her Self. It is inspired by a character in the Oz books by the same name. In these books, Pollychrome is the most reckless of the daughters of the Rainbow. Her greatest joy is to dance and she often creates magic and solves problems by doing so. She is clad in flowing, fluffy robes of soft material that remind one of woven cobwebs, only coloured in soft tinting of violet, rose, topaz, olive, azure, and white, mingled together in stripes that melt into the other with soft blending. All images used on this site are from the original illustrations.
- Post-op
- Short for post-operative, meaning that the person has had sex-reassignment surgery.
- Pre-op
- Short for pre-operative, meaning that the person has not yet had sex-reassignment surgery.
- Queer
- 1) That which is not straight; 2) Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay peoples, and others who do not identify as being straight.
- Real-life-test
- See the change.
- Sex
- The physiological sex of the person, normally determined by having either XX (female) or XY (male) chromosomes.
- Sexuality
- How a person relates to other people on a sexual basis.
- Show Girl
- A transsexual person who earns a living on the stage performing, often in "all male reviews".
- Straight
- 1) A narrow mode of expression of self, valuing conformity and apparent social norms; 2) A person who has a heterosexual identity; 3) Conformist views.
- The Taxi Club
- A working club on Flinders St in Sydney. The Taxi Club (a.k.a. The Grovensor) is a notorious hang out and pick up joint for transgendered people. Features include a bistro, pokies, and a nightclub on the top level.
- Transgender...
- 1) A person who assumes some of the characteristics of the opposite sex, but retains the use of their genitalia in unmodified form. 2) A blanket term used to refer to transsexuals, transvestites, show girls, and drag queens.
- Tranny (also Transy)
- A slang term that refers to transsexuals and transgenders. Also spelt Trany or Trannie. In general Laura dislikes this term, since anything ending in an "ie" sound is a diminutive (e.g. Trekkie, Bikkie) and implies derision or cuteness of the subject, rather than respect or understanding. However, such use is dependent upon content and setting -- it's different talking about "trannys" to someone when both of you are.
- Transition (The Change, also Real Life Test)
- The process whereby a person initially changes their gender.
- Transsexual... (Woman/Man)
- A person whose gender is different from their sex, and undergoes hormone treatments and other processes in order to change their appearance.
- Transsexualism
- Attempts by the individual to assume the physical characteristics of the opposite sex: the symptom complex of gender dysphoria.
- Transvestite (Cross Dresser)
- A person who needs to dress as the opposite gender for emotional reasons.
- TS
- Abbreviation for transsexual. Also see tranny.
- TV
- Abbreviation for transvestite.
- Virginity
- A state of sexual inexperience in relation to penetration. A transgendered woman can lose here virginity up to three times: pre-transition, post-transition, and post-operatively. You really needed to know that didn't you? E
- Woman
- The gender role normally ascribed to mature female persons.