Transgender Definition Essay

With the LGBT+ movement gaining traction, it is safer than ever for LGBT folks to be out and open about their identities. With this sudden influx of a variety of new labels, more people are being accused of faking their identities for attention, or labeled as trend setters, especially in the trans community. To be transgender means that a person’s gender identity doesn’t match the gender they were designated at birth. For many people, this means a person who was raised as a male now identifying as a female, or vice versa. Though, recently, many people have begun to identify with genders that fall outside the male-female binary. These non-binary genders include, but are not limited to, agender, gender fluid, and bigender (Roxie). Many people, …show more content…
The root trans- means “on the other side of.” Many people have begun to use the word “cisgender” to describe a person whose gender identity matches the gender they were designated at birth. The root cis- means “on the same side of.” Some people find this word unnecessary or even insulting. This word is not, and has never been intended as an insult. This word eliminates the otherness of trans identities, and makes cisgender less of a default, thus serving an incredibly important purpose. One of the biggest challenges the trans community faces is being seen as abnormal or outsiders, and the use of the word cisgender disassociates its definition with being “normal.” Another thing that’s important to be aware of is that gender is a social construct. Different cultures all over the globe have different interpretations of gender. Today, with the level of global connectivity we have, it’s no longer necessary or practical to remain restricted to the Western gender binary (Cunningham). However, just because gender is a social construct does not mean that it is unimportant, elective or nonexistent. It is equally important to respect peoples’ identities, no matter what they may