Trans 101
Part 1:
The Basics
www.gendergp.com
For internal use only - last updated 21-09-22
What does
transgender mean?
A transgender person is anyone whose gender identity differs from the
sex they were assigned at birth. People who are transgender may also
use other terms, in addition to transgender, to describe their gender
more specifically
It is important to note that being transgender is not dependent upon
physical appearance, medical procedures or treatments. A person may
describe themselves as transgender the moment they realize that their
gender identity is different than the sex they were assigned at birth.
Is transgender a new
thing?
Transgender people have existed in
cultures worldwide since ancient times.
Modern terms "transgender" and
“gender identity” emerged in the 1950s
and 1960s, but gender variance can be
documented throughout history.
Some cultures have ancient
third-gender traditions, such as the
legally-recognised hijra of India,
Bangladesh and Pakistan. Or the various
© USAID Bangladesh/WikiCommons two-spirit traditions of some Indigenous
tribes in North America.
What is a pronoun?
Pronouns are linguistic tools that we use to refer to people when we are not
using their name.
Alejandra left her book at the library last night. She went back to collect it.
Robert has his exams in the morning. He is very nervous.
Pronouns are a part of everyone’s gender expression.
Gender expression is the "external manifestations of gender, expressed
through a person's name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, and/or
body characteristics."
Some people use the gender neutral pronouns ‘they’ and
‘them’.
You can use ‘they’ or ‘them’ in a sentence in the same way you
would use ‘she’ and ‘her’, or ‘he’ and ‘his’.
Charlie ate their breakfast too quickly this morning.
They are feeling very full.
Correctly using someone’s pronouns is
one of the most basic ways to show your
respect for their gender identity.
When someone is referred to with the
wrong pronoun, it can make them feel
disrespected and invalidated.
You cannot always know what someone’s pronouns are by looking at them.
Should you make a mistake by using the wrong pronouns before being told,
don’t panic! All you need to do is apologise, correct yourself, and move on.
What does
non-binary mean?
Non-binary describes a gender
identity that is neither male nor
female.
Some societies tend to recognize
just two genders, male and female.
The idea that there are only two
genders is sometimes called a
“gender binary,” because binary
means “having two parts” (male
and female).
Therefore, “non-binary” is one term
people use to describe genders that
don’t fall into one of these two
categories, male or female.
Some non-binary people identify with elements of being both a man and a
woman at the same time. Some people don't identify with any gender.
Some people's gender changes over time. People whose gender is not
male or female may use many different terms to describe themselves, with
non-binary being one of the most common.
Some, but not all, non-binary people undergo medical procedures to make
their bodies more congruent with their gender identity. While not all
non-binary people need medical care to live a fulfilling life, it can be critical
and even life-saving for many.
It is important to know that most transgender people are not non-binary.
Most transgender people have a gender identity that is either male or
female, and should be treated like any other man or woman.
Key terms &
definitions
Transgender/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. Trans people may
describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms including
transgender, transsexual, trans man, trans woman, non-binary, genderqueer,
agender, and many more.
Transition
The steps a trans person may take to live in the gender with which they identify.
For some this involves medical intervention, such as hormone therapy and
surgeries, but not all trans people want or are able to have this. Transitioning also
might involve things such as telling friends and family, dressing differently and
changing official documents.
Cisgender/cis
Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at
birth. Non-trans is also used by some people.
AMAB
Assigned Male at Birth. This acronym is typically used in medical settings where
relevant to care and should generally not be used as a way to refer to trans
people outside of that.
AFAB
Assigned Female at Birth. This acronym is typically used in medical settings where
relevant to care and should generally not be used as a way to refer to trans
people outside of that.
Intersex
A term used to describe a person who may have the biological attributes of both
sexes or whose biological attributes do not fit with societal assumptions about
what constitutes male or female. Intersex people may be male, female,
non-binary or may identify in another way.
Non-binary
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with
‘man’ or ‘woman’.
Deadnaming
Calling someone by their birth name after they have changed their name. This
term is often associated with trans people who have changed their name as part
of their transition.
Dysphoria
A term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a
mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. This sense of
unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety
and have a harmful impact on daily life.
Ally
A trans ally is a cis person that supports trans rights.
Trans 101
Part 2:
Gender-Affirming
Healthcare
www.gendergp.com
For internal use only - last updated 21-09-22
What does transition
involve?
Transition —the process by which an
individual begins to live as a member
of another gender— may involve
many steps for some and fewer for
others.
These steps might include changes to
legal documents, gender
confirmation surgery, alterations to
physical appearance, name and
pronoun changes, and hormone
replacement therapy, among others.
There is no single “right” way to transition.
A person’s reason for choosing to transition, and the goals they have
regarding transition, are personal and unique. Some people may not pursue
certain aspects of transition, whether through personal choice, lack of
resources, or lack of access.
A person’s gender identity does not depend on whether they have had
surgery or if they are taking hormones.
Medical care for trans people seeking medical transition is often referred to
collectively as gender-affirming healthcare.
Notable firsts in gender-affirming healthcare
3. Michael Dillon (1 May
1. Roberta Elizabeth Marshall 1915 – 15 May 1962)
Cowell (8 April 1918 – 11 2. Christine Jorgensen (May 30, The first trans man in the
October 2011) 1926 – May 3, 1989) world to undergo gender
First British trans woman to One of the first trans women (USA) confirmation surgery in
undergo gender to undergo gender confirmation 1946.
confirmation surgery in 1951. surgery, which started in 1951.
What is the difference
between ‘public’ and
‘private’ health care?
Public healthcare is typically funded through
government taxation and managed by
national healthcare organisations.
Private healthcare can refer to ‘for-profit’
organisations or hospitals, self-employed
practitioners, or ‘non-profit’ non-government
organisations.
Gender-affirming healthcare can be difficult
to obtain via public healthcare systems in
many countries, meaning many trans people
rely on private healthcare to meet their
needs.
The difficulty in obtaining gender-affirming
healthcare can be partially attributed to the fact
that there often isn’t specific transgender
healthcare training. This means healthcare
professionals are often not aware of how to meet
trans people’s medical needs, which can result in
trans people receiving a lower standard of care.
Sometimes, public healthcare models for
transgender care are based on outdated
research. In the UK, much of the guidance that
does exist is based on research conducted on
trans women in the 1950s, with little to no
research on trans men or non binary individuals.
What is
‘detransitioning’?
Detransition is when a person who has already transitioned returns to living as the
gender assigned by their birth sex.
In the UK in 2019, a survey of 3398 attendees of a gender identity clinic found that just
sixteen – about 0.47% – experienced transition-related regret. Of these, even fewer
went on to actually detransition.
Recent research has found that around 90 percent of people who return to their
birth gender in the US don’t do so because of regret or dissatisfaction, but because
of social pressure from family, school, work, or society in general.
Other reasons for detransition include exploring different gender identities, unrelated
health issues, and financial complications.
On average, 97% of people who are transgender are
happy with their decision to transition. Only ~3% of
trans people experience some form of regret, but
may not detransition. These detransition statistics are
for 2022.
Some studies have shown that cases where children
were exploring their gender diversity but had no
intention of transitioning have also been
misinterpreted as detransitioners.
However, allowing children to freely explore their
gender identities is important to their healthy
development, and supporting them with
non-medical interventions like social transition
(allowing them to dress and behave in a way that
comes naturally) will help them decide if the medical
transition is right for them, or not.
Although the rate of detransition is already low, it can be further
reduced by supporting and accepting transgender people.
All interventions have both risks and benefits, but it is widely accepted
that the benefits of gender-affirming healthcare greatly outweigh the
risks.
Why is gender-affirming
healthcare so contested?
Gender-affirming healthcare is often ‘gatekept’ by public institutions, which means the process can take several
years and often involves a lot of unnecessary bureaucracy and invasive assessments. In the UK, trans people
currently have to wait 4.5 years just to receive their first consultation at a gender clinic.
Undergoing this process has been described by many trans people as traumatic and demeaning. Private
healthcare providers such as GenderGP offer an alternative model of care with much shorter or no waiting lists, but
this option isn’t financially feasible for everyone.
Gender-affirming healthcare is debated in US, UK, and EU media where misinformation is rife. The subject of trans
people (especially trans youth) and their right to access healthcare is often used as a ‘political football’, and
newspapers regularly stoke the debate for clicks.
Where does GenderGP
come in?
GenderGP is an online health and wellbeing
clinic which provides hormones and therapy
to trans and non-binary people, as well as
advice to those who support them.
Our vision is to provide timely, accessible,
low-cost private healthcare – for everyone –
wherever they are, whoever they are and
however old they are. We do this by using
telemedicine to enable people to access our
services from the comfort and safety of their
own home.
GenderGP operates under an Informed Consent model of care. This means we work collaboratively
with the patient to discuss the options available to them. When considering gender-affirming care,
the patient is given all of the facts so that they can come to an informed decision about their journey.
We have no waiting lists at GenderGP and our aim is to help our patients as quickly as possible, while
making sure everything is safe and the pace is comfortable. We estimate 4-6 weeks from application
for treatment to begin. This is for cases that require no additional sessions, tests or consultations.
The services GenderGP offer include:
● Private prescriptions for gender-affirming
medications
● Blood test result analysis and treatment
recommendations
● A wide range of remote counselling and
clinical consultations
● Unlimited access to advice via email
● Documentation to change their gender
marker on passports and other official
letters
● Private surgery referrals
Trans 101
Part 3: Trans People in
Society
www.gendergp.com
For internal use only - last updated 21-09-22
What is trans
visibility?
Visibility is about openly participating in
society and seeing that participation
reflected in the world around us.
For trans people, this could be through
people living their lives authentically,
participating in education or through
proper media representation.
Visibility reminds people of our existence.
Visibility allows trans people to feel less
alienated from the media they consume as
their stories are represented within it.
For trans people (and all LGBTQIA+ people) it is
a reminder to our community that we have
come a long way and a lot of progress has
been made, but also that there is much more
to be done and our existence should not be
forgotten.
Now more than ever we need visibility to
remind all trans people, especially trans
youth, that they are valid for feeling how they
do about their gender identity.
What is trans
discrimination?
We live in a world that overwhelmingly tries to erase trans people.
Governments around the world are going back on progress that has been
made and are instead devising new ways to retract the rights of trans people,
such as:
● The recent ruling in Montana that permanently bans trans people from
changing their birth certificates
● The UK goverment’s refusal to ban conversion therapy for trans people
● The large number of countries do not have legal gender recognition for
non binary people and some do not recognise trans people at all
● The numerous countries that have no hate crime laws protecting trans
people
Unfortunately, discrimination and prejudice against trans people
appears to be on the rise and the systems in place to report
hate crimes often fall short in providing adequate support.
In the UK in 2020-2021:
• 2,630 hate crimes against transgender people were recorded
by the Police, an increase of 16% from the previous year.
• This number is still severely underreported because out
of 108,100 responses to the National LGBT Survey, 88% of
transgender people did not report the most serious type of
incident.
• 48% of transgender people were not satisfied with the Police
response after reporting the most serious types of incidents.
What’s the good news?
Public support for trans people is strong
– as is support for trans policy action.
A recent YouGov poll in the UK showed
62% of the public want conversion
therapy aimed at trans people banned.
And 41% think schools should have a
specific policy to tackle transphobia.
Trans people are also being featured
more positively in media with the likes
of Laverne Cox, Hunter Schafer, Elliot
Page, Kat Blaque and many others.
How can I be an ally?
Standing up for people's rights and equality
may not always be easy but there are plenty of
way to help.
Learning about real trans people and their
stories is a good first step - try following trans
and queer related media on socials or
streaming services.
More practical changes can come from things
like signing petitions, calling out transphobia
when you see it, supporting trans charities, and
asking people their pronouns when you first
meet them.
Practical tips to take away
➔ Ask respectfully for a person’s pronouns and commit to using them.
➔ Correct yourself if you use the wrong name or pronouns.
➔ Understand you’ll make mistakes. Be open and receptive to
feedback from trans people about how your language makes them
feel.
➔ Respect the terminology a transgender person uses to describe
their identity (transgender, transsexual, nonbinary, genderqueer
etc.)
➔ Challenge anti-transgender remarks or jokes in public spaces
References
https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender // https://transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people
https://theconversation.com/lgbt-history-month-forgotten-figures-who-challenged-gender-expression-and-identity-centuries-ago-153815 //
https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/may-2018/what-is-trans-history-from-activist-and-academic-roots-a-field-takes-shape
https://www.gendergp.com/important-pronouns/ // https://pronouns.org/
https://www.transactual.org.uk/glossary // https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms // https://genderminorities.com/glossary-transgender/
https://www.gendergp.com/what-is-non-binary // https://www.gendergp.com/non-binary-people-in-history/
https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-does-it-mean-for-transgender-person-to-transition-0629167
https://www.gendergp.com/detransition-facts/
https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/news/articles/2022/4/6/what-does-tran-visibility-mean-and-why-is-it-so-important#
https://katymontgomerie.medium.com/what-rights-dont-trans-people-have-228c728f564a
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/news/new-research-reveals-positive-attitudes-towards-transgender-people
https://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-and-non-binary-faq
https://www.rainbow-project.org/trans-healthcare-nhs-and-private/
https://www.glaad.org/transgender/allies
https://634d4f8793.nxcli.net/about-hate-crime/transgender-hate/
https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/news/exclusive-mermaids-research-into-newspaper-coverage-on-trans-issues/
