Glossary
T
Testosterone-based hormone therapy
The use of testosterone to develop physical characteristics that reflect a person's gender or gender expression, including deepened voice and increased muscle mass, facial hair and body hair.
Top surgery
Refers to some gender-affirming above-the-waist surgeries, including chest surgeries and breast surgeries.
TPOC
Trans People of Colour.
Trans (transgender)
Refers to a wide range of people whose gender differs from their sex assigned at birth.
Trans man
A man who is trans. Most trans men were assigned female at birth and have since socially and/or medically transitioned to male.
Trans woman
A woman who is trans. Most trans women were assigned male at birth and have since socially and/or medically transitioned to female.
Trans-antagonism
Another term for transphobia, which highlights how discrimination and violence against trans people does not usually come from a place of fear, but rather from ignorance, dislike and hatred of gender diverse people.
Transfeminine
Refers to trans people who were assigned male at birth and whose gender expression leans towards the feminine.
Transition
The process through which trans people may change their gender expression and/or bodies to reflect their gender, including changes in physical appearance (hairstyle, clothing), behaviour (mannerisms, voice, gender roles), identification (name, pronoun, legal details) and/or medical interventions (hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery). (Source: QMUNITY)
Transmasculine
Refers to trans people who were assigned female at birth and whose gender expression leans towards the masculine.
Transmisogyny
Transphobia directed at trans women and transfeminine people, which intersects with misogyny and reinforces male power and privilege. Impacts of transmisogyny may include heightened risk of harassment, violence and discrimination. (Source: Julia Serano)
Transphobia
Ignorance, fear, dislike or hatred of trans people. Transphobia may be expressed through name-calling, disparaging jokes, exclusion, rejection, harassment, violence or other forms of discrimination, such as refusal to use a person’s name or pronoun or denial of services, employment or housing. (Source: QMUNITY)
Transsexual
An older term referring to a wide range of people whose gender differs from their sex assigned at birth. Most trans people today do not use the term transsexual to refer to themselves. This is due to the term being associated with a history of pathologizing and medicalising trans people. However, some trans people still identify with the term transsexual, as it can also be positively associated with the history of trans activism from the 1960's onward. As with any term, it is best not to use the term transsexual to describe a person unless they have identified to you that this is a term they would like you to use.
Transvestite
An older term that was historically used to label people who cross-dressed as having a mental illness. It has been replaced by the term "cross-dresser", which is more inclusive and respectful. (Source: QMUNITY)
Tucking
Method of positioning the penis and testicles so as to conceal them.
Two-Spirit
A term used within some Indigenous communities to reflect complex Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality and the long history of sexual and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures. Two-Spirit encompasses sexual, gender, cultural and spiritual identity. It may refer to cross-gender, multi-gender or non-binary gender roles, non-heterosexual identities, and a range of cultural identities, roles and practices embodied by Two-Spirit peoples. Some people also use "2-Spirit" or "2S." (Source: Battered Women’s Support Services)