Trans identities and gender diversity (Reading)
Variations can also exist in the relationship between the three aspects of gender:
Sex assigned at birth, gender identity and gender expression can be “correlated” with each other: for example the term cisgender woman means a person who identifies as woman, dresses and behaves in a way considered feminine, and was assigned a female sex at birth.
Cisgender or cis people’s assigned sex and gender identity are in line with each other.
In the dominant narrative this correlation is framed as a necessary and natural causation (biological sex as the causal determinant of our gender identity and expressions), but in reality these three aspects of gender exists in a lot of variations in different persons – as we have already shown in Module 2.
| Reminder form Module 2
For example, a person born as a man (sex assigned at birth based on male sex characteritics) may self-identify as a woman (gender identity) and present to the world in feminine ways (gender expression). This individual might be sexually and romantically attracted to men, women, both or none (sexual orientation). This person may or may not be interested in sex reassignment surgery. |
Trans and transgender person
As we have shown, a lot of other variations exist, all of which are “transgressing” the dominant idea of gender; this transgression is signalled in the term trans person. One variaton (and one identity under the trans person umbrealla) is transgender.
Transgender means that a person feel that their gender identity is different from their sex assigned at birth. Transgender man means a person who identifies as man and was assigned a female sex at birth, and transgender woman means a person who identifies as a woman and was assigned a male sex at birth.
| Further resources
Transgender Europe – a member-based organisation created in 2005: https://tgeu.org/ |
