Understanding Transgender People
Transgender (or ‘trans’) is a broad term that describes people whose gender identity is different from the gender that was designated to them at birth.
This means that there are transgender women (individuals who were assigned male at birth but whose gender identity is female) and we have transgender men (individuals who were assigned female at birth, but whose internal sense of their gender identity is male).
This is a basic explanation and we have to keep in mind that, like with any group, there is diversity within the transgender (or ‘trans’) community. Transgender people are one part of the spectrum of identities in this space – and the space is constantly evolving and changing.
To gain a deeper understanding, you need to become more familiar with the concept of gender identity. Gender identity is the term that is used to describe a person’s deeply held personal, internal sense of being male, female, some of both, or maybe even neither.
The important thing to remember is that a person’s gender identity may not always correspond to their assigned biological sex. How you identify can be completely separate from how you look on the outside.
Some transgender people identify as neither a man nor a woman, or as a combination of male and female, and may use terms like non-binary or gender-queer to describe their gender identity. Those who are non-binary often prefer to be referred to as “they” and “them.”