Transgender

**Transgender**, often shortened to **trans**, is an umbrella term that describes an individual whose gender identity differs from their assigned gender at birth (AGAB). Infants are assigned a sex that is recorded on their birth certificate, which is usually based only on the appearance of external genitalia. The birth assignment—generally defaulting to assigned male at birth (AMAB) or assigned female at birth (AFAB)—assumes that the individual's gender identity will correspond to their assigned sex. A person's gender identity—their sense of gender—usually develops when they are very young. The realization that their gender is different from what they were assigned can occur as early as three years old or in childhood prior to the onset of puberty. It may also happen later in life.

Transgender people can be binary or non-binary. Some transgender individuals may experience at least one form of gender dysphoria during their life, usually manifesting as an intense distress with their assigned gender. However, not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria. Conversely, some transgender individuals may experience what is known as gender euphoria, a term used to describe a "positive and exciting feeling of one's gendered self". Transgender people might transition socially and/or physically from their assigned gender to their actual gender identity.

## Etymology

The term transgender was first mentioned in 1965 as a synonym for **transsexual** in *Sexual Hygiene and Pathology* to make a distinction between sexuality and gender identity. It became an umbrella term during 1971. Transgender is a combination of the prefix *trans*—meaning "across, beyond, through, to change"—and the noun *gender,* creating an adjective that highlights the journey and/or change with one's gender identity. The use of "transgender" rather than previous terminology increased in the early 1990s to emphasize gender rather than sex and to reject describing all trans people based on medical and psychological criteria.

The terms **transmasculine** (often shortened to **transmasc**), **transfeminine** (often shortened to **transfem** or **transfemme**), and **transneutral** were in use as early as 2000. These terms do not correspond with any particular identity except for transgender.

### Flag

Monica Helms designed the transgender pride flag in August 1999, and debuted it in 2000 at a Phoenix, Arizona, USA Pride parade. It consists of five horizontal stripes: two stripes are blue with each at the top and bottom, two pink stripes directly follow the blue, and there is one white stripe in the center. The stripes are ordered this way so that the flag can be flown correctly in any direction, metaphoric for trans individuals finding correctness in themselves. The colors encompass the spectrum of trans experiences, as the blue represents masculinity, the pink represents femininity, and the white represents those who are transitioning, gender neutral, gender non-conforming, or non-binary.

**Read more on lgbtqia.fandom.com.**

## Transgender individuals on this wiki

Check out the category: Transgender individuals.

Hermione Granger; Transgender femaleWilliam Martinsson; Transgender maleBirdy Warrington; Transfeminine