Language around gender can feel like a lot to keep up with, but these words exist for a simple reason: they help people describe themselves. Here are the basics. One note before you start: labels belong to the people who use them, so always follow someone's lead.
Sex, gender, and orientation
Sex assigned at birth is the label a doctor gives a baby based on their body. Gender identity is your internal sense of who you are. Gender expression is how you show it, through clothes, hair, and voice. Sexual orientation is who you're attracted to, which is separate from gender.
Identity terms
- Cisgender: your gender matches the sex you were assigned at birth.
- Transgender: your gender differs from the sex you were assigned at birth.
- Non-binary: your gender isn't exclusively man or woman.
- Genderfluid: your gender shifts over time.
- Agender: you don't feel you have a gender.
- Questioning: you're still exploring, and that's okay.
Pronouns
Pronouns are words like she/her, he/him, or they/them. When you're unsure, just ask, and share your own first. If you slip up, a quick correction is better than a long apology.
Experience terms
- Transition: steps someone may take to live as their gender, whether social, medical, or legal. Everyone's looks different, and none is required.
- Gender dysphoria: distress from a mismatch between someone's gender and their body or how others see them.
- Gender euphoria: the joy of having your gender recognized.
- Deadname: a name a trans person no longer uses.
Keep listening
You don't need to memorize every term to be respectful. Curiosity and kindness matter most. And if you're exploring your own gender, take your time. River gives you a private space to track your journey, whatever it looks like. Your body, your way. River flows with you.