Biological sex:
assigned binary value (male or female) based on a medical judgement (recognition) of the genitals of the newborn.
Intersex
conditions can be found (identified usually as the newborn having ambiguous genitals), but are rare. They require further investigations, which are usually promptly done, although modern medical protocols advise against immediate (surgical and/or hormonal) intervention. In case of XX and XY chromosomes, functional gonads, and sensitivity to sex hormones the direction of the gender assignment is usually aimed to preserve reproductivity.
Gender:
two (binary) categorically delineated set of expectations of society on how an individual should behave and present based on his or her biological sex. Gender and sex are many times used as synonyms implying everyone has matching binary values on both.
Gender can be broken down into gender role
and gender identification. The prior entails what the expectations of the binary gender based society are, while the latter is how the individual perceives and eventually expresses gender.
Sexual orientation:
preference of selecting the sexual partner(s) mainly based on biological sex. Usually considered to be a binary value: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual means preference of the opposite / same sex or both sexes.
Biological sex / gender / sexual orientation do not always form a binary linear axis, where biological sex implies the gender and sexual orientation; individuals can have any combination of binary or non-binary values on each value. Most of the people do happily fit in the binary linear and therefore also most expect the same from all, only exception maybe is the sexual orientation as being gay / lesbian or bisexual.
Transgender
(trans individual): a person who does not identify partially or totally with either one of the binary genders implied by the biological sex. This can mean identification with the opposite gender, partial identification of both genders or non-identification with any gender categorization.
Trans is probably the best category and can be used most broadly to describe all individuals who do not identify solely or fully with either one of the binary genders. If trans can have an opposite it would be cis, to describe all those who do. The problem with the cis and trans terminology is again the binary categorization, and not emphasizing the fact of gender being a spectrum.
As there is no direct link between the gender identification and the sexual orientation of trans individuals, most probably the representation of trans people amongst the LGBH (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Heterosexual) sexual orientation types are similar or same as the general population. This means a trans person is not by default gay or lesbian
and that the LGBTQ (with Transgender and Queer) is misleading, as LGB refers different sexual orientations, therefore it belongs together with the H and not the T and the Q, latter two being gender identification categories. As such they would belong with the C (cisgender) making it CTQ.
Norms
are cultural products, representing values, customs and traditions; they are rules of society to reinforce behavior and presentation which is considered to be normal. Normal in this sense to be understood as average, and as such good for society, or at least perceived as good by the majority.
Normative
means adherence to the norm resulting in perception of being normal; as well as expectation of others to adhere to the norm, which is reassured by being able to perceive others as normal. The opposite of normative would be deviant, non-conforming or non-adhering. Norms can be unwritten and informal rules of society, which may vary very much depending on the culture and the society itself, and can evolve over time. A good and recent example to norms changing is how we look at and regulate smoking.
There are various other good examples of norms changing, and these examples need to remind also ourselves when rejecting any kind of non-conformity, that the norms we are protecting might be very different in just even a matter of decades. Just to think about how different it has been to be a woman fifty years ago, and how far the feminist movement has taken women ever since.
Heteronormative:
is the consideration of pure heterosexual orientation to be the normal, full adherence to this norm, and the expectation of others to also adhere to it. If we consider the norms to mean not only adherence, but value protection, heteronormative then must be considered as a synonym to homophobic.
Cisnormative:
is the consideration of the classical binary gender types (and full adherence to them) to be the normal, and the expectation of others to also fully comply with them. It is elevating the cis binary gender as value over trans; hence it carries the bad connotation of meaning transphobic.
If someone is heteronormative, it means they are cisnormative in the same instance. In this sense if someone is homophobic, they are also transphobic. In addition a person identifying as trans cannot fall into the cisnormative categories of sexual orientation, the LGBH. Understanding one’s gender can only be done after eliminating homophobia and eliminating homophobia helps the understanding of gender fluidity for the binary conform.
Tolerance
means allowing certain deviations from the norm in social behavior. Tolerance does not imply understanding or embracement of the deviation. Tolerance is stigmatization, but non-exclusion from society. Acceptance
is on the other hand is the art of understanding and embracing of the difference. The hard part is the identification of the needs, motives and values of others which are totally foreign or unknown to the individual self, the decomposing of the normative expectation of the individual towards others, as well as the decomposing of the negative perception towards the non-conforming behavior or presentation.
Crossdressing:
simply means putting on clothes which are considered to be reserved for the other of the binary genders. It is a very common element of trans self-expression. Clothes do have a very strong gender association in current society; even if manufactured unisex, most items will be told to be and sold to be of either of the binary genders. Crossdressing can mean full or partial presentation of self with the clothes of the opposite of the binary genders. It is very much tolerated in the female to male direction, but is strongly rejected when being male to female.
The gender association
of individual items in fashion, clothes and beauty do change over time. Good examples are high heel shoes, leggings or nail polish having been considered manly items over the past centuries.
Transitioning:
many transgender individuals decide to surgically and/or hormonally alter their body to match it or at least bring it closer to the gender they truly associate with. The purpose of transitioning usually is to be able to live life being perceived as normative member in the binary society. Many times this involves leaving the transgender community behind.
Transitioning is a very long and hard process. Not only considering the medical and social costs and risks
for the individual, but the legal, bureaucratic burdens to be able to pursue the change process. The decision on transitioning needs to be based on whether the final stage will be able to fully meet the expectations of the transitioning individual, as well as based on the measurement of the benefits gained over the benefits lost of the stage left behind. Many choose not to go through full transitioning, but those who choose are told to rarely having regretted it.
Gender decomposing
means identification of the elements of one’s gender which are intrinsically conform with binary gender elements, and finding those items which are of the opposite binary or in-between. Gender decomposing might involve minor body modifications, e.g. control or elimination of body hair, but usually is without the aim to fully surgically and hormonally adjust to the opposite binary gender. Many suggest that the queer state or gender fluidity is a happier state of mind because it is fully adjusted to the individual and is lacking any kind of gender conformity frustration transitioning trans people go through.
In practice it is actually quite easy to identify clothes and other elements of the female attire and integrate them into the daily life as a man. In addition the male fashion trends are actually very feminine, and the practical daily wardrobe of women has also moved away from the classical ultra-femme elements, like very high heels, long nails or complicated (and uncomfortable) dresses and lingerie. Actually, crossdressing is a quite heteronormative act
if considering the very feminine presentation and the strive towards achieving a female image (projected by fashion industry and media entertainment), which most actual women cannot, do not or do not want to achieve any more.
Sexual (fetishistic) crossdressing:
is a phenomenon practically only seen in the form of male to female crossdressing, it is usually an exaggerated and imperfect presentation of a woman. Most of the times it is limited to lingerie or specific fetish kind of clothing, and is associated with submission and being forced to become and act as a woman as a form of degradation.
Respecting both submissive / dominant passion relationships as well as the very natural arousal from lingerie and other sensual attire, crossdressing as a degraded form of feminine expression has very little to do with the true trans identity; noting that there can also be a sexual element to trans crossdressing. All sources suggest though that if the trans self-expression is balanced and not suppressed, the sexual element is not prominent or more than of any individual, who likes to wear or see beautiful lingerie.
Drag:
is usually a stage genre, also more frequently performed in the male to female direction. It involves a very sophisticated, artistic, perfectly created, but still amplified female presentation. Amplified, without any offense, meaning certainly being more than how a woman would generally express herself in daily life.