Transgender Guidance (April 2025)

Appendix 1 - Glossary of Terms

Bisexual or Bi – refers to a person who has an emotional, romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.

Deadnaming – is calling someone by their birth name after they have changed their name.  This term is often associated with trans people who have changed their name as part of their transition.

Gay – refers to a man who has an emotional romantic and/or sexual orientation towards men.  Also, a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality – some women define themselves as gay rather than lesbian.

Gender – often expressed in terms of masculinity and femininity, gender is largely culturally determined and is assumed from the sex assigned at birth.

Gender dysphoria – used to describe when a person experiences discomfort or distress because there is a mismatch between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity.  This is also the clinical diagnosis for someone who doesn’t feel comfortable with the gender they were assigned at birth.

Gender identity – a person’s internal sense of their own gender, whether male, female or something else, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.

Gender reassignment – another way of describing a person’s transition.  To undergo gender reassignment usually means to undergo some sort of medical intervention, but it can also mean changing names, pronouns, dressing differently and living in their self-identified gender.  Gender reassignment is a characteristic that is protected under the Equality Act 2010.

Gender recognition certificate (GRC) – this enables trans people to be legally recognised in their affirmed gender and to be issued with a new birth certificate.  Not all trans people will apply for a GRC, and you currently must be over 18 to apply.  You do not need a GRC to change your gender markers at work or to legally change your gender on other documents such as your passport.

Lesbian – refers to a woman who has an emotional, romantic and/or sexual orientation towards women.

LGBT – the acronym for lesbian, gay, bi and trans.

Non-binary – an umbrella term for a person who does not identify as only male or female, or who may identify as both.

Pansexual – refers to a person who is not limited in sexual choice regarding biological sex, gender or gender identity.

Pronoun – words we use to refer to people’s gender in conversation – for example ‘he’ or ‘she’. Some people may prefer others to refer to them in gender neutral language and use pronouns such as they/their and ze/zir.

Trans – an umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.  Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) Transgender. Transsexual, Gender-queer (GQ), Gender-fluid, Non-binary, Gender-variant, Cross-dresser, Genderless, Agender, Non-gender, Third gender, Two-spirit, Bi-gender, Trans man, Trans woman, Trans masculine, Trans feminine and Neutrois.

Transitioning – the steps a trans person may take to live in the gender with which they identify.  Each person’s transition will involve different things. For some this involves medical intervention, such as hormone therapy and surgeries, but not all trans people want or are able to have this.  Transitioning also might involve things such as telling friends, dressing differently and changing official documents.