In order to ensure that the content presented at the Philadelphia Wellness Conference (PTWC) is affirming and  empowering of trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive  people, identities, and experiences, we’ve provided a guide to affirming language to the PTWC community  to ensure that workshops and the conference environment meet these criteria. It is important to understand that these definitions are not universal and do not describe the many nuanced forms of manifestations and embodiments of trans life. We have attempted in good faith to provide generalized language to serve as an entry-point for those who are unfamiliar with these terms or frameworks. Please note that this list does not represent finite or fixed definitions of any identity or experience but is meant to serve as introductory language.

Assigned Female at Birth (AFAB): A best practice term to refer to a person who received a female assignment at birth based on anatomical and biological characteristics as an infant.  Often used as shorthand to refer to a system of anatomical or physiological structures or features that often are attributed to this binary assignment.

Assigned Male at Birth (AMAB): A best practice term to refer to a person who received a male assignment at birth based on anatomical and biological characteristics as an infant. Often used as shorthand to refer to a system of anatomical or physiological structures or features that often are attributed to this binary assignment.

Assigned Sex/Assigned Gender at Birth (AGAB): Phrases that refer to the cisnormative medical binary of assigning infants a sex and gender based on the dominant morphology of the infant’s genitals.

Cisgender/Cis: A term that describes people whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Cisnormativity: A term used to refer to binary gender criteria that require cisgender standards to be the norm. For example, framing gynecological care as “women’s health” is a cisnormative framing.

Deadnaming: The act of using a name that a trans person used prior to transitioning, sometimes referred to as their “legal name” or “government name.” Using a trans person’s deadname is often considered disrespectful and disaffirming of their gender identity. It is usually best practice to ask a trans person what name they would like to be referred to as, such as “what’s the name I should put on the check we send you?” or “what name is currently on your insurance card?”

Gender Binary: A binary system is something made up of two opposing parts. Gender (man/woman) and sex (male/female) are examples of binary systems related to gender. This binary has social criteria to uphold it as a system of organizing groups of people.

Gender Dysphoria: A way to describe the feelings of discomfort, anxiety, alienation, pain, avoidance, or rejection brought about whenever an experience taps into the misalignment or incongruence between a person’s internal understanding of their identity and embodiments and some aspect of the external world which can be brought about through social experiences, bodily experiences, anatomical functions, or interfacing with transphobic or cisnormative systems of gender categorization in society. There are many conceptualizations and implications for dysphoria. Not all trans people experience dysphoria, and dysphoria is not always experienced in the same ways, brought about by the same triggers, or felt with the same intensity by different people.

Gender-Expansive/Gender-Diverse: Broad, umbrella terms used to refer to someone whose experience of their own gender exists outside of the cisnormative gender binary. Some people may use this term to simply demonstrate that someone or something is “not cis.”

Intersex: A term used to refer to people whose development does not conform to the cisnormative medical binary. Intersex bodies challenge the cisnormative criteria of sexed bodies because they may contain broad range of sex-variation manifested in configurations, combinations, and absences of certain organs, dual genitalia, fused genitalia, variations of karyotype/chromosomes patterns, hormones, and reproductive capacity. These variations are naturally occurring and present no inherent medical risk. Intersex is a term often invoked with the intention to allude to the way these bodies are subjected to non-consensual medical interventions and other marginalization in society.

Lived Expertise: The unofficial or informal expertise that trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people acquire throughout their life that providers and allies who are not trans would not have access to. At times this expertise supersedes clinical recommendations and official expertise due to the lack of patient-centered research and data within the field of trans health.

Misgendering: The act of referring to somebody using language that is not affirming of their gender. This can be done through incorrectly naming someone’s gender, using incorrect pronouns, or discussion of social experiences. Misgendering is more than a simple grammatical error. It is an invalidation of a person’s identity and experiences.

Neo-Penis/Neo-Phallus/Trans Masculine Penis/Trans Masculine Phallus: Terms that describe the specific structures and anatomy of the penis or phallus of a trans masculine person who has undergone phalloplasty or metoidioplasty.

Neo-Vagina/Trans Feminine Vagina: Terms that describe the specific microbiome and structures of the vagina of a trans feminine person who has undergone vaginoplasty.

Neurodivergent/Neurodiverse: A term used to describe individuals and experiences with variant forms of cognitive processes impacting their experiences and interpretations of their environment. Autism, down syndrome, Tourette syndrome, ADHD, OCD, dyslexia, and bipolar disorder are some examples of neurodivergence. Some neurodivergent people may prefer the use of these terms over “mentally ill” to avoid pathologizing or stigmatizing labels.

Neurotypical: A term used to describe individuals and experiences of typical developmental, intellectual, and cognitive abilities.

Nonbinary: An umbrella term used to describe a vast spectrum of identities and experiences related to gender that exists between or outside of the gender binary established as men and women. Many other terms for identities outside the traditional categories of men and women may be used such as genderqueer, genderfluid, agender, bigender, polygender, and demigender. These identities are similar but not necessarily interchangeable or synonymous. Nonbinary is distinctly used to signal a spectrum of experiences, not a discrete third gender.

Pronouns: Words that specifically refer to someone or something. Pronouns are part of someone’s gender expression, and people may use more than one set of pronouns for themselves (such as using both she/her/hers and they/them/theirs). Everyone has and uses pronouns. Pronouns are not “preferred pronouns” but instead are required for respectful communication.

Queer: An umbrella term used to refer to an identity that expands outside of heterosexuality. Due to its history as a reclaimed slur and use in political movements, the term still holds political significance. The term can be used both in reference to a person’s sexuality, gender, or both.

Sexual and Reproductive Health: An affirming umbrella for fields such as obstetrics, gynecology, fertility, insemination, urology, and more. There are other forms of trans-inclusive reframing to consider within this umbrella. For example, someone may use the phrase “people with vaginas” while only meaning people who were assigned female at birth with vaginas despite many trans feminine people also may have vaginas and not all people who were assigned female at birth have vaginas or even use that language to refer to their front hole or internal genitals.

Sex-variant: A person’s sex is the result of many complex, overlaid, and interwoven processes which are subject to a vast spectrum of variation from the process of sex determination to sex differentiation, reproductive capacity, karyotype synthesis, development of sexual morphology (phenotypic-sex), and secondary sex-development procedures such as puberty. All people are part of the spectrum of sex-variant bodies in varying degrees. The categorization and political identity of intersex people and bodies only arises when people attempt to apply a cisnormative binary framework onto this spectrum. There will be variant forms that fall within and outside of this framework's boundaries. For those whose bodily manifestations fall outside of this framework, we most often see these individuals referred to as intersex. This why all people and bodies are sex-variant, but not all people and bodies are intersex.

Transgender/Trans: An umbrella term used to describe people whose gender differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. This umbrella contains many different identities and experiences.

Transition: The social, legal, or medical process a trans person may go through to make their gender identity fit their gender expression or sex. Transitioning means different things to different people, and a person does not have to experience all or any transitioning elements to identify as and be respected as their true gender.

Trans Feminine: A term that can be used both to define a person’s identity or to describe a person’s modality of embodiment. Someone may identify as trans feminine or as a trans femme, or the term can be used to broadly refer to trans women and people who were assigned male at birth with feminine forms of embodiment. There is no universal use for this term, and some use it interchangeably as a noun and an adjective.

Trans Masculine: A term that can be used both to define a person’s identity or to describe a person’s modality of embodiment. Someone may identify as trans masculine or a trans masc, or the term can be used to broadly refer to trans men and people who were assigned female at birth with masculine forms of embodiment. There is no universal use for this term, and some use it interchangeably as a noun and an adjective.

Two-Spirit: A term used by Native and Indigenous Americans that is used to describe a traditional third gender or gender variant outside of colonial constructs of the gender binary.  This term should not be appropriated to describe people who are not Native or Indigenous Americans.

Out of Date & Not Widely Used Terms

We understand that the language used to discuss the content of the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference taps into a rich history of language that spans multiple generations and communities. Across these generations and over time, best practices regarding affirming language have continued to evolve. While some of the following words and phrases may be affirming for some people, others may find this language invalidating or triggering depending on their use and context. To create the most affirming and inclusive environment, we request that the following language not be used so that all community members are respected.

Biological sex, Born a man, Born a woman, Female body, Female-to-Male (FTM), Hermaphrodite, Homosexual, Male body, Male-to-Female (MTF), Mentally ill, Men’s health, Preferred pronouns,  Transgendered, Transgenders, Transsexual, Transvestite, Women’s health