Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Grammar: A word that substitutes the place of a noun

Laymen’s terms: A word that substitutes the use of a thing (person, place, object)

MOST COMMON ENGLISH EXAMPLES: They, them, he, she

Yes! There are more pronouns than just “she, they, them, and he” within the English language, here’s some examples.

Gender neutral pronouns tend to be used mostly by those within the trans* and transgender community. No one “owns” a pronoun, so they are free to be used by whoever. It’s whatever the person feels comfortable calling themselves. Asking someone’s pronoun is a LOT less invasive than asking “what exactly are they”

The following words are considered offensive by people within the trans* and transgender communities:

•“She-male”: Often associated with those who are in the pornographic industry and prostitution

•“Tranny”: Another word popularized by the pornographic industry, often used to highlight how trans-women aren’t “real women”

•“Tranny chaser”: A term that “encourages” to see trans* and transgender individuals as just a sex object and nothing more

•“It”: Often used to describe an object, you wouldn’t like being associated with something like a rock, right?

If you don’t know a term and you are afraid to use it in public, don’t risk saying it in public. The best way to gain information is doing research online. Only ask in public if you know the people wouldn’t mind clarifying in a public setting

General consensus on a LGBT+ message board I was on came to this general conclusion:

•MTF: Someone who was born male but wants to transition to a female.•FTM: Someone who was born female, but wants to transition to male.•Transgender: One whose gender identity and expression is opposite of their physical sex.•Trans*: One who does not identify with the sex that they were assigned at birth.•Transvestite: Someone who dresses or takes on "traditional“ gender roles of the opposite sex (this term can be considered offensive, so be careful with this one)•Transexual: The process of changing your physical body to the opposite sex

General consensus on a LGBT+ message board I was on came to this general conclusion:

•Genderfluid: Gender identity that does not have a "constant" state. People who ID as genderfluid often feel that their gender (in terms of masculinity and femininity) often switch on a weekly, daily, sometimes hourly basis. Genderfluid people can often feel: feminine one day, masculine one day, sometimes we feel we encompass the two in perfect harmony, and sometimes we identify as neither.  •Gender F*ck: A "parody" term (it started as a way to say f*ck you to the system, essentially) to confuse cisgender people.•Cisgender: Someone who was born female and IDs as female OR someone who was born male and IDs as male•Genderqueer: A "general" term for gender for those who don't ID as cisgender. Be careful when this term is used, as some find it offensive.•Agender: Someone who feels neither male or female•Two Spirited: A native American origin term, these people belief they hold the soul of a female and the soul of a male•Androgynous: a term for a person who expresses or presents merged socially-defined masculine and feminine characteristics, or mainly neutral characteristics. 

The best way to be up to date with gender terms is to join social groups on social media. Textbooks are not a reliable way to stay up to date with gender terms, since gender is constantly changing and evolving with our language.

“Outing” is the physical process of telling someone that someone is within the trans* or transgender community (this can also apply to orientations as well). DO NOT ever “out” someone in public, unless you know the person is comfortable with having this type of information known. Please be aware that in some states, it is perfectly legal for an employer to fire someone, based solely on gender identity and/or sexual orientation.

The concept of “privilege” is a social construct, in which one party is “naturally” on a “higher” level in the social “hierarchy”. Everyone is born with “inherit” privileges, that are different from individuals.

•Heteronormative: the concept that “heterosexual is normal” and is often used to deny the existence and/or be disrespectful to those who identify as something other than straight (bisexual, homosexual, asexual, etc…)

•Cisgender: a Latin prefix that means “on the same side of”, if you were born female and ID as a girl, you are cisgender and (vise versa), this is considered “normal” on the “gender binary” (example: There’s only two genders!).

There’s nothing wrong with holding specifics traits, as long as you don’t use those traits to abuse others.