Behind the term “trans” are a multitude of gender identities. And this multitude has a good reason, because gender is ultimately what each person defines for themselves. This is especially true for people who do not identify with their gender ascribed at birth.

What does transgender actually mean?

Transgender is a general term used to describe people whose gender identity, that is, their internal sense of being male, female, or something else, does not correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth. In contrast, the term “cis” refers to people who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth and who identify with their bodies and characteristics.

Not all trans is the same

Transgender people can fall into different categories and have different trans identities. A trans woman or girl was designated male at birth but has the gender identity of a woman. A transgender man was assigned female gender at birth but identifies as a man.

Some transgender people do not identify exclusively with one gender. For example, their gender identity may include both “female” and “male” aspects, or they may not feel they belong to either gender. These individuals refer to themselves as non-binary – that is, not belonging to either of the “classic” genders. Another term individuals use to describe themselves is “genderqueer.”

Important to know: Not all trans people make the decision to undergo “gender reassignment” surgery or sex reassignment surgery, but that does not make them any less trans.

Gender identity has nothing to do with sexual orientation

The term transgender does not describe the romantic and sexual preferences a person has. A person’s identity is not the same as their sexual orientation.

A person’s sexual orientation describes a person’s preference for romantic or sexual relationships with men, women, or other genders. Heterosexual (“straight”) people are attracted to members of the opposite sex. Homosexual people (gay or lesbian people) are attracted to people of the same sex. Bisexual people are attracted to both men and women. Pansexual people are attracted to people of each sex. So transsexual people can be straight, gay or lesbian, pansexual, or bisexual.

What is gender dysphoria or body dysphoria?

For some people with trans identity, the discrepancy between the sex they were assigned at birth and their own gender identity can cause a discomfort called gender dysphoria, which is medically recognized.

Adolescents may develop gender dysphoria, although the condition may not appear until adulthood. People with gender dysphoria feel an intense and persistent desire to get rid of the sex characteristics they were born with in order to embody their gender on the outside. Feeling rejected by family and society and identified with their sex assigned at birth increases feelings of dysphoria and can cause anxiety.

Find out if you might be trans with these questions

The first thing to remember is that there is no single definition of what it means to be a trans person. Gender (regardless of how society defines it) is not always binary, but a spectrum. And where you see yourself is not something anyone else can answer for you, not society, not an online test, and not this article. Ultimately, it’s about becoming aware of who you are and who you want to be.

We would recommend you focus on who you are and who you want to be when the lights go out at the end of the day and you are just for you. Don’t focus on your body and its shape or genitals or hormones. These factors are ultimately only a fraction of it. Ask yourself questions that may seem a little uncomfortable at first, but that will help you acknowledge your truth. Here are a few sample questions:

Who are you when you are just you?
What does a happy and authentic life look like for you?
What life can’t you imagine, what might even scare you?
If nothing else could stop you – if other things didn’t matter, what would you do?

Leave your family, sports, your partner, your work, everything out of the equation when you answer these questions. What would you do if it was just about you?