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 OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES
THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF DEBATE
REGARDING THE PLACE FOR TRANS
AND NON BINARY PEOPLE IN SOCIETY.
THIS DEBATE STEMS FROM A LACK OF
UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPTS
OF SEX AND GENDER. THIS PRIMER
AIMS TO OFFER SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS
OF KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS. 
FIRST, LET’S TALK ABOUT GENDER AND
SEX. TO BEGIN WITH, WE MUST
UNDERSTAND TWO THINGS: SEX AND
GENDER ARE DIFFERENT AND
NEITHER OF THESE THINGS EXIST IN
BINARIES. LET’S FIRST LOOK AT EACH,
SEPARATELY TO UNDERSTAND WHY
THIS IS SO.
SEX
 Sex is the word that is used to describe a person
based on their sex organs and chromosomes.
"Male" refers to people born with penises and XY

Female
Male
chromosomes, and "female" refers to people born
with vulvas and XX chromosomes. This term is used
primarily for scientific and biological purposes. 

However, there are people who are born with

different chromosomal combinations than XX and XY, as
well as genitals that fall outside the binary of the penis
and vulva. For any definition of sex that configures
http://www.isna.org/faq/what_is_intersex

people as a binary, there’re people that fall outside

the binary. This may be for reasons other than
chromosomes and genitals. The result is, rather than a
binary, sex is a spectrum. People who exist outside the
binary consideration of sex are “Intersex”.
 Scientific study has shown that maleness and
femaleness are the result of a chemical battle that
takes place in the womb, with variations in them

Female
occurring from aspect to aspect of an individual.

Male
By extension of this, a (good) doctor, will not treat you
based on your sex, but rather, based on the way your
traits are expressed. As a result, defining a person as
https://www.nature.com/news/sex-redefined-1.16943

male or female overall, tends to be pretty useless.

Female
Male
 Thus, we can understand that sex is a socially
constructed binary, created for simplicity (or
laziness?) by some researchers. Another intent was

Female
to confine people to gendered aesthetics and

Male
expectations; anything outside the binary is
therefore considered abnormal and needing to be
fixed. 
For this reason, early researchers used language
such as “optimum gender for rearing” when
handling intersex people. Intersex children are
http://www.isna.org/faq/concealment

often subject to surgery and genital mutilation as a

result; so that they more closely resemble the sex
that society expects them to be. This can be
extremely unnecessary and traumatic.

In spite of this, sex is still assigned for people at birth,

based on their genitals, for convenience; but it is clearly
by no means conclusive. The result of such conclusiveness
can be quite dangerous for intersex people.
 THIS BRINGS US TO GENDER. BASED
ON THE SEX THAT IS ASSIGNED TO YOU
AT BIRTH, A GENDER IS ALSO
ASSIGNED. 
GENDER
As sex is assigned in a binary manner, so is gender. 
Male is man, and female is woman. We all know
that in society there are certain expectations for

Woman
men, and certain expectations for women. These

Man
expectations can be very broadly categorized as: -
the way they look: we expect men to appear one
way, and women to appear in another. -the things
they do: we expect men to behave one way, and
women to behave in another.

These expectations have no biological basis. Hence, they

are called social constructs. These social constructs existed
even before the definitions of sex. As a result, sex was first
defined around gender, to appeal to societal aesthetics
(although now it is the other way). Some people are
comfortable with conforming to these social constructs, as
have been assigned to them at birth. Others are not.
What does it mean to be a woman? What does it

Woman
mean to be a man? How is it possible, that some

Man
are okay with being as they are from their birth,
and some aren’t?

When you look at all the men and women around you, you
will find that there’s no single definition for manhood or
womanhood. Some men, you might perceive as manly. Some,
you might perceive as effeminate. Yet both of these men, call
themselves men. The same is true with women; with some
women being very feminine, and some who may call
themselves “butch”.However, both of these people are still
women. It is sexist to ascribe certain personalities to women
and certain personalities to men. Both women and men can
be assertive, kind, cruel, soft-spoken, greedy. 
If we were to define men and women based on
their chromosomes or genitals, then as explained

Woman
earlier, intersex people would be left out of the

Man
framework.

If we were to describe women and men based on their

sperms and ovaries, or on their ability to become pregnant,
then infertile people and post-menopausal women would be
excluded from such definitions.
It becomes clear that there is absolutely no
definition for “woman” that includes every woman,
and no definition for “man” that includes every
man, even if they’re comfortable with their birth

Woman
gender. Thus, gender, and the lifestyle and

Man
experiences that come with it, are unique from
person to person. As a result, gender becomes
“self-determined”.

For some people, this self-

determination matches with
Hey! who they’re expected to be.
Yep, So when society says, “Hey!
You're a I am!
man! You’re a man!”, they have no
trouble replying, “Yep, I am!”.

They don’t have trouble self-

identifying as a man even if
they’re in women’s clothing,
although some men may feel
uncomfortable in them.
Gender is therefore a very vague and rather formless thing,
taking a new shape from person to person. By extension of
this discourse, it is within reason to say that some people
might not be comfortable with the gender that they’re born
with, or at least, some aspects of it.
Let’s talk about these "others". There are a number of things
that cause people to feel discomfort with the gender
assigned at birth. Broadly, these can be classified based on
external functions and internal functions.

 
Based on external functions:
a)the way they look: somebody assigned "woman", may not
feel comfortable looking like a woman; it is the same for
some who are assigned "man"
b) the way they behave and things they do: somebody
assigned "woman" may not feel comfortable "performing" as
a woman. This is also true for some who are assigned "man"
Based on internal functions: the way they think: Some people
feel an internal discomfort about identifying with their birth
gender.
This is generally purely a matter of their thought processes not
allowing them to comfortably think the same way as their
peers, in terms of how they react to gendered social situations.
This may indicate that the person
is suffering from "social
dysphoria". 

Another indication is if the person

feels uncomfortable when they
are identified by somebody else
by their birth gender. 
So Social Dysphoria can be described as the discomfort with
being perceived as the birth gender. -the way they feel with
respect to the sexed aspects of their body: some people are
uncomfortable with the organs they are born with, that are
particular to their birth gender. The sexed organs include
breasts, the penis, and the vulva.
This is referred to as
body dysphoria (NOT
DYSMORPHIA).* 
The overall feeling
of discomfort with
the birth gender is
called Gender
Dysphoria. Gender
Dysphoria is a
medical condition;
rather than a
mental illness as
many people tend
to say it is. 

*Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a condition where a person perceives themselves as having a “wrong” body, this cannot be cured by surgery.
http://roygbiv.jezebel.com/stop-confusing-gender-dysphoria-with-body-dysmorphia-al-1583049920
But before we get to what the deal with dysphoria and
transitioning is, let’s summarize what we've got so far with
respect to gender.
We know that:
-Gender is a social construct that is assigned at
birth
-Some are comfortable with this assignment
-Some are not, for a variety of reasons.

People who feel comfortable with their

assigned gender in all of the above
mentioned aspects, if not completely, then
to large degrees, are identified as
cisgender people. 

People who feel uncomfortable with their

assigned gender, or feel differently about
their gender than what is usual, or choose
to reject the gender binary of man/woman
make up a wide range of identities. 
Broadly, people who do not identify with their
birth gender, may choose to use the label
"transgender," although some do not.

There are a wide variety of labels to choose

from based on what people feel
comfortable with that include agender,
genderfluid, genderqueer and bigender.
Some may call themselves non binary (NB or
enby) in general, which is sometimes used
as an umbrella term for all identities that
are not man or woman.*

It's worth remembering that not all non

binary folk describe themselves as trans, not
all agender folk describe themselves as non
binary; and so on. So be wary and 
understanding so that you don't hurt a
person you are talking to. Based on the
comfort of the person, they may call
themselves a combination of these things. 
*https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/08/transgender-101/
Consider two volume control knobs, one labelled male and
another labelled female.
If, for a person, things are most comfortable when both
knobs are at zero, they may identify as agender or
genderless.

genderless
If, for a person, the most comfortable setting is zero on
the male knob and high on the female knob, and they
were assigned male at birth (AMAB), they may call
themselves trans women. 

trans
woman
For the setting of zero on female and high on male, to a
person who was assigned female at birth (AFAB), they
may call themselves trans men.

trans
man
If neither knob is zero, but the male knob has a higher
setting than the female one, the person (who could be
AFAB or AMAB) may call themselves trans masculine.
Sometimes AMAB people prefer the term "demiguy" for
this setting.  

demiguy

trans
masculine
If the female knob is higher than the male knob, the AFAB
or AMAB person may call themselves trans feminine; or an
AFAB person may call themselves a "demigirl".

demigirl

trans
feminine
For bigender people the two knobs may be at the same level at
the same time, or take a particular level in certain intervals of
time. For gender fluid people, the knobs vary, and they move
between any genders. Genderqueer people may be any of these
things, although genderqueer is sometimes also used as an
umbrella term. In addition to these, some people identify with a
“third” or “other” gender, as seen among Hijras. Thus by
varying these knobs, and sometimes by tossing the console, a
massive variety of genders are obtained, and the above
mentioned ones don’t come close to fully representing the entire
spectrum. But it’s a beginning.

The volume knob analogy is a very basic way of putting things. It

must be remembered that gender has multiple axes that need
to be understood, that involves identity, expression and a host
of other things that vary greatly from person to person, so
there are many many gender identities. A person may switch to
different identities till they find one that resonates with them.
It is a long process of self discovery for some. For others, it's a
lot simpler. But there is no shame in either, and all identities are
valid.
We talked about gender dysphoria, social dysphoria and body
dysphoria earlier. A person need not have to have these
conditions to be trans. A person may simply reject the gender
binary because they're comfortable doing so. In India, Hijra folk
have done so for eons.*

The human body may require a little tuning for a person who
was assigned to the wrong gender at birth. This is done by
"Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)". This is done by giving
the person the opposite hormone of what is secreted by their
gonads; and/or by suppressing the hormone secretion with the
help of blockers. HRT has several physical and psychological
effects that helps trans people fully transition to the gender
the identify with.** However, not every trans person feels the
need to take hormones; they are still valid as trans people.
Some may experience body dysphoria due to their sexed
organs, or the sexed aspects of their appearance and may
require Gender (or Sex) Reassignment Surgery (GRS or SRS, used
interchangeably). This can be Male To Female (MTF) or Female To
Male (FTM). This is the other aspect of medical transitioning;
although not every trans person feels the need to undergo this
surgery. It could involve change of genitals, breast
augmentation or bilateral mastectomy, facial feminization, chest
contouring and a bunch of other things based on what is
required.

However, some trans people are comfortable with their bodies

as is, and don't require the surgery. Thus, some trans women
have penises, and some trans men have vulvas; but that does
not mean that they aren't women, or aren't men. This stigma
is very important to dispel. It is unscientific and ahistoric to
classify people based on their genitals. Not many can afford
GRS, and hence don't have a choice; but they are still the
gender they identify with.
Remember; gender is a social structure; but dysphoria is a
medical condition with biological basis. Therefore, only some
trans people deal with dysphoria. Only some gender non
conforming people (or non binary people) deal with dysphoria.
But Dysphoria, genitals etc. do not define gender; because
gender is still a social structure. 

Thus, many people undergo "social transitioning". This is the

outward stuff; buying different clothes, changing to a different
name, adopting new pronouns, using the correct bathroom and
so on. This may be affiliated to social dysphoria, so be
respectful of the person's new name and pronouns or you could
seriously hurt them. People may ask to be referred to by he,
she or they, and/or by a number of “neopronouns”, which are
created to avoid the gendered connotations of he and she,
and who feel that “they” is too impersonal; although reasons
do vary. Some examples of neopronouns are xie, ze, ey and shi.

If a trans man/masc has not done GRS, they may be able to

get pregnant; similarly, a fertile trans woman/femme with a
penis, pre-surgery, can impregnate. They may go off HRT for
that period in time in order to conceive. It is extremely
possible, thus it is not good to mock a pregnant trans man, or
a trans woman for using protection during intercourse.
A person may or may not "pass" as their true gender. As a
result, many live in "stealth" and don't transition due to the
stigma or their living circumstances. Some struggle to pass even
while transitioning; dysphoria makes it very difficult to come to
terms with oneself in terms of appearance and self worth, often.
So be kind to those that share their identity with you. Don't
misidentify them.

Another term to take note of is the "deadname". When a trans

person changes their name to match their real gender, their old
name is called their deadname. Don't use it, and do not ask
what it was if you do not know, because it doesn't matter, but
listen to them if they bring it up. Don’t discount it and tell them
that it is a deadname and they should forget about it – each
one is the owner of their experiences and narrative, and it is
important to respect how they choose to shape their narrative
and express themselves vis-à-vis their identity.
Finally, you may be surprised by the presence of the space
between “trans” and “woman” or “trans” and “men”. This
space exists because “trans” is short for “transgender” (not
“transgendered”); which is an adjective to describe whether
the man or woman (or non-binary person) in question was born
as their true gender; as opposed to a cis woman or a cis man,
who is born with their true gender. The space makes it clear
that both cis women and trans women, for instance, are
women; only with different circumstances of birth. Removing
the space implies that the trans woman is not a true woman,
but rather a “transwoman”; as opposed to a cis woman, who
is usually simply called a woman.

https://transwhat.org/transition/socialtrans.html
At this point, we've covered sex, gender and gender identity.
Hopefully we've understood by now that:

Sex is not a binary and not a useful term to

represent a person

Gender is a social construct, and is again,

not a binary

Trans men are men, who were AFAB.

Trans women are women, who were AMAB
There are people who do not identify with
man or women. They may identify with both,
or neither, or nothing and there's nothing
wrong with any of those things.

Many (not all) trans people suffer from

Gender Dysphoria, which requires them to
transition from their assigned gender to
their true gender.

Gender Dysphoria is experienced by not only

trans men and trans women, but also by some
non binary folk. The treatments are similar.
But it further proves that gender is merely
constructed
 TO
DE
A GUI

i n g
a n d r
r s t n d e
e e
und and g
sex
N AND
, L EAR
L E ARN GAGE
UN EN