TRANS YOUTH GLOSSARY: KEY TERMS EXPLAINED
Straightforward, sourced definitions for the terms that come up most often when learning about transgender health. Each entry links to the original source so you can read further, and this page is updated as language and guidance evolve.
CONTENT NOTE
This is information, not medical advice, and it isn't a substitute for evaluation by a qualified clinician. Personal care decisions belong to patients, families, and their providers.
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Updated: November 2026
KEY TAKEAWAYS
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This glossary covers terms families most often need defined, from Cisgender to Transgender, pulling in both the core Understanding the Basics terms and the Identity, Language & School breadth terms.
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Every definition links to a named source: a medical or professional association or a peer-reviewed study.
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Where a clinical term (like “gender-affirming care” or “puberty blockers”) differs from this site's plain-language style, both are shown and explained.
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Cisgender
Cisgender describes someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.
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Also Called
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Cis (common shorthand)
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Non-transgender
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The term is a counterpart to “transgender,” giving a plain descriptive word for the more common gender experience rather than treating it as an unstated default. It is a descriptive term, not a medical or clinical one.
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Source: American Psychiatric Association, “What Is Gender Dysphoria?” glossary.
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See also: Transgender, Gender Identity vs. Sex Assigned at Birth.
Detransition
Detransition generally means stopping or reversing a gender transition after having started. However, the term is used to encompass a wide umbrella of experiences.
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Research finds that a small number of people stop transition because they regret receiving treatment. A very small proportion detransition because they go back to identifying with their birth sex. Most people who detransition do so because of external reasons, such as cost or other barriers to care, family pressure, or discrimination. Some people, particularly those who are nonbinary, might stop receiving transition-related medical care because they have reached their personal treatment goals. This is not typically referred to as “detransition” but is sometimes included in studies of the topic.
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Retransition refers to resuming transition after a period of detransition, and is a related but distinct concept
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A 2025 systematic review in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that, across the available studies, the share of patients who changed their minds before starting puberty-pausing medication ranged from 0.8% to 7.4%, discontinuation of puberty-delaying medication ranged from 1% to 7.6%, and discontinuation of hormone therapy ranged from 1.6% to 9.8%. The review noted that these figures include people who stopped for reasons unrelated to regret.
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Studies also define “detransition” inconsistently, which makes a single precise rate hard to pin down. Separately, systematic reviews of regret specifically after gender-affirming surgery for adults have found pooled rates of roughly 1% to 2%.
The summary: detransition is a rare experience. Exact rates vary by definition and study, and the available evidence points to external barriers and circumstances as common drivers, more than a change of identity.
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A systematic review of post-surgical regret, American Journal of Surgery (2024).
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See also: Gender-Affirming Care, Gender Dysphoria.
Gender-Affirming Care
Gender-affirming care, which this site generally calls supportive care, is a range of social, psychological, behavioral, and medical steps meant to support someone whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
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Also Called
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Supportive care
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Transition-related care
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You may see this described as gender-affirming care, transition-related care, or supportive care; this page uses “supportive care” for clarity, and the terms describe the same thing.
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For transgender people of any age, supportive care is designed to be individualized and developmentally appropriate. Supportive care for minors before puberty does not involve any medical treatments. The components of supportive care before puberty are mental health counseling and sometimes social transition, which refers to changes in aspects of gender expression, such as name, pronouns, clothing, and/or hairstyle.
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Around puberty, a young person might be prescribed puberty-delaying medications to temporarily pause the physical changes of puberty. Older adolescents may be prescribed hormone therapy with testosterone or estrogen.
The standard of care generally restricts genital surgery to adulthood.
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Chest surgery is also generally recommended only for adults, but is sometimes considered appropriate for older adolescents based on individual medical need.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, and the American Psychological Association each regard age-appropriate supportive care as medically necessary for the treatment of gender dysphoria in patients who have been clinically evaluated and diagnosed. This consensus position of major U.S. medical and mental health organizations is based on scientific literature showing that supportive care can reduce gender dysphoria while maintaining stability in other mental health indicators or improving symptoms such as depression and suicidality.
Sources: World Health Organization definition as cited by AAMC;
American Academy of Pediatrics, “Further Defining Gender-Affirming Care”;
Endocrine Society Statement in Support of Gender-Affirming Care (2024).
The Gender Affirmative Model: What We Know and What We Aim to Learn, Collab4Kids (2016)
See also: Puberty Blockers, Hormone Therapy for Trans Youth, Social Transition, Informed Consent Model.
Gender Dysphoria
Gender dysphoria is a clinical diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual. It describes the significant psychological distress and functional impairment that can occur when a person's gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Also Called
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Gender identity disorder (an older diagnostic term this diagnosis has since replaced)
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Not every transgender or gender-diverse person experiences gender dysphoria, and the DSM-5-TR is clear that being transgender or gender diverse is not itself a diagnosis or mental disorder. Gender dysphoria can begin in childhood or emerge later, including after puberty or in adulthood.
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Source: American Psychiatric Association, “What Is Gender Dysphoria?”, drawing on the DSM-5-TR.
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See also: Transgender, Gender-Affirming Care.
Gender Identity vs Gender Expression
Gender identity is a person's inner knowledge of their own gender.
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Gender expression is how a person outwardly presents their gender to others, through clothing, hairstyle, mannerisms, and similar choices. The two are related but distinct, and one doesn't necessarily reveal the other.
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Gender expression is sometimes called gender presentation
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Gender expression is culturally defined and changes across time and place; what reads as a “feminine” or “masculine” style of dress varies by culture and era. Gender expression doesn't by itself indicate anything about a person's gender identity or whether they are transgender.
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Source: American Psychiatric Association, “What Is Gender Dysphoria?” glossary.
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See also: Gender Identity vs. Sex Assigned at Birth, Transgender, Nonbinary.
Gender Identity vs Sex Assigned at Birth
Gender identity is a person's inner knowledge of their own gender. Sex assigned at birth is the sex recorded at birth, which is typically male or female, and is usually based on visible anatomy. Gender identity and sex assigned at birth may or may not be the same.
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Sex assigned at birth is also called natal sex or birth sex
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Gender identity is sometimes shortened to just “gender” in casual usage, though the two terms aren't always interchangeable in clinical or research contexts
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Sources: American Psychiatric Association, “What Is Gender Dysphoria?” glossary;
Endocrine Society, “Transgender and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents”.
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See also: Transgender, Nonbinary, Gender Dysphoria.
Gender Pronouns
Gender pronouns (he/him, she/her, they/them, and others) are the words a person uses to refer to themselves in place of their name. Using a person's correct pronouns, regardless of whether or not they are transgender, is a basic form of respect.
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Also Called
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Personal pronouns; identified pronouns
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Neopronouns: newer pronouns some people use, such as ze/zir or xe/xem
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For a known individual, use the pronouns that person has identified for themselves. When someone's gender is unknown or irrelevant to the context, or when a specific person uses “they” as their own pronoun, the singular “they” is considered standard usage. APA's style guidelines and, more recently, the AP Stylebook have both adopted this position. Some people alternate between pronouns, and some use their name in place of any pronoun at all.
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Source: APA Style, bias-free language guidelines on gender.
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See also: Cisgender, Transgender, Nonbinary.
Gender-Questioning
Gender-questioning describes someone who is exploring or unsure about their gender identity.
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Also Called
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Questioning (the “Q” sometimes added to “LGBTQ+” can refer to either “queer” or “questioning”)
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The Trevor Project categorizes “gender-questioning” alongside other identity labels, including genderqueer, agender, genderfluid, gender diverse, gender expansive, and gender neutral, that are often used by people who might consider themselves to be transgender. Questioning is a normal and often temporary part of figuring out one's identity for many people. Some people later adopt a specific label like transgender or nonbinary, some continue to use “questioning” itself, and some conclude they are cisgender. None of these outcomes is more valid than another.
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Source: The Trevor Project, 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People (Trevor Project's own survey research, cited as such).
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See also: Nonbinary, Transgender, Gender Identity vs. Sex Assigned at Birth.
Hormone Therapy for Trans Youth
Hormone therapy for transgender youth, sometimes called gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), uses medications such as estrogen or testosterone to help a person's physical characteristics align with their gender identity.
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Also Called
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Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT)
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Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
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The Endocrine Society categorizes hormone therapy as partially reversible. It is generally prescribed for adolescents who have already entered puberty or who have gone through a period of puberty-pausing treatment first. A 2022 study by researchers at The Trevor Project, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that access to hormone therapy during adolescence was associated with lower rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary young people. Based on survey data from over 9,000 respondents, the study's authors describe this as an association found in survey data, not a finding from a controlled clinical trial.
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Sources: Green et al., Journal of Adolescent Health (2022).
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See also: Puberty Blockers, Gender-Affirming Care.
Informed Consent Model
The informed consent model is an approach to transgender healthcare, most commonly used for adults. Within this model, a patient can begin certain treatments, such as hormone therapy, after being fully informed of the risks and benefits, without first needing a referral letter from a mental health professional.
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Informed consent care
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Contrasted with the “standards of care” model or, in critics' terms, the “gatekeeper” model
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Some clinics offer informed consent hormone therapy for adults. This model generally does not apply the same way to minors: in the United States, a parent or legal guardian must provide informed permission for a minor's medical care.
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See also: Gender-Affirming Care, Puberty Blockers, Hormone Therapy for Trans Youth.
Nonbinary
Nonbinary describes a gender identity that is not exclusively man/boy or woman/girl.
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Also Called
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Enby (informal shorthand, from the letters “N.B.”)
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Genderqueer, genderfluid, agender (related identities some people use instead of, or alongside, nonbinary)
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A nonbinary person may know their gender to be a combination of man and woman, neither, or something else entirely. Some nonbinary people also identify as transgender. Others do not describe themselves as “transgender,” though the two terms often overlap for many people. As with any gender identity, some nonbinary people pursue social, legal, and/or medical steps to reflect their identity, and some do not. Reisner et al. identified gender affirmation as a key social determinant of trans health, containing four dimensions: social, legal, psychological, and medical.
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Sources: American Psychiatric Association, “What Is Gender Dysphoria?” glossary;
American Psychological Association, APA Style guidance on gender.
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See also: Transgender, Gender Identity vs. Sex Assigned at Birth.
Puberty Blockers
Puberty blockers, also called puberty-pausing medications, are medications that pause the physical changes of puberty. Their purpose is to give a young person and their family more time before deciding on any further steps.
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Also Called
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Puberty-pausing medications
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Pubertal suppression
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GnRH agonists / GnRH analogs (the clinical drug class)
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You may see this called puberty blockers, pubertal suppression, or puberty-pausing medication; this page uses “puberty-pausing medication” for clarity, and the terms describe the same thing.
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Puberty-pausing medications are formally known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists. Their physiological function is to temporarily pause the progression of puberty by pausing the release of sex hormones. The Endocrine Society categorizes these medications as reversible and recommends starting them only after a young person has reached a specific stage of puberty called “Tanner Stage 2.” These medications are also prescribed to some non-transgender patients who have precocious puberty. This treatment has been studied for decades.
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A 2011 study by de Vries and colleagues found fewer behavioral and emotional problems after roughly two years of this treatment. A 2020 survey study by Turban and colleagues found one measure, lifetime suicidal ideation, was significantly lower among transgender adults who had received this treatment as adolescents compared to those who wanted it but didn't get it, out of several mental health measures tested; the study's own authors noted the sample of people who received the treatment was small, and that reverse causation (better mental health making a young person a more likely candidate for treatment) could not be ruled out. As with any observational research, these findings show an association, not proof that the medication alone caused the improvement.
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Sources:
de Vries et al., Journal of Sexual Medicine (2011);
Turban et al., Pediatrics (2020); summarized in
The Trevor Project, “Gender-Affirming Care for Youth” research brief (2020).
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See also: Hormone Therapy for Trans Youth, Gender-Affirming Care, Informed Consent Model.
Social Transition
Social transition means living according to one's gender identity in everyday life. Examples include using a different name, pronouns, clothing, or hairstyle, without any medical treatment involved.
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Also Called
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Social affirmation
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Social gender affirmation
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For children who have not yet reached puberty, social transition is generally the primary way families support a transgender or gender-diverse child, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Research comparing socially transitioned transgender children to their cisgender peers has found comparable levels of self-worth and depression, based on both parent reports (Olson et al., 2016) and reports from the children themselves (Durwood et al., 2017). Other research has found an association between consistent use of a young person's chosen name across more settings (such as home and school) and lower rates of reported suicidal thoughts and behavior (Russell et al., 2018). This is a correlational finding from survey data, not evidence that name use by itself directly prevents suicide.
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Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics, “Further Defining Gender-Affirming Care”;
Olson et al., Pediatrics (2016);
Durwood et al., Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2017);
Russell et al., Journal of Adolescent Health (2018).
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See also: Gender-Affirming Care, Transgender.
Transgender
Transgender is a non-medical umbrella term for someone whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
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Also Called
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Trans (common shorthand)
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Trans* (a variant sometimes used to signal inclusion of a wider range of gender-diverse identities)
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Transgender is used as an adjective (“a transgender person,” not “a transgender”). Being transgender is not itself a diagnosis, mental health condition, or medical status; it describes identity, not treatment. Transgender people pursue social, legal, and/or medical steps to express their gender. The term is distinct from sexual orientation, which is a separate part of individual identity.
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Sources: American Psychiatric Association, “Gender Dysphoria”;
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See also: Nonbinary, Gender Identity vs. Sex Assigned at Birth.
Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation is commonly defined as patterns of emotional, romantic, and/or physical attraction to other people. Sexual orientation is distinct from gender identity. A transgender person can have any sexual orientation, including being heterosexual/straight.
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Sources: American Psychiatric Association, “Sexual Orientation”;
The Trevor Project, "Diversity of Youth Sexual Orientation".
NAP, Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation
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See also: Nonbinary, Gender Identity vs. Sex Assigned at Birth.
Gender Expansive
Gender expansive describes a gender identity or expression broader than the common categories of boy/man or girl/woman.
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Gender diverse (a closely related umbrella term, more common in clinical and policy writing)
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The term is often used for children and teens who don't identify with traditional gender roles but haven't necessarily settled on a specific identity label. It describes that range of experiences without assigning a fixed category. Some gender-expansive young people go on to identify as transgender or nonbinary, while some do not.
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Sources: Human Rights Campaign, "Resources on Gender-Expansive Children and Youth" (advocacy-affiliated resource, cited as such); American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement, Rafferty et al., Pediatrics (2018).
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See also: Nonbinary, Gender-Questioning, Transgender.
Genderqueer
Genderqueer describes a gender identity that is outside of a strictly binary framework of man or woman.
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Sometimes used interchangeably with nonbinary, though some people treat the two as distinct personal labels
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The term originated within LGBTQ communities in the 1990s as a self-descriptor and has since entered clinical and style-guide usage. As with any gender identity, some genderqueer people pursue social, legal, and/or medical steps to reflect their identity, and some do not.
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Sources: APA Style, bias-free language guidelines on gender.
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See also: Nonbinary, Gender Identity vs. Gender Expression.
Agender
Agender – also called genderless – describes having no gender or not identifying with any gender category.
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Some agender people also identify under the nonbinary umbrella; others do not use that term for themselves. Agender is distinct from gender neutral, which is typically used to refer to language or spaces rather than as a personal identity.
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Sources: APA Style, bias-free language guidelines on gender.
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See also: Nonbinary, Gender Neutral.
Genderfluid
Genderfluid describes a gender identity that shifts or changes over time rather than staying fixed.
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Fluid gender identity
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A genderfluid person may feel more closely aligned with different gender identities at different points in time. This is distinct from gender expression changing day to day, which describes outward presentation rather than inner identity.
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Sources: APA Style, bias-free language guidelines on gender.
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See also: Nonbinary, Gender Identity vs. Gender Expression.
Gender Neutral
Gender neutral most often describes language, spaces, or roles that are not assigned to one gender, such as gender-neutral pronouns or restrooms.
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When used as a personal identity term rather than a description of language or spaces, it overlaps closely with agender or nonbinary
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The distinction matters because gender neutral is primarily a descriptor – of a pronoun, a restroom, or a policy – rather than an identity label, even though a small number of people also use it to describe their own gender.
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Sources: APA Style, bias-free language guidelines on gender.
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See also: Agender, Gender Pronouns
Nonbinary
Nonbinary, also sometimes written as non-binary, describes gender identities that are outside the male/female gender binary.
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Nonbinary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since nonbinary people typically identify with a gender that is different from the sex assigned to them at birth, although some non-binary people do not consider themselves transgender.
Retransition
Retransition means resuming a gender transition after a period of detransition.
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Sources: Feigerlová, E., "Prevalence of detransition in persons seeking gender-affirming hormonal treatments: a systematic review," Journal of Sexual Medicine (2025) (for detransition evidence context; no dedicated primary study isolates retransition specifically).
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See also: Detransition, Gender-Affirming Care.
Sex Assigned at Birth
Sex assigned at birth is the sex recorded at birth, usually based on visible anatomy, as either male or female.
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Also Called
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Natal sex
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Birth sex
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This is the precise, clinical way to distinguish a person's gender identity from the determination made by a clinician at the time of birth. It is a factual, descriptive term rather than an identity label, and it applies to everyone, not only transgender people.
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Sources: American Psychiatric Association, "What Is Gender Dysphoria?" glossary; Endocrine Society, "Transgender and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents".
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See also: Gender Identity vs. Sex Assigned at Birth, Cisgender.
Transition-Related Care
Transition-related care, which this site generally calls supportive care, is a synonym for gender-affirming care.
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Also Called
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Supportive care
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Gender-affirming care
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You may see this called transition-related care, gender-affirming care, or supportive care; this page uses "supportive care" for clarity, and the terms describe the same thing.
Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics, "Further Defining Gender-Affirming Care".
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See also: Gender-Affirming Care, Informed Consent Model.
Gender-Diverse
Gender-diverse is an umbrella term for the range of labels people use when their gender identity or expression does not conform to what is typically associated with their sex assigned at birth.
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Gender expansive (see standalone entry above)
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TGD (shorthand sometimes used in research for "transgender and gender-diverse")
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The American Academy of Pediatrics describes gender-diverse as an umbrella term that describes an ever-evolving array of labels that people may apply to different gender identities. It is distinct from transgender, which the AAP uses to refer to a specific group of gender-diverse people whose gender identity is consistently and persistently different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
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Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement, Rafferty et al., Pediatrics (2018).
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See also: Gender Expansive, Transgender, Nonbinary.
Gender Exploratory Therapy
Gender exploratory therapy often refers to an approach that views transgender identity as an undesirable outcome and promotes identity change. Efforts to change gender identity have been shown to be associated with negative mental health outcomes.
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Exploratory therapy
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Sources: Ashley, F., "Interrogating Gender-Exploratory Therapy," Perspectives on Psychological Science (2023); KFF, "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Report on Pediatric Gender Dysphoria and Gender Conversion Efforts" (2025).
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See also: Gender-Affirming Care, Informed Consent Model.