Glossary of Gender Identities

Glossary of Gender Identities

The following is a list of some the more common gender identities & definitions that you may come across in relation to Transgender people.


Identities and how they are described or defined can vary individually, so please treat this as a guide and starting point for general understanding.

Non-Binary identities are noted with (NB).


Agender - A person who does not identify themselves as having a particular gender (NB)


Bi-Gender - A person who express two distinct "female" and "male" personas, feminine and masculine respectively; or find that they identify as two genders simultaneously. (NB)


Demiboy - A Person whose gender identity is only partly male, regardless of their assigned gender at birth. They may or may not identify as another gender in addition to feeling partially a boy or man. (NB)


Demigirl - A Person whose gender identity is only partly female, regardless of their assigned gender at birth. They may or may not identify as another gender in addition to feeling partially a girl or woman. (NB)


Gender Fluid - A person whose gender identity is not fixed, identify as a mix of genders, and may feel more male on some days and more female on others. (NB)


Gender Non-Conforming - A person whose behaviour or appearance does not conform to prevailing cultural and social expectations about what is appropriate to their assigned birth gender. (NB)


Gender Queer - A person who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identifies with neither, both, or a combination of genders (NB)


Non - Binary - A gender that is not exclusively male or female (NB)


Pangender - A person who experiences all genders available to their culture. (NB)


Trans Man - A person who was assigned female at birth but identifies as male. Also referred to as a “Binary” gender identity, meaning that the person exclusively identifies with the gender opposite their assigned birth sex.


Transmasculine - An umbrella term that describes a transgender person whose gender is masculine and/or who express themselves in a masculine way. Transmasculine people are generally those who were assigned female at birth and feel a connection with masculinity, but do not always identify as male. Sometimes shortened to transmasc. (NB)


Transfeminine - An umbrella term that describes a transgender person whose gender is feminine and/or who express themselves in a feminine way. Transfeminine people are generally those who were assigned male at birth and feel a connection with femininity, but do not always identify as female. Sometimes shortened to transfemme. (NB)


Trans Woman - A person who was assigned male at birth but identifies as female. Also referred to as a “Binary” gender identity, meaning that the person exclusively identifies with the gender opposite their assigned birth sex.


Two-Spirit - A person who has both a masculine and a feminine spirit, as used by some Native American First Nations people to describe sexual, gender and/or spiritual identity. Two-Spirit is a cultural term that should only be used by those from within that particular culture.