The process of aligning one’s life and body with their gender identity. Transitioning is unique to each person.

By the 19th century, Western medicine began classifying gender variance as a disorder. Magnus Hirschfeld, a German Jewish physician, coined the term “transvestite” (not used today) and founded the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin (1919), which offered early gender-affirming surgeries. The Nazis destroyed the institute in 1933.

Beginning in the mid-2010s, a wave of legislation targeting transgender individuals—specifically bathroom access—became the new frontline of queer culture wars. While cisgender gay and lesbian individuals can often "pass" as straight in public to avoid harassment, many trans people cannot or choose not to. This hyper-visibility makes them the shock troops of LGBTQ culture. Every time a trans person uses a restroom or shows an ID, they are engaging in an act of quiet civil disobedience that benefits the entire community by normalizing gender variance.

A contested term meaning being perceived as the gender one identifies with, without being recognized as transgender. While some seek passing for safety, others reject it as reinforcing binary standards.

A person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. Example: Someone assigned female at birth who identifies as a woman.

Trans people, especially trans women of color, were decimated by the epidemic. They became leaders in direct action groups like ACT UP, demanding medical research and treatment.

A gender identity that is not exclusively male or female. Non-binary people may identify as both, neither, or a third gender. They may use they/them, he/him, she/her, or neopronouns (ze/zir, ey/em). Not all non-binary people identify as transgender, though most do.

A pan-Indigenous term used by some Native American and First Nations people to describe a person who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits. This is a culturally specific identity, not a free-for-all label.