The Transgender Dictionary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z MISCELLANEOUS

Ally

Table of Contents

Introduction

Allies are people who are not a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, but are still supportive of the community. If you are an ally, this means that you are cisgender, heteroromantic, heterosexual, and supportive of anyone who is not. While I absolutely invite allies to browse through this website and use it as a resource for learning about The Transgender Community, please know that the primary target audience of this website is transgender people. If you are struggling to understand something, relevant pages are typically linked throughout The Transgender Dictionary, simply click on any underlined words to be led to the appropriate page or definition containing further information.

This page in particular? This one is targeted directly towards allies, or anyone trying to be one. Maybe someone sent you this link. Maybe you happened to stumble upon it by accident. I have no idea. Be you a parent, a healthcare worker, or just someone curious as to what transgender people are, this page is targeted towards you.

If you've ever been told by a transgender person "it's not my job to educate you," you might be a little bit offended. Rightfully so, you might even think. What harm can there be in just asking questions? You just want to satisfy your own curiosity. Here's the thing though. Your "one innocent question"? Chances are that that transgender person has been asked that exact same question a hundred times over. Can you imagine being asked the same question over and over again just because no one seems to understand what, to you, is a mundane piece of information?

If every stranger you met asked you how and why the color of you eyes are the color that they are, you'd probably get sick of having to explain the chemical makeup of your own eyeballs over and over again. Especially if every stranger had a 40% chance of telling you that you don't exist (or otherwise questioning your existance), a 20% chance of shouting at you, a 15% chance of harassing you, and a 1% chance of deciding that your eye color is more than enough of a reason to straight-up murder you (or at least attempt to).

Even if they do end up listening to your tedious explanation (which you have had to refine because people are just too fascinated with your eye color for reasons unbeknownst to you, and you've started just answering questions before they have been asked) you still have the chance of them telling you that you don't even exist, or. Well, here is your explanation on what transgender people are, and how to be a good ally.

Transgender Women & Girls

Very broadly speaking, a transgender woman is woman who was assigned male at birth (amab) and grows up being seen as and treated like a man. If a transgender women comes out as transgender, this means that she has revealed to other people that she is a woman. If a transgender woman remains in the closet, then this means that she is not revealing to anyone that she is a woman, and is instead pretending to be a man. Sometimes, this is called "boymoding." A transgender woman who is "stealth" is a woman whom strangers cannot tell is transgender unless she tells them. This can typically be done through medically and legally transitioning.

Socially transitioning can be done at any age and is reversible. A very young transgender girl exploring her gender identity may socially transition. This typically consists of the girl using she/her pronouns, choosing a feminine name, wearing feminine clothing, and assuming the social position (daughter, sister, niece, etc) of a girl. For older transgender girls and women, tucking is a common practice to promote gender euphoria.

Medically transitioning is extremely limited for early adolescent girls. While most transgender girls are fully aware of their identities at a very young age, it is always important to make sure that a girl is absolutely sure before choosing which puberty to go through. Puberty blockers are a safe, reversible medication that is used to pause puberty. An early adolescent transgender girl has the option of taking this medication to avoid undergoing male puberty, as well as have the opportunity to discuss her feelings regarding her gender identity with a gender therapist (a doctor who specializes in helping someone discuss their gender identity and figure it out). If it turns out that the child is not transgender, then he can stop taking puberty blockers, and move on with his life.

More commonly, if it turns out that the girl is transgender, then she has the opportunity to start gender affirming hormone therapy (gaht). Both older adolescent girls, as well as women are able to undergo gaht.

GAHT has many feminizing effects, but it does not alter the voice. If a woman did not have the opportunity to take puberty blockers as a child, she will have to either try voice training or undergo voice feminization surgery to achieve a deeper voice. Voice training can be done at any age, however most transgender surgeries require that the patient be at least 18 years of age (though some exceptions may be made if the patient is an older adolecent with well-documented gender dysphoria). Voice training can be difficult, and not every woman wants surgery done on her vocal cords. For these reasons (and sometimes, due to personal preference) not every transgender woman, even if she has undergone other forms of transition, will have the most feminine-sounding voice.

Other surgical transition, such as bottom surgery, facial feminization surgeries, or top surgery can be done for women seeking further gender-affirmation than what hormones can provide.

Legal transition can take place at any age. This is where a transgender woman has her legal documents changed to reflect her correct name and gender identity. Transmisogyny is a type of transphobia that typically affects transgender women.

Transgender Men & Boys

Very broadly speaking, a transgender man is a man who was assigned female at birth (afab) and grows up being seen as and treated like a woman. If a transgender man comes out as transgender, this means that he has revealed to other people that he is a man. If a transgender man is closeted, this means that he is not revealing to anyone that he is a man. If a transgender man is "stealth," this means that strangers cannot tell that he is transgender, unless reveals this piece of information himself.

Socially transitioning can be done at any age and is reversible. A very young transgender boy exploring his gender identity may socially transition. This typically consists of the boy using he/him pronouns, choosing a masculine name, wearing masculine clothing, and assuming the social position (son, brother, nephew, etc) of a boy. For older transgender boys and men, packing is commonly practiced to promote gender euphoria.

Medically transitioning is extremely limited for early adolescent boys. While most transgender boys are fully aware of their identities at a very young age, it is always important to make sure that a boy is absolutely sure before choosing which puberty to go through. Puberty blockers are a safe, reversible medication that is used to pause puberty. An early adolescent transgender boy has the option of taking this medication to avoid undergoing female puberty, as well as having the opportunity to discuss his feelings regarding his gender identity with a gender therapist (a doctor who specializes in helping someone discuss their gender identity and figure it out). If it turns out that the child is not transgender, then she can stop taking puberty blockers and move on with her life.

More commonly, if it turns out that the boy is transgender, then he has the opportunity to start gender affirming hormone therapy (gaht). Both older adolescent boys, as well as men, are able to undergo gaht.

GAHT has many masculinizing effects, but it does not get rid of breasts. If a man did not have the opportunity to take puberty blockers as a child, then he will have to either bind or undergo top surgery. Binding can be done at any age (though it is not done until the boy has already developed breasts that need to be bound), however most transgender surgeries require that the patient be at least 18 years of age (though some exceptions may be made if the patient is an older adolecent with well-documented gender dysphoria).

Other surgical transition, such as bottom surgery, can be done for men seeking further gender-affirmation. Surgeries such as voice masculinization surgery and facial masculinization surgery are sometimes practiced, though less commonly compared to their transfeminine counterparts.

Legal transition can take place at any age. This is where a transgender man has his legal documents changed to reflect his correct name and gender identity. Transandrophobia is a type of transphobia that typically affects transgender men.

Pronouns

If you do not know someone's pronous, ask. If you are unable to find out what someone's pronouns are, use they/them pronouns. If you know what someones pronouns are (or are able to find out what those pronouns are), and they/them is not one of those pronouns, then using they/them is still misgendering.

If you are in a group setting, and want to know what someone's pronouns are, ask everyone for their pronouns. Singling out one person who you think might be transgender and asking for pronouns can potentially out someone who is trying to be stealth, or just be straight-up awkward.

Surgery

There are many different surgeries that a person can get. Not all transgender people get these surgeries. Not all people who get these surgeries are transgender. Not everyone who gets one of these surgeries will get all other sugeries that are commonly associated with that one surgery. If you are not the doctor of a patient, then it is not, medically speaking, any of your business what surgeries another person has or desires.

To prevent you, the reader, from asking invasive questions about the bodies of other people, here you go. Following are basic explanations for different surgeries that some transgender people may get. If you want more detailed explanations of these surgeries (as well as links to further reading) click the underlined words. Some of these have already been mentioned, but here you go.

A hysterectomy is when someone has their uterus removed. This results in no longer being able to become pregnant. This also results in no longer having a menstrual cycle. There is no strict age minimum to get a hysterectomy, however, most patients are at least 18 years of age. Patients are highly unlikely to get this surgery under the age of 18 unless they have a severe medical condition that warrants surgery.

A vaginectomy is when someone has their vagina removed. On its own, this is considered a nullification surgery. There is no strict age minimum to get a vaginectomy, however, most patients are at least 18 years of age. Patients are highly unlikely to get this surgery under the age of 18 unless they have a severe medical condition that warrants surgery.

Sterilization, also commonly known as tubal litigation, refers to a few different surgeries which alter the fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy. There is no strict minimum age to be sterilized, however, most policies require that the patient be at least 18 or 21 years of age.

Voice surgeries such as voice feminization surgery and voice masculinzation surgery require that the patient be at least 18 years of age. These are surgeries that alter voice pitch to sound more masculine or feminine.

Breast augmentation refers to surgeries which enhance breast size, typically through the usage of implants. Depending on the type of implant used, the minimum age ranges from 18 to 22.

Vaginoplasty refers to surgeries which create a vulva, usually alongside a vagina. The most common variant is the penile inversion technique, where the penis is inverted to create the vaginal interior. Peritoneal is a less common variant where the inner lining of the abdominal wall is used to create the vaginal interior. Penile preserving vaginoplasty is an uncommon varient that is sometimes chosen by salmacian patients. Rectosigmoid is a rare variant that uses a piece of the intestine to create the vaginal interior. Labiaplasty may also be performed, either simultaneously with one of these surgeries, or as a follow up surgery. Vulvoplasty refers to when only the vulva is constructed. On its own, vulvoplasty is refered to as "zero-depth" vaginoplasty.

The term mastectomy refers to the removal of breasts. The keyhole variant is typically reserved for those with smaller chests. The periareolar technique is usually restricted to those with small to medium sized chests. The fishmouth incision is uncommon, and usually best for those with medium sized chests. Double incision is the most common version of breast removal, and is not restricted to a particular size. While exceptions are made on rare occasions, the minimum age for a mastectomy is 18 years old.

Facial Feminization Surgery is a broad term reffering to numerous surgeries which feminize the face. These surgeries are restricted to those who are at least 18, though some locations require patients be at least 21 years of age.

Metoidioplasty is a surgery which enhances bottom growth and makes it appear larger. It is possible for phalloplasty to be performed after meta if the patient desires a larger penis.

The term scrotoplasty can be used to refer to either the creation or the removal of the scrotum.

A minor procedure, vasectomies alter the vas deferens in a way which prevents the patient from being able to impregnate others.

An orchiectomy is the removal of the testes. A penectomy is the removal of the penis (performed on its own, this is considered a nullification surgery).