lgbt-terminology

"The reality of trans people's lives is that so often we are targets of violence. We experience discrimination disproportionately to the rest of the community."

"Trans people are discriminated against, harassed and subjected to violence around the world because of deep prejudices that have been embedded into the fabric of our culture, poisoning our capacity to empathize, and even to accept trans people as fully human."

"While the media seems all too happy to focus on trans children’s right to participate in activities alongside their peers (or, indeed, on trans children’s very existence), there is little coverage of one of the most pressing problems: the fact that they are significantly more likely to experience discrimination, harassment and violence at home or at school. Sometimes, horrific stories hit local news headlines, such as the trans teenage boy whose face was slashed by a gang of teenagers in Witham, Essex, or the eleven-year-old trans girl in Manchester who, after months of bullying, was shot with a BB gun at school. To date, though, the national media has more or less completely failed to explore the ways in which such egregious incidents form part of a wider pattern of abuse of trans children."

"In a society that is both patriarchal and capitalist, men’s misogyny towards women sits comfortably alongside their desire to extract women’s sexual labour. This does not change because the woman is trans. In fact, given the political invisibility of most trans women, it may be intensified. To put it plainly, many of the men who purchase the services of trans sex workers will be the same men who argue for the oppression of all trans people and all sex workers. They will be the same men who preach hate and incite violence against them and the same men who, in some cases, personally use physical violence against them. It is no coincidence that trans sex workers are often at the forefront of LGBTQ+ community organizing and activism across the globe, particularly in countries where LGBTQ+ rights are opposed by the state. At times, the two collide."

"The murders of trans women sex workers are not rare. This is a recurring phenomenon and we regularly try to alert public opinion and the authorities to this violence. Unfortunately, as always, we find ourselves alone."

"A further study highlights that as many as 26% of a sample of 307 trans women reported difficulties initiating sexual contact, 29% reported difficulties achieving orgasm, and that vaginoplasty was associated with a reduction in difficulties with sexual arousal and sexual aversion (Kerckhof et al., 2019)."

"Research into the impact of transition on sexuality reports that, following the commencement of HT, some trans women experience a temporary change in sexual desire (Defreyne et al., 2020). Research has found that trans women are less likely to engage in sexual activities before accessing gender-affirming care (Scheim & Bauer, 2019), and some experience a reduction in sexual activities after starting HT (Knezevich et al., 2012). Rosenberg et al. (2019) also found a difference in orgasm experience after commencing HT in trans women. One clinic-based study further found that as many as 32% of trans women may experience a change in sexual orientation during medical transition (Auer et al., 2014). Barcelos et al. (2022) conducted a systematic review of the available literature concerning trans women’s sexual functioning. They found that, of the 17 available studies, there was a large divergence in how sexual functioning was measured, and overall, there was limited evidence that gender-affirming surgery improved sexual functioning overall."

"Women who insist that trans women are not women often object to being called “cis women” under the false assumption that it somehow undermines their femaleness — this is not at all the purpose of this language. The sole purpose of cis terminology is to name the unmarked majority (similar to how one might refer to white women, or heterosexual women, or able-bodied women, etc.). In other words, referring to someone as “cisgender” simply means that they have not had a transgender experience."

"Trans women differ greatly from one another. Perhaps the only thing that we share in common is a self-understanding that there was something wrong with our being assigned a male sex at birth and/or that we should be female instead. While some cisgender people refuse to take our experiences seriously, the fact of the matter is that transgender people can be found in virtually every culture and throughout history; current estimates suggest that we make up 0.2 – 0.3% of the population [or possibly more]. [...] In other words, we simply exist."

"Like women more generally, many trans women are feminists. Feminism and transgender activism are not in any way incompatible or mutually exclusive. As feminists who acknowledge intersectionality, we believe that we should be fighting to end all forms of sexism and marginalization — this includes both traditional sexism and transphobia. Forcing trans women into a separate group that is distinct from cis women does not in any way help achieve feminism’s central goal of ending sexism."

"Claims that trans women are not women often rely on essentialist (and therefore incorrect) assumptions about biology. For instance, people might argue that trans women are not “genetically female,” despite the fact that we cannot readily ascertain anybody’s sex chromosomes. Indeed, most people have never even had their sex chromosomes examined, and those that do are sometimes surprised by the results. Other common appeals to biology center on reproduction — e.g., stating that trans women have not experienced menstruation, or cannot become pregnant. This ignores the fact that some cisgender women never menstruate and/or are unable to become pregnant. Claims about genitals are similarly problematic: Women’s genitals vary greatly, and as with chromosomes and reproductive capabilities, we cannot readily see other people’s genitals in everyday encounters. If you and I were to meet, should I refuse to recognize or refer to you as a woman unless you show me your genitals? And frankly, what could possibly be more sexist than reducing a woman to what’s between her legs? Isn’t that precisely what sexist men have been doing to women for centuries on end?"

"While gender socialization is quite real, all of us are capable of overcoming or transcending the socialization that we experienced as children. And gender socialization doesn’t simply stop when one reaches adulthood: All of us are constantly facing gender-related social pressures, expectations, and obstacles throughout our lives. If you believe that these statements are true for cis women, then they also must be true for trans women."

"Trans women do not transition out of a desire to be feminine; we transition out of a self-understanding that we are or should be female (commonly referred to as gender identity)."

"The most frequent sexual dysfunctions experienced by trans women and trans men were difficulties initiating and seeking sexual contact (26% and 32%, respectively) and difficulties achieving an orgasm (29% and 15%, respectively). Compared with trans women after hormone treatment and non-genital surgery, trans women after vaginoplasty less often experienced arousal difficulties, sexual aversion, and low sexual desire. Compared with trans men without medical treatment, trans men after a phalloplasty experienced sexual aversion and low sexual desire less often."

"As a trans woman, I will be the first to admit that I cannot possibly know what any other woman experiences or feels on the inside. But the thing is, the trans-women-aren’t-women crowd cannot possibly know what any other woman experiences or feels either! Every woman is different. We share some overlapping experiences, but we also differ in every possible way. Every trans woman I know acknowledges this diversity. In contrast, it’s the cis women who attempt to exclude us who seem to have a singular superficial stereotypical notion of what constitutes a woman, or of what women experience."

"Trans women are women. We may not be “exactly like” cis women, but then again, cis women are not all “exactly like” one another either. But what we do share is that we all identify and move through the world as women. And because of this, we all regularly face sexism. That is what we should be focusing on and working together to challenge. And as I said at the outset, forcing trans women into a separate group that is distinct from cis women does not in any way help achieve feminism’s central goal of ending sexism. In fact, it only serves to undermine our collective cause."

"Not only do trans people need feminism, but feminism also needs trans people."

"Transfeminism is a term used to describe a collection of perspectives on feminism that centre the experiences of trans people. This perspective recognizes trans people as a group who, like cis women, suffer greatly at the hands of patriarchy, which punishes us for transgressing the roles laid out for us from birth. It is not a rival movement to other forms of feminism, nor is it a subdivision. It is a specific approach to feminist thought and organizing that begins with trans experience, rather than seeking to slot trans people into a cis feminist theory that is often articulated without us in mind."

"Naturally, cisgender women’s feminism starts with the general principle that patriarchy is a system that benefits men to the detriment of women, and empowers men specifically by disempowering women. In some form or other, most cis feminist thought argues for a crucial distinction to be made between sex – one’s biology – and gender, a social structure that dictates appropriate male and female behaviour. Trans feminists also believe that, while the difference between bodies and the cultural narratives we use to interpret those bodies does exist, such difference is not always easily recognized or mapped. Our sexed bodies never exist outside social meanings: consequently, how we understand gender shapes how we understand sex. The gender critical feminist idea – that there exists an objective biological reality which is real and observable to everyone in the same way and, distinct from that, a constructed set of subjective gender stereotypes that can be easily abolished – is an oversimplification. The way we perceive and understand sex differences and emphasize their significance is so deeply gendered that it can be impossible to completely divorce the two."

"Trans feminists seek to interrogate society’s ingrained assumptions about the social and cultural meanings we ascribe to biology. They also generally incorporate an analysis of intersex people, who do not fit this reductive model, and who have suffered historical and ongoing mistreatment at the hands of a medical establishment obsessed with imposing binary biological sex on to bodies that don’t ‘fit’. The experiences of trans and intersex people show us that not all humans fit perfectly into two clear-cut categories of biological sex; indeed, the belief there are two separate sex categories is itself an erasure of sex variations that occur either naturally or through medical modification. The global dominance of men over women can never be dismantled while simultaneously maintaining, preserving and reinforcing the binary model of sex and gender."

"I believe it is important to debunk the myth that transfeminism is a new departure from the feminist theory of the past. As we have seen, ambivalence about the categories of man and woman, challenging biological essentialism, and championing a multifaceted analysis of the harm that misogyny does to every human being (including men) have always been central to feminist thought."

"Like women more generally, many trans women are feminists. Feminism and transgender activism are not in any way incompatible or mutually exclusive. As feminists who acknowledge intersectionality, we believe that we should be fighting to end all forms of sexism and marginalization — this includes both traditional sexism and transphobia. Forcing trans women into a separate group that is distinct from cis women does not in any way help achieve feminism’s central goal of ending sexism."

"Trans women who are conventionally feminine are not in any way asserting or insinuating that all women should be conventionally feminine, or that femininity is all there is to being a woman. Like cis women, trans women dress the way we do in order to express ourselves, not to critique or caricature other women."

"Trans women are much more likely to report sexual arousal without orgasm, and lower levels of sexual desire in general. Studies with trans women in particular find a wide variance in ability to experience orgasm post vaginoplasty surgery, ranging from 17-100% across 140 different studies. However, these studies are focused mostly on adults who transitioned in adulthood. At this time, there do not appear to be any studies which examine sexual health or orgasmic experience in trans individuals who initiated affirmative treatment prior to adulthood or the onset of puberty."

"Multiple studies have compared sexual arousal levels of trans women post-operatively with sexual arousal in cisgender women. In these studies, 90–100% of trans women reported experiencing sexual arousal post-operatively, but when level of sexual arousal was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), sexual arousal scores were overall lower in trans women than in their cisgender counterparts."

"In trans women who have initiated hormone therapy, but who have not undergone genital reconstruction surgery, difficulty in achieving orgasm was seen to decrease. In one study, the prevalence of orgasmic dysfunction decreased to 29.2% from 46.7% after the initiation of hormone therapy. Whether this finding can be attributed to the simultaneous decrease in gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia associated with the initiation of hormone therapy still needs to be investigated. Ability to orgasm in trans women post-vaginoplasty has also been studied. Due to the unique anatomy of trans women post-operatively, it must be noted that orgasms can occur at multiple locations including the clitoris and prostate via masturbation or vaginal penetration, for example. There is variability in the rates of orgasm post-operatively with studies citing percentages between 40–100%. These studies used the FSFI to assess orgasmic scores and demonstrated ranges of 2.82 to 4.0 out of 6 in comparison to cisgender women without sexual dysfunction who scored an average of 5.1. When analyzing the correlation between sexual activity and achieving orgasm, one study found that direct stimulation of the clitoris had a higher frequency of orgasm when compared to intercourse. In assessing frequency and quality of orgasms post-operatively, studies are inconsistent. While one study reported an increase in orgasm frequency with sexual activity post-operatively, another study of 91 trans women postoperatively found orgasms to occur less frequently in 52.6% of participants and more frequently in 20.5% of participants. Quality of orgasms, when investigated, was found to be more pleasurable postoperatively in 51% of a 218 person study and with no changes in 62.5% of a 31 person study."

"Research exploring the lived experience of sexuality for trans women is limited, with conceptualizations focusing largely on exploring deficits or the impact of gender-affirming medical care, such as hormone therapy (HT) and/or surgeries."

"– [criticizing drag queens] When the Founding Fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and what have you… freedom and justice for all didn't mean that! – Well, I can tell you one what about the Founding Fathers of America... – And that's it? – ...they had amazing wigs! (To Wong Foo, thank you for everything! Julie Newmar)"

"When a straight man dresses as a woman to have sexual fun, that is cross-dressing. When a man is a woman trapped in a man's body and gets a little operation, that's a transsexual. [...] When a gay, however, has too much sense of style for one sex, that is a drag queen. [...] And when a little Hispanic boy puts on a woman's dress... that's simply a boy dressed as a woman. (To Wong Foo, thank you for everything! Julie Newmar)"

"– All Italian males are gay! – Because the country is shaped like a drag queen's boot! (Will & Grace)"

"Transsexuality"

"Transphobia"

"Transvestism"

"Rosalind: Were it not better, Because that I am more than common tall, That I did suit me all points like a man? A gallant curtle-axe upon my thigh, A boar-spear in my hand; and—in my heart Lie there what hidden woman's fear there will— We'll have a swashing and a martial outside, As many other mannish cowards have That do outface it with their semblances.Celia: What shall I call thee when thou art a man?Rosalind: I'll have no worse a name than Jove's own page; And therefore look you call me Ganymede."

"Viola: I am all the daughters of my father's house, And all the brothers too: and yet I know not."

"Those who take issue with Gay Pride, a single day a year of conspicuous celebration in various cities, have actually found the least racist way to express their rejection of homosexuals : perhaps he is a little ashamed of it, and therefore limits himself to expressing his dissent for what’s defined as a carnival. Furthermore, it may be that he doesn't like the idea that homosexuals don't live in shame and suffering, secluded and marginalized, but are sometimes very happy. My problem remains: that of never having understood why the existence of homosexuals still creates problems today. I don't think for sexual reasons, given that hetero couples who are not extremely pious and exclusively reproductive in bed do more or less the same things and with the same enthusiasm, when there is one. (Natalia Aspesi)"

"Gay Pride events make me infinitely sad, like the Viareggio Carnival. (Paolo Poli)"

"Gay Pride as a party is like the Carnival of Rio, but the aim has always been, in my opinion, to declare: "I'm not afraid". Today I believe there is no longer any need to be eccentric to declare oneself gay. The civilization and revolution of a country can also be seen when it becomes "normal" to be homosexual. (Paola Turci)"

"The father... that is... the son goes to the father and says "Dad, I'm gay" and the father replies "As long as you're not a faggot". Second thing: go back to your father and tell him... and he says "Dad, I'm gay" and he replies "As long as you're not pride", that is, for Gay pride, do you understand? That is, "I'm gay", "as long as you're not pride". But these marriages between men and men... (Richard Benson)"

"Pride is not just a summer event. It is a celebration, but it is also a manifestation of human rights. He is serious and joyful. It's a reminder of the progress we've made, but also of all that still remains to be done. This is a responsibility we all share. Both me and you. We must not remain silent. We must speak on behalf of those who do not have the courage to speak, for those who are not allowed to and for those who cannot. Here in Sweden and the Nordic countries, we have come a long way when it comes to LGBTQI rights. But what we take for granted is unthinkable in other parts of the world. In many countries, same-sex relationships are illegal. Young people are forced to hide and deny their love and identity. LGBTQI people are persecuted, harassed and even imprisoned. For me this is absolutely inconceivable. (Princess Victoria of Sweden)"

"Pride is a breath of citizenship. It's like a mosaic made up of a series of pieces of different colors: the glue must be equality. (Leoluca Orlando)"

"It seems like a carnival thing to me, I find these gays and trans people in swimsuits confusing. Let them go to Cuba, where there is a different gear without all this fuss. You also need to have a bit of modesty. (Cristiano Malgioglio)"

"I can't stand the fact that, to defend their rights, homosexuals take to the streets looking like fagots. (Roberto Calderoli)"

"For a long time I was afraid of being who I am because my parents convinced me that there was something wrong with someone like that. Something offensive, something to avoid, perhaps even to pity, something not to be loved. My mother is a fan of St. Thomas Aquinas. She considers pride a bad vice and of all the vices a human being can have, for St. Thomas pride was the king of the seven deadly sins. She considered it the supreme vice that in the blink of a wing could transform anyone into a sinner. But hate isn't on that list, and neither is shame. I was scared of this parade because I really wanted to be a part of it. So today I will march for that part of me that was too afraid to march and for those who can't, for the people who live as I have lived. Today I will march to remember that I am not just an "I", but that I am also an "us". And we march with pride! Go fuck St. Thomas! (Sense8)"

"For me this parade has the spiritual meaning of the fight for the freedom to love. It is not a political or religious thing: the freedom to love is a right of nature that has always existed. Whether they are men and women, men and men, women and women. ‎It's not a question of social class. (Asia Silver)"

"The spectacularization and ostentation of one's homosexuality in Gay Pride style damages not only the natural family founded on marriage, but also homosexuals themselves who experience their sexuality not as a freak show. [...] Homosexuals are different, but those of the Gay Pride are sick, and not only of protagonism."

"Those who live a natural sexuality don’t believe they need to demonstrate for their own pride, those who instead live an unnatural sexuality and believe they need to express their pride by doing so question the very thing itself. To all the gay pride protesters I make an appeal: repent and the good Lord will sacrifice the fatted calf."

"I can't stand the fact that, to defend their rights, homosexuals go to the streets looking like fagots."

"She said it wasn't worth living for her if she couldn't be a girl. What would you do tomorrow morning if you woke up with the body of the opposite sex while your entire personality remained the same? May you imagine how trapped you would feel? May you imagine the desperate desire to be able to recover a proper body? That's how Hailey feels. She’s trapped in a wrong body from which she wishes to escape. (Law & Order - Special Victims Unit)"

"Homoparentality"