Feminine-of-center- This describes people who identify their gender as feminine or femme. Some feminine-of-center people also identify with the word woman, but others don’t. The term feminine-of-center tells you about someone’s gender identity but doesn’t convey any information about the sex or gender assigned to them at birth.

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Femme- This is a label for gender identity or expression that describes someone with a gender that is or leans towards the feminine. Some femmes also identify as women, while many others don’t. Femme indicates the way someone experiences or expresses their gender, and doesn’t provide any information about the gender or sex assigned to them at birth.

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Female-to-male (FTM)- This term and acronym is most commonly used to refer to trans males, trans men, and some transmasculine people who were assigned female at birth. It’s important to only use this term if someone prefers to be referred to this way, as some trans males, trans men, and transmasculine people use terms that don’t include or indicate the sex they were assigned at birth.

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Gender apathetic- This term describes someone who doesn’t strongly identify with any gender or with any gender labels. Some gender apathetic people also use terms that indicate their relationship with the sex or gender assigned to them at birth.

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Gender nonconforming- This term is used to describe people with a gender expression or presentation that’s different from cultural or social stereotypes associated with the person’s perceived or assigned gender or sex. Gender nonconforming isn’t a gender identity it doesn’t convey any information about the way someone experiences gender internally. 

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Gender questioning- A person who’s questioning one or multiple aspects of their gender, such as their gender identity or expression.

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Gender variant- Similar to gender nonconforming, gender variant is an umbrella term used to describe people with gender identity, expression, or presentation that’s different from the perceived social norm or dominant group. 

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Genderfluid- This label is used to describe gender identity or expression. It involves the experience of moving between genders or having a gender that changes over a particular period of time. For example, from moment to moment, day to day, month to month, year to year, or decade to decade.

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Genderqueer- This nonbinary gender identity and the term describe someone with a gender that can’t be categorized as exclusively male or female, or exclusively masculine or feminine. People who identify as genderqueer experience and express gender in many different ways. This can include neither, both, or a combination of male, female, or nonbinary genders.

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Graygender- A gender term that describes someone who experiences ambivalence about gender identity or expression, and doesn’t fully identify with a binary gender that’s exclusively male or female.

Intergender- A nonbinary gender identity that describes the experience of having a gender that falls somewhere in between female and male or is a mix of both male and female.

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Intersex- An umbrella term that describes people who have sex characteristics — such as chromosomes, internal organs, hormones, or anatomy — that can’t be easily categorized into the binary sex framework of male or female.

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Masculine-of-center- This term describes people who identify their gender as masculine or masc. Some masculine-of-center people also identify with the word man, but many others don’t. The term masculine-of-center tells you about someone’s gender identity but doesn’t convey any information about the sex or gender assigned to them at birth.

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Maverique- This nonbinary gender identity emphasizes the inner experience of gender. It describes those who experience gender or have a core gender identity that’s independent of existing categories and definitions of gender, such as male or female, man or woman, masculine or feminine, and androgynous or neutral.

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Male-to-female (MTF)- This term and acronym is most commonly used to refer to trans females, trans women, and some transfeminine people who were assigned male at birth. It’s important to only use this term if someone prefers to be referred to this way, as some trans females, trans women, and some transfeminine people prefer to use terms that don’t include or overtly indicate the sex they were assigned at birth.

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Multi-gender- This umbrella term is used to describe people who experience more than one gender identity.

Other gender labels that fall under the multi-gender umbrella include:

• bigender

• trigender

• pangender

• polygender

In some cases, “genderfluid” may also fall under this umbrella.

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Neutrois- This nonbinary identity and umbrella term is used to describe people who have a gender that isn’t exclusively male or female. Neutrois can be a broader term encompassing other gender identities, such as nonbinary, agender, genderfluid, or genderless.

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Nonbinary- Also referred to as enby, this is a gender identity and umbrella term for gender identities that can’t be exclusively categorized as male or female. Individuals who identify as nonbinary can experience gender a variety of ways, including a combination of male and female, neither male nor female, or something else altogether. Some nonbinary individuals identify as trans, while many others don’t. Whether a nonbinary person also identifies as trans is often dependent on the extent to which that person identifies, even partially, with the sex or gender assigned to them at birth.

Novigender- A gender identity used by people who experience having a gender that can’t be described using existing language due to its complex and unique nature.

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Pangender- A nonbinary gender identity that describes people who experience all or many gender identities on the gender spectrum simultaneously or over time.

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Polygender- This gender identity term describes the experience of having multiple gender identities, simultaneously or over time. This term indicates the number of gender identities someone experiences but doesn’t necessarily indicate which genders are included in the given person’s polygender identity.

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Third gender- Originating in non-Western and native cultures, the third gender is a gender category that includes people who have a gender that can’t be exclusively categorized as male or female or is different from male or female.

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Transfeminine- A gender identity label that conveys the experience of having a feminine gender identity that’s different from the gender or sex that was assigned at birth.

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Transgender or trans- Both an umbrella term including many gender identities and a specific gender identity that describes those with a gender identity that’s different from the sex assigned at birth (male, female, or intersex).

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Transmasculine- A gender identity label that conveys the experience of having a masculine gender identity that’s different from the gender or sex that was assigned at birth.

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Transsexual- Falling under the transgender umbrella, transsexual is a word that was medically and historically used to indicate a difference between one’s gender identity (i.e., the internal experience of gender) and sex assigned at birth (as male, female, or intersex). Transsexual is often (though not always) used to communicate that one’s experience of gender involves a medical diagnosis or medical changes — such as hormones or surgery — that help alter anatomy and appearance to feel more congruent with gender identity. Due to a fraught history, the word transsexual can be contentious and shouldn’t be used unless someone specifically asks to be referred to this way

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Third gender- Originating in non-Western and native cultures, the third gender is a gender category that includes people who have a gender that can’t be exclusively categorized as male or female or is different from male or female.