Sometimes people feel

• Trapped inside the wrong body
• That they were born as the wrong sex
• Like dressing in clothes of the opposite gender

If you feel like this, it's okay.

Being transgender has a very long cultural history. It is becoming more acceptable and more visible in our society, and there are lots of resources to help you to sort out how you’re feeling and whether or not you want to seek medical interventions. It’s also completely normal to feel really confused and scared if you’re trying to come to grips with feeling like your body just doesn’t match how you feel inside.

Some Definitions:

Sex: The biological make-up of your body, assigned at birth. Traditionally classified as either male or female.

Gender: Acquired after birth, based on social norms, traditions, and your own self-identification.Traditionally classified as either man or woman.

Masculine: One end of the spectrum of gender expression, which includes clothing and behaviour traits. Traditionally associated with people who identify as men.

Feminine: One end of the spectrum of gender expression, which includes clothing and behaviour traits. Traditionally associated with people who identify as women.

Gender Identity: Your internal sense of masculinity or femininity (or anything in between),which may not necessarily match your birth sex.

Sexual Orientation / Identity: Who you are physically, sexually, romantically and emotionallyattracted to. Separate from gender identity. Some common sexual orientations are gay, lesbian, heterosexual, bisexual, and pansexual.

Transgendered: An umbrella term used to encompass all persons who are cross-gendered, which means somehow not identifying with your biological sex. Transgendered means a lot of different things, and people may use it differently, depending on their understanding of the term. Sometimes referred to as TG or trans.

Transsexual: Someone who might feel like they’re “trapped in the wrong body” – that is, that you strongly feel like your birth sex doesn’t match your gender. People who identify as transsexual usually seek medical interventions, either through hormone treatments or surgery, to make their physical bodies match their gender. Sometimes referred to as TS.

Transvestite: Someone who dresses as the opposite sex to their birth sex. People often use this word interchangeably with cross-dresser.

Gender Binary: The idea that all gender identity exists as either man or woman, without acknowledging all the identities in between.

Genderqueer: A broad term that some people use to self-identify, that can mean that theyidentify as neither male or female, as both, or as falling completely outside the gender binary. Some genderqueer people may still use the traditional pronouns of “he” and “she”, and some may choose to use gender neutral pronouns. However, there’s no one agreed upon set of gender neutral pronouns. If you’re not sure what pronouns someone chooses to use, it’s usually okay to ask them how they prefer to be addressed.

FtM: Female-to-male – someone whose birth sex is female, but who identifies and lives as a man

MtF: Male-to-female – someone whose birth sex is male, but who identifies and lives as a woman

Cisgender: Someone whose birth sex matches their gender identity; not transgendered.

There’s a whole range, or continuum, of gender expressions and definitions falling under the term transgendered, or trans. For some people, dressing in a way that doesn’t completely fit with their biological sex might be how they express their trans identity. For others, the feeling of being trapped in a body that doesn’t match how they feel is completely unbearable, and they might decide to find a doctor who can help them to move towards making their body fit with the sex that they know that they are. However you decide to express your gender identity is okay, and you should never feel pressured to undergo any medical interventions that you’re not ready for. But it’s also important that you feel supported by a team of people who can help you to find out what your options are.

Gender identity and sexual orientation are two separate things. You might identify as transgender and straight, or genderqueer and bisexual, or any other combination. Often people think that if you choose to dress or express yourself in a way that doesn’t match your birth sex, that means that you’re gay or lesbian, but there is no direct relationship between the two.

Here are some great resources if you live in Toronto:

The 519 Trans and Questioning Youth Group (www.the519.org/programs/trans/tyt.shtml): A once-a-week drop-in for trans and questioning youth, facilitated by other trans youth.

Supporting Our Youth (www.soytoronto.org): Provides programs and resources for trans youth.

Planned Parenthood Toronto (www.ppt.on.ca): Health Services is youth- and trans-friendly, and they provide counselling services for whatever issues you might want to talk about. You can also contact the Teen Sex InfoLine if you want to talk to someone about how you’re feeling: Call 416.961.3200 or check out http://ppt.on.ca/teenprogram_Chat_E-mail.asp for information on how to chat using Windows Live Messenger.

If you don’t live in Toronto, here are some places on the web that can help you find support in your area:

Ontario Trans Support Resource Guide
(www.the519.org/programs/trans /ON_TS_ResourceGuide.htm)

FTM International (www.ftmi.org): Information for the FtM community

TransParent Canada (www.transparentcanada.ca/): Information for families of trans youth. Has a great definitions section.