Statement by Brian K. Bond, PFLAG National Executive Director, on the Passing of Larry Kramer
Gender-Affirming Services
Non-surgical gender-affirming care and services that support transgender people in their transition goals. Examples include electrolysis or laser hair removal, voice training, and tailored or affirming clothing and accessories. Many cisgender (see Cisgender) people use gender-affirming services as well, including the ones above, but because they are not transgender, people don’t often refer to them in this way.
Stereotype
An assumed label, usually used negatively towards a person or a group of people, race, religion, or orientation. For example, gender roles are stereotypes, where the man is perceived as the “breadwinner” and the woman is perceived as the “housewife.”
AMAB
(pronounced ā-mab) Acronym meaning Assigned Male at Birth. AMAB people may or may not identify as male some or all of the time. AMAB is a useful term for educating about issues that may happen to these bodies without connecting to manhood or maleness. Generally not considered an identity, as calling a transgender woman “AMAB,” for example, erases her identity as a woman. Instead, use a person’s pronouns and self-description.
Assumed Gender
The gender assumed about an individual, based on their assigned sex as well as apparent societal gender markers and expectations, such as physical attributes and expressed characteristics. Examples of assuming a person’s gender include using pronouns for a person before learning what pronouns they use, or calling a person a man or a woman without knowing their gender.
Gender Envy
A casual term primarily used by transgender people to describe an individual they aspire to be like. It often refers to having envy for an individual’s expression of gender (for example, wanting the physical features, voice, mannerisms, style, etc., of a specific gender).
Gendered Language
Commonly understood as language that has a bias towards a particular sex or social gender. This can lead to women being excluded or rendered invisible. For example, the way titles are used. “Mr.” can refer to any man, regardless of marriage status, whereas “Miss” and “Mrs.” define women by whether they are married, which until quite recently meant defining them by their relationships with men. Some languages, like Spanish, French, and others, will change the endings of words to associate them with a particular gender and person. English is NOT a gendered language in this particular way.
Lived Experience
To value the personal experiences of individuals as much as quantitative data. For example, believing narratives of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people persisting even if they counter larger narratives of acceptance. The concept of lived experience as a criterion on meaning was coined by Patricia Hill Collins.
Monosexual
People who only experience attraction to one gender. Examples of monosexual groups include gay men, lesbians, and straight people.