When & How to Talk to Your Patients About Their Gender & Sex

Cisgender: A person who identifies with their assigned sex at birth. Also called “cis” for short. This term may not reflect hormonal makeup, sexual orientation or physical characteristics.

Genderqueer: Someone who may not define themself as either male or female gender, or does not wish to conform to binary gender identities or labels.

Intersex: A group of chromosomal conditions that involve a discrepancy between a person’s external genitalia and internal genital organs, such as ovaries or testes. People who are intersex may have uncommon combinations of hormones, chromosomes and anatomical characteristics that are typically used to assign sex at birth.

Gender Affirmation Surgery: Various procedures to alter the external genitalia, internal sexual organs and/or external appearance. Not all transgender individuals have surgery.

Sources: Trans Student Educational Resources and the U.S. National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health