Traditionally, men who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to other men. More inclusively, gay refers to non-women attracted to other non-women. 

Gay is also used as an umbrella term, sometimes referring to the broader 2SLGBTQ+ community (ie. the gay community).

Gender-affirmative care can include any single or combination of a number of social, psychological, behavioural, medical, surgical or legal interventions designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity.

A term that refers to children who identify and express their gender in ways that differ from societal and cultural expectations. Some gender creative children grow up to be trans and some do not.

Refers to gender roles and/or gender expression that do not match social and cultural expectations.

A psychiatric diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders. Gender dysphoria is defined as a “marked incongruence between [a person’s] experienced or expressed gender and the one they were assigned at birth.” 

Source: National Library of Medicine

An alternative to the linear idea of a gender transition, gender embodiment is the non-linear process of how a person understands, experiences and expresses their gender.

Gender euphoria is a term that emerges from trans and gender-diverse communities to describe a spectrum of positive emotions associated with one’s gender. It can include emotions such as intense joy accompanying the attainment of milestones in gender transition through to a more consistent sense of calmness and relief occurring later in transition. Gender euphoria has political connotations in that it resists the stigmatizing characteristics of the term  “gender dysphoria.” 

Source: Amended from Jacobsen and Devor

Gender-expansive is an umbrella term that includes any person whose gender identity or expression does not comply with the socially defined gender norms and roles of their culture. The language of gender continues to evolve, and global differences require us to use language that is as accessible as possible. Gender expansive can be differentiated from gender-inclusive in that it provides specific space for new genders and identities to emerge. 

Source: Amended from Chicken & Egg Films

How a person publicly presents their gender. This can include behaviour and outward appearance such as dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. A person’s chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender.

Change over time in a person’s gender expression or gender identity, or both. That change might be in expression, but not identity, or in identity, but not expression, or both may change together. Not everyone who experiences changes in their gender expression or identity identifies as gender-fluid. Nor does everyone desire gender-affirming medical treatment to change their body to better align with their gender identity. 

Source: Amended from Harvard Health Publishing

A person's internal and individual experience of gender. It is a person's sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender spectrum. A person's gender identity may be the same as or different from their sex assigned at birth. A person's gender identity is fundamentally different from and not related to their sexual orientation.

Being gender inclusive means acting and communicating in a way that does not discriminate against, nor excludes a particular sex, social gender or gender identity, and does not perpetuate gender stereotypes. Given the key role of language in shaping cultural and social attitudes, using gender-inclusive language is a powerful way to promote gender equality and eradicate gender bias. This includes promoting equality for and eradicating bias against all genders including those beyond the man/woman or boy/girl binary.

Source: Amended from the United Nations definition

 The idea that gender is something learned and performed based on cultural norms of femininity and masculinity. That is to say, there are no inherent ways of being masculine or feminine. Rather, masculinity and femininity are culturally-specific, and change through time and place. This idea was popularized by American philosopher Judith Butler. It’s important to note that some patients may “perform” the gender they were assigned at birth when accessing healthcare in order to avoid discrimination or violence.