Cisgender: a gender identity, or performance in a gender role, that society deems to match the person's assigned sex at birth. The prefix cis- means "on this side of" or "not across." A term used to call attention to the privilege of people who are not transgender.
Gender Equity: the social constructions of gender lead to disparities in social, economic, and political opportunities. To achieve gender equity, disparities specifically impacted by one's other salient identities should be identified and addressed in ways that rectify imbalances between all genders.
Gender: a social construct used to classify a person as a man, woman, or some other identity. Fundamentally different from the sex one is assigned at birth.
Intersectionality*: a term coined by law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in the 1980s to describe the way that multiple systems of oppression interact in the lives of those with multiple marginalized identities. Intersectionality looks at the relationships between multiple marginalized identities and allows us to analyze social problems more fully, shape more effective interventions, and promote more inclusive advocacy amongst communities.
Intersectional Feminism: rooted in Kimberlé Crenshaw's intersectionality theory, intersectional feminism recognizes that gender equity is only achieved by dismantling all systems of oppression.
Sex: a medically constructed categorization. Sex is often assigned based on the appearance of the genitalia, either in ultrasound or at birth.
Transgender*: Adjective used most often as an umbrella term, and frequently abbreviated to “trans.” This adjective describes a wide range of identities and experiences of people whose gender identity and/or expression differs from conventional expectations based on their assigned sex at birth. Not all trans people undergo medical transition (surgery or hormones). Some commonly held definitions:
- Someone whose determination of their sex and/or gender is not universally considered valid; someone whose behavior or expression does not “match” their assigned sex according to society.
- A gender outside of the man/woman binary.
- Having no gender or multiple genders.
Womxn: Womxn is intentionally spelled with an "x" in order to recognize the agency of womxn, individually and collectively, and to challenge the notion that womxn are necessarily defined through their relation to men. This spelling is intended to honor anyone who has ever, ever will, or currently identifies as a womxn.
*(from the UC Davis LGBTQIA+ RC)