To raise awareness of the diverse identities that fall under the umbrella term transgender - and recognising that not everyone identifies with it - we’ve compiled a list of different identity terminology used by gender diverse folk.
This, of course, is by no means an exhaustive list and if you’d like to see a term added, get in contact with us at news@gaynz.com
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Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity is not the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transsexual: A term preferred by some people who have permanently changed - or wish to change - their body physically through medical interventions like hormone replacement and surgeries.
Whakawahine, Hinehi, Hinehua: Māori terminology describing someone born with a male body who has a female gender identity.
Tangata ira tane: A Māori term describing someone born with a female body and who has a male gender identity.
Fa’afafine: A Samoan term describing someone who was assigned male at birth but who explicitly embody both masculine and feminine gender traits.
Fakaleiti: A Tongan term describing someone who was assigned male at birth but who explicitly embody both masculine and feminine gender traits.
Genderqueer: Used by some people who identify outside of the gender binary of male or female.
Gender non-conforming: Someone who does not identify with gender norms.
Gender Fluid: Having a gender identity that is not fixed, that changes.
Bigender: Someone who identifies as two genders.
Nonbinary: Umbrella term for genders other than female and male.
Thanks to the Human Rights Commission for the Māori terminology.
