Quick grammar lesson for the haters
The Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee hearing for anti-trans sports bans SB2 and SB32 (special session) was on Monday, and boy howdy, the transphobic attacks were flying. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the live stream but got the gist of the vitriol from the Equality Texas live tweets.
It was painfully obvious that none of the supporters of these awful bills knew the real science behind sex and gender (or even the difference between sex and gender), understood accepted best practices for youth transitioning medically (or socially), or even had an in-depth conversation with a transgender person or their family members. Republican committee members interrupted and spoke over many trans people testifying against the bills.* They were condescending and disrespectful. Our elected officials.
One of the most irritating ways that the bills’ supporters were egregiously rude was in their misuse of the term transgender. So let’s get back to the very basics.
Quick definition: Transgender is often used broadly as an umbrella term to describe anyone whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. It can also be used more narrowly to describe a binary (male or female) gender identity that is “opposite” or “across from” the sex they were assigned at birth.
TRANSGENDER IS AN ADJECTIVE. Not a noun. Not a verb.
Unpack your adjectives
So you’d say someone is a transgender person or a transgender man or a transgender woman (reflecting the gender with which they identify). Note that the adjective (transgender) is describing the noun (person, man, woman).
You would NOT say someone is transgendered. Using this term as a verb implies that being transgender is something that happens to someone vs. simply reflecting who they are.
And definitely don’t call someone a transgender, which is dehumanizing. Similarly, the term transgenderism reduces people to a condition. Not true, and yuck.
It’s just an adjective that describes one aspect of a person’s self.
A super-helpful, comprehensive guide on term usage (with more helpful tips on what not to say) can be found here.
So please continue to love on and support your trans friends and family, but stick with adjectives: authentic, loveable, worthy, brave, amazing, extraordinary, marvelous, miraculous, stunning, and … transgender.
*Let the record show (and it actually will), that my state senator, John Whitmire, has been a badass champion for trans kids in both the committee hearing and in the Senate floor debate today. Thank you for staying to fight for our kids.