Transgender is a general term that describes people whose gender identity, or their internal sense of being male, female, or something else, does not match they were assigned at birth. By contrast, the term cisgender describes people whose gender identity aligns with the they were assigned at birth. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, there are about 1.4 million transgender people in the United States, who fall into several categories. A transgender woman was labeled as male at birth but has the gender identity of a female. A transgender man was assigned female sex at birth but identifies as male. Some transgender people don’t identify with one gender exclusively.
Their gender identity may combine both female and male elements, for instance, or they may not feel like either gender. These transgender people are often described as being “non-binary.” Another term that is sometimes used to describe people in this category is “genderqueer.” Transgender people may be gender non-conforming, meaning that they adopt customs and habits that are not typically associated with their assigned birth. That is, they may express their gender identity through the way they talk, act, dress, style their hair, and other behaviors.
